Chocolate banana cupcakes—no stand mixer required—are chocolate cupcakes filled with homemade banana curd and finished with a creamy chocolate buttercream. Chocolate and banana are a classic pairing, and these cupcakes showcase them beautifully.
If last year on this site was the year of cheesecake cakes, this year has been the year of fruit curds. I can’t seem to get enough of them.
So far I’ve made lemon curd for cupcakes and mango curd for a coconut cake. Now it’s time for banana curd.
Does banana curd sound odd? It isn’t. It tastes like ripe bananas—pure and bright. And what pairs better with banana than chocolate? (Well, peanut butter gets an honorable mention, but today I’m all about chocolate.)
These chocolate banana cupcakes were created for a summer cupcake-themed blog party where baking bloggers share cupcake recipes and celebrate the joy of homemade cupcakes. They’re fun to make and even more fun to eat.
Why you’ll love these chocolate banana cupcakes:
- Soft, moist chocolate cupcakes topped with a smooth chocolate buttercream—perfect for chocoholics.
- No stand mixer required; a hand mixer or vigorous whisking will work.
- You’ll likely have a bit of banana curd left over, which is delicious on toast or stirred into oatmeal.
How to make banana curd
Start with ripe bananas. They don’t need to be nearly black like banana bread bananas, but avoid green ones. Mash the bananas lightly, then combine them with sugar, lemon juice, and eggs in a food processor and puree until smooth and pourable.
Transfer the puree to a medium saucepan, add unsalted butter, and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens. This typically takes 8 to 10 minutes. You’ll know it’s ready when it coats the back of a spoon and holds a line when you run your finger through it.
Press the cooked curd through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any fibers, then press plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Chill until completely cold, about two hours or up to three days. The curd can darken slightly when chilled; if you prefer a brighter banana color you can tint it lightly with food coloring, but this is optional.
Chocolate Banana Cupcakes, step by step
The chocolate cupcakes are straightforward and come out tender and deeply chocolate flavored.
This recipe uses coffee to intensify the chocolate notes, but boiling water can be substituted. If you’re sensitive to caffeine, use decaffeinated coffee.
Start by creaming together the butter, sugar, and eggs until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add one-third of the dry ingredients, then half of the cooled coffee mixed with cocoa. Continue alternating the dry ingredients and cocoa mixture, finishing with the dry ingredients. Beat only until combined—overmixing will make the cupcakes less tender.
Fill muffin cups about two-thirds full and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before filling and frosting.
When cool, use a small paring knife to cut a hole about 1 inch across and 1 inch deep in each cupcake. Spoon chilled banana curd into each hole—about 2 teaspoons per cupcake—then replace the cake plug you removed to seal the filling.
Baker’s tip: These cupcakes are delightfully soft, which makes cutting the filling holes tricky. If you need firmer cake to work with, refrigerate the cupcakes for about an hour before cutting.
For frosting, a large open star piping tip gives a pretty swirl, but spreading the frosting works just as well. Top each cupcake with a slice of banana if you like.
These chocolate banana cupcakes are delicious however you finish them—simple, elegant, and full of flavor.
More delicious cupcake recipes!
Below are other cupcake ideas from baking bloggers participating in the cupcake event. Try them for variety and inspiration.
Brown Sugar Toffee Cupcakes from Kelly Lynn’s Sweets and Treats
Piñata Cupcakes from A Table Full of Joy
Chocolate Cherry Chip Cupcakes from Love in My Oven
Mojito Cupcakes from Nourish and Fete
If you make these chocolate banana cupcakes, please share your thoughts and a rating. Tag me on social media if you post pictures so I can see your results.
Ingredients
Banana curd filling
- 1 1/4 cups mashed ripe banana (about 3 large bananas)
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 3 large eggs
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
Chocolate cupcakes
- 1 cup very hot coffee or boiling water
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons cake flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Chocolate frosting
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 4 to 4 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 6 to 8 tablespoons milk or heavy cream
- 1/4 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
Instructions
Banana curd filling
- Combine mashed banana, sugar, lemon juice, and eggs in a food processor and process until smooth. Transfer to a medium saucepan and add the butter.
- Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and can coat the back of a spoon (about 8 to 10 minutes). Do not boil.
- Press the curd through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, smoothing with a spatula if needed. Cover the surface with plastic wrap to prevent a skin, then cool to room temperature and refrigerate until chilled (about 2 hours). Can be made up to 3 days ahead.
Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line 20–22 muffin cups with liners.
- Whisk the hot coffee (or boiling water) with the cocoa powder and let cool to room temperature.
- Sift the cake flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together and set aside.
- Cream the butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla together with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Scrape the bowl as needed.
- On low speed, add the dry ingredients in three additions, alternating with the cocoa-coffee mixture, beginning and ending with the flour. Mix until just combined.
- Divide batter among the prepared cups, filling each about two-thirds full. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, until a tester comes out clean. Cool completely before filling.
Frosting
- Beat the butter until smooth. Add 4 cups powdered sugar, the cocoa, 6 tablespoons milk, and salt. Beat until combined and smooth.
- Adjust with more powdered sugar if too thin, or more milk if too thick. Beat for another minute until fluffy.
Assembly
- Cut a hole about 1 inch across and 1 inch deep in each cooled cupcake and reserve the cake plugs.
- Spoon about 2 teaspoons of banana curd into each hole, trim the reserved cake pieces to fit and replace as a plug.
- Pipe or spread the chocolate frosting on each cupcake and top with a banana slice if desired. Serve.
Recipe Notes
Store uneaten cupcakes in the fridge for up to 2 days, or freeze tightly wrapped for up to 2 months.
Banana curd adapted from a classic cupcake book. Cupcake recipe adapted from a community cookbook.