Back In January my friend (and roommate!) celebrated her birthday. We had a party at our apartment and I made these cupcakes. The desire to make them first started when Alana told me that a guy from her work’s girlfriend…who works at an amazing bakery downtown…made banana chocolate chip cupcakes that were to die for. I so wanted to prove that my banana cupcakes could be better.
Since I never tried the cupcakes made by the pro baker I can’t say definitively that mine were better. However I like to think they were. 🙂 I think they tasted great and I think (and hope!) that everyone at her party thought so too. Chocolate and banana taste so good together and the idea of a brownie layer in a cupcake is just too tempting to pass up.
Last weekend Kara and I made these cupcakes again and now I’m sure that these are total winners. After trying one I packed them up and put them in the freezer because I knew that if I left them out I would sneak one every day until they were gone.
Here’s what you’ll need
Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy
Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until combined
Add the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined
Scoop the brownie batter into the cupcake liners and press down with the back of a spoon
Now for the cupcake layer. Whisk together the dry ingredients and set aside
In another bowl, mix together egg and brown sugar until smooth. Then stir in the vanilla
Add the melted butter and sour cream in next
Gradually stir in the dry ingredients
Add the mashed bananas in last
Scoop the cupcake batter on top of the brownie layer
While the cupcakes bake and cool, start the cream cheese frosting
Frost the cupcakes, sprinkle some mini chips on top for decoration and EAT UP!
Brownie Banana Bread Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the Brownie Layer:
- 1/4 cup butter, softened
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 heaping tablespoons of cocoa powder
- pinch of salt
- 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips, lightly tossed in flour
For the Cupcake Layer:
- 1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 cup salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- pinch of nutmeg
- 1 egg
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 3 large ripe bananas, mashed
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
For the Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting:1
- 1 1/2 sticks butter, at room temperature
- 8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 3/4 cup loosely packed brown sugar
- 1 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1 tbsp vanilla
Instructions
For the Brownie Layer:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cupcake pan with liner, set aside.
- In the bowl of an stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar until fluffy, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add egg and vanilla and mix until combined, scraping down the bowl as needed. With the mixer on medium speed, add in flour (with chocolate chips tossed in), salt and cocoa powder, mixing until just combined.
- Spoon about ½ – ¾ of a tablespoon of brownie batter into each cup. Press the batter down with the back of a spoon coated in non-stick spray.
For the Cupcake Layer:
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg and set aside.
- In another bowl, whisk egg and add brown sugar, mixing until smooth. Stir in the vanilla. Add the sour cream and melted butter and mix. Stir in the dry ingredients, then add mashed bananas and mix until batter comes together. The batter will be thicker than normal cupcake batter.
- Using an ice cream scoop, scoop batter into liners on top of the brownie batter. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting.
Directions
- Beat butter and cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until completely combined and creamy, scraping down the sides a few times as needed. Add in brown sugar and powdered sugar, beating on low speed and gradually increasing to medium speed. Pour in vanilla extract. Beat frosting for 4-5 minutes on medium-high speed until creamy. This frosting is not very thick, so make sure to either frost immediately before eating, or store in the refrigerator for up until 30 minutes before serving.