Best Banana Pecan Cupcakes Recipes

PECAN BANANA CUPCAKES

Pecan Banana Cupcakes image

Very tasty alternative to banana bread. My husband and kids like these with or without frosting!

Provided by Linda Kaye

Categories Desserts Nut Dessert Recipes Pecan Dessert Recipes

Time 1h20m

Yield 24

Number Of Ingredients 19

Ingredients

½ cup butter
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
½ cup canola oil
⅓ cup applesauce
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
3 cups mashed ripe bananas
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans
½ cup butter, softened
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
4 cups confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Steps:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place muffin liners into two 12-cup muffin tins.
Beat 1/2 cup butter and 1 package cream cheese together in a bowl until creamy and smooth; slowly beat in brown sugar and white sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, until fully incorporated. Stir in canola oil and applesauce; mix well. Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt until just combined. Stir in bananas and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; fold in pecans. Fill muffin liners 2/3 full with batter.
Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 28 to 33 minutes. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.
Beat 1/2 cup butter and 1 package cream cheese together in a bowl until creamy; mix in confectioners' sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract until frosting is smooth. Frost the cooled cupcakes.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 415 calories, Carbohydrate 51.4 g, Cholesterol 56.4 mg, Fat 22.7 g, Fiber 1.4 g, Protein 3.7 g, SaturatedFat 9.8 g, Sodium 312.8 mg, Sugar 39.8 g

BANANA-PECAN CUPCAKES

Banana-Pecan Cupcakes image

Baking a batch of these ultra-moist cupcakes is a great way to use overripe bananas; keep a bunch in your freezer (unpeeled) and thaw when you're ready to use. You can substitute walnuts for pecans, or leave the nuts out entirely. Caramel buttercream makes a satisfyingly sweet topping; cream-cheese frosting (page 303) and chocolate-sour cream frosting (page 311) are also good choices. Left unfrosted, the cupcakes can be enjoyed any time of day.

Yield makes 28

Number Of Ingredients 13

Ingredients

3 cups sifted cake flour (not self-rising)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 very ripe large bananas, mashed (about 2 cups)
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups packed light-brown sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup pecans (about 4 ounces), toasted (see page 323) and coarsely chopped
Caramel Buttercream (page 307)

Steps:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk together cake flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. In another bowl, whisk together bananas, buttermilk, and vanilla.
With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and brown sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in two batches, alternating with banana mixture, and beating until just combined after each. Stir in pecans by hand.
Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes. Cupcakes can be stored overnight at room temperature, or frozen up to 2 months, in airtight containers.
To finish, use a small offset spatula to spread cupcakes with buttercream. Refrigerate up to 3 days in airtight containers; bring to room temperature before serving.