Banana cupcakes recipe

It takes just 10 minutes to prepare a batch of these banana cupcakes - then you can just whack them in the oven. 

Ripe bananas infuse these banana cupcakes with a naturally sweet banana flavour. The crunch of the crushed walnuts and the sweetness of the four ripe bananas work well together. Serve these cupcakes as they are with a slice of banana on top, or with a dusting of icing sugar or generous squirt of whipped cream. This recipe makes 12-16 cupcakes depending on the size of the cupcake cases you choose.

Ingredients

• 75g unsalted butter
• 100g golden caster sugar
• 1 large egg
• 225g plain flour
• 2tsp baking powder
• 4 small ripe bananas (plus one more for decorating: optional)
• 50g walnuts, crushed

Method

1. Preheat the oven 180C/350F/Gas mark 4. Line a deep muffin or cupcake tray with 12-16 paper cases.
2. Meanwhile, peel the bananas and break them roughly into a small bowl. Mash using a fork. Put to one side.
3. In a large mixing bowl add all of the ingredients. Add the mashed banana and whisk with either an electric hand whisk or with a wooden spoon. Beat until completely combined.
4. Spoon the mixture into the paper cases making sure to fill each three-quarter of the way to the top of the case rim.
5. If you want to add a slice of banana to each cupcake, do this before popping it into the oven. Make sure you slice the banana thinly so it won’t sink into the mixture when baking.
6. Bake for 20-25 mins or until golden brown on top. To test the cupcakes are cooked the whole way through, poke the centre of a couple of cakes with a skewer, if it comes out clean then the cakes are done. If not, pop back into the oven and give them another 5 minutes.

Top tips for making banana cupcakes

If your banana cupcakes start to brown on the top but are not fully cooked through, cover the whole tray in a sheet of tin foil. This will stop the cakes from catching or burning on top but will still allow them to cook for a little longer.

Can I use non-ripe bananas in banana cupcakes?

No, you need to have bananas that are nice and ripe to make banana bakes. The best kind will be going brown - which is ideal as this is the time when most people like eating them less. If you have bananas that are going over and you're not ready to make banana bread, you can peel, chop and freeze them and keep the frozen slices until you're ready to make cake.

Why are my banana cupcakes so dense?

Over mixing the batter is the most likely cause of this. Batter needs to have little air bubbles in, which grow as the cake bakes, to create a lovely light, bouncy texture. If you beat all the bubbles out, you will get cake with a stodgy, dense or gummy texture.

Can I throw in an extra banana that I have going spare?

Resist the urge to do this. We know it feels like you're being sensible and using up leftovers, but too much banana in this recipe will make the cakes hard to bake, and leave them stodgy and underdone in the middle. Instead, peel, chop and freeze the leftover banana for the next time you're baking.

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