Mocha banana cupcakes, with a moist espresso chocolate chip banana cupcake & a light and fluffy whipped mocha buttercream.
This post may contain affiliate links, please read the privacy policy for details. This post is sponsored by Papanicholas Coffee. All opinions are my own.
mocha banana cupcakes
Hello hello! I’m here today with another recipe for my fellow coffee lovers. These mocha banana cupcakes start out with a cupcake base that’s *packed* with fresh bananas and mini chocolate chips, and has a shot of espresso in it. We’ll also top it off with a whipped mocha buttercream that’s made with a coffee-infused heavy whipping cream, so no matter where you take a bite into these delicious cupcakes you’ll be getting mocha flavor.
why you’ll love these mocha banana cupcakes:
- They’re super moist: we’re packing a ton of banana into these cupcakes so they’re super moist, and super flavorful.
- They’re small batch: like a lot of the recipes you’ll find here, these cupcakes are small batch – yielding 6 delicious cupcakes.
- Whipped mocha buttercream: I don’t know about you, but I’m not the biggest buttercream fan. The nutella whipped cream on top is super light, airy, creamy & a way more delicious substitute to buttercream.
papanicholas coffee
My favorite brand of coffee is PapaNicholas Coffee, so it’s perfect that I get to work with them! I use their coffee beans every single day and am so happy to be able to spread my love of their coffee to you. Today I partnered up with PapaNicholas Coffee for these mocha banana cupcakes and used their Colombian Supremo Whole Bean Espresso which has notes of crisp wine & bright acidity with a slightly sweet finish. I can’t recommend them enough, so please be sure to check them out! You can find their website by clicking here. And if you do end up purchasing their coffee be sure to use code FRESH20 which will get you 20% off any of their coffee!.
expert baking tips
Weigh your ingredients:
My recipes are all written in grams because it is the most accurate way to bake. When you use a kitchen scale, you ensure that your baked goods turn out as close to the written recipe as possible. Plus, the cleanup is way easier when using a scale! I will provide standard cup measurements but please note that I have not tested the recipe using cup measurements and therefore can not guarantee your recipe will come out how mine did. Here is my favorite kitchen scale.
Be careful when mixing the cupcake batter:
When you over-mix your batter, you create more gluten in the batter which will make your cupcakes go from light and moist to dense and chewy. When you’re mixing in the dry ingredients, be sure that you only mix *just until* that last streak of flour disappears into the batter.
Use room temperature ingredients:
This is super important for allowing the batter to come together smoothly. You’ll want to take your ingredients out of the fridge about an hour before baking to allow them enough time to come to room temperature.
Keep a close eye on the cupcakes while they bake:
Cakes and cupcakes like to go from under-baked to over-baked super quickly so it is important to keep a close eye on them. I’d recommend that you start checking on the cake around 15 minutes.
A note on oven temperature:
Ovens vary and fluctuate in temperature and might not always actually be at the temperature they claim to be at. If you love to bake like I do, I highly recommend getting an oven thermometer. They are super helpful for letting you know when your oven might be lying to you! I use this one.
ingredients for mocha banana cupcakes
mocha banana cupcakes:
- All purpose flour: the structure of the cupcakes
- Baking powder: for leavening and giving that “cakey” texture
- Salt: for balancing and bringing out the sweetness
- Banana: you’ll need ~1 large or 1 1/2 medium-sized very ripe bananas for this recipe. The more ripe the bananas are, the sweeter & more moist your cupcakes will be.
- Espresso: for flavor – any espresso, instant espresso, or even instant coffee will work here.
- Unsalted butter: tenderizes the cupcakes. You could use salted butter, just be sure to omit the extra salt from the batter.
- Granulated sugar: sweetens the cupcakes and helps lock in the moisture.
- Egg: contributes moisture to the cupcakes and helps bind the batter together
- Vanilla: for flavor.
- Mini chocolate chips: for flavor. You can use regular-sized chocolate chips, I just prefer mini since they spread more evenly throughout the batter.
Whipped mocha buttercream:
- Heavy whipping cream: to make the buttercream ‘whipped’ – aka super light and fluffy.
- Espresso beans: to infuse with the heavy whipping cream.
- Unsalted butter: the base of the buttercream. You can use salted butter, just be sure to omit the extra salt.
- Salt: we’ll use a little bit of salt to help cut the sweetness and bring out the flavor.
- Powdered sugar: for sweetness and for thickening the buttercream.
- Dutch processed cocoa powder: to turn the buttercream into chocolate buttercream. I recommend dutch cocoa for the best flavor and color, but in a pinch natural cocoa will work here.
how to make mocha banana cupcakes
Here are the steps to follow to make these cupcakes. You can find the complete recipe (which is printable!) at the end of this blog post.
- Start by mashing the banana.
- Then whisk in the rest of the wet ingredients.
- Fold in the dry ingredients just until no flour streaks remain.
- Distribute the cupcake batter evenly between six parchment liners, and bake.
- Combine the butter, salt, powdered sugar & cocoa powder, then pour the infused cream through a fine mesh sieve over the bowl.
- Whip up the buttercream, generously top the cupcakes, and enjoy!
mocha banana cupcakes recipe q&a
do I need to use espresso in these cupcakes?
If you’re looking for just a chocolate chip banana cupcake, you can replace the espresso with milk and skip the process of infusing the heavy cream with espresso beans.
If you don’t have an espresso machine, you can combine instant espresso or instant coffee (however much the brand recommends) with 30g (1 oz.) of water.
can I double this recipe?
Of course! Obviously they will not be small batch anymore but small batch isn’t always what we need! Simply double all of the ingredients in the recipe to make 12 delicious cupcakes. I even more strongly recommend measuring by weight if you are going to double the recipe for the best results.
can I make these cupcakes ahead of time?
Definitely! I would recommend making the cupcakes no more than two days ahead of time. Store the unfrosted cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature. I would recommend waiting to make the whipped mocha buttercream until you want to frost the cupcakes.
how to store the cupcakes
You can store the frosted cupcakes in an airtight container in the fridge.
can I turn this into a cake?
Definitely! Bake the cake in a 6″ cake pan. Just note that it will take a bit longer to bake because it will be bigger and thicker than the cupcakes.
tools and ingredients
You can find all my favorite tools and ingredients that I use on my Amazon Storefront page, here!
other recipes you might enjoy:
did you make this recipe?
I’d love to see and know your thoughts! please leave a comment and review below, and tag me on instagram @freshbeanbakery. #freshbeanbakery
Mocha Banana Cupcakes
Ingredients
Coffee-Infused Cream
- 75 g heavy whipping cream (⅓ c.)
- 2 tbsp. espresso beans crushed
Mocha Banana Cupcakes
- 56 g unsalted butter (¼ c.)
- 125 g banana mashed (~1 large banana or 1 ½ medium bananas)
- 75 g granulated sugar (¼ c. + 2 tbsp.)
- 1 egg room temperature
- ½ tsp. vanilla
- 30 g espresso chilled to room temperature (1 oz.)
- 100 g all purpose flour (¾ c. + 1 ⅓ tbsp.)
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 60 g mini chocolate chips (⅓ c.)
Whipped Mocha Buttercream
- 125 g unsalted butter room temperature (9 tbsp.)
- ⅛ tsp. salt
- 220 g powdered sugar (1 ¾ c. + 1 tbsp.)
- 18 g dutch processed cocoa powder (3 tbsp.)
- coffee-infused cream from earlier, room temperature
Instructions
Coffee-Infused Cream
- The night before baking the cupcakes, crush up some espresso beans. Combine the crushed espresso beans and heavy whipping cream in a liquid measuring cup, cover the cup, and set it in the fridge to infuse overnight.
- Alternatively, the day of making the cupcakes you can heat the espresso beans and heavy whipping cream together on the stove and let the mixture come to a simmer. Once the mixture is simmering, remove it from the heat and let it steep for 20 minutes before removing the espresso beans from the cream.
Mocha Banana Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C. Place 6 parchment liners into a cupcake tin.
- In a small microwave safe bowl, melt the butter in 20 second intervals, stirring after each interval until it's just completely melted.
- In a small mixing bowl, mash up the banana until no chunks remain.
- To the banana, add in the melted butter, sugar, egg, vanilla, and espresso. Whisk vigorously until the mixture is cohesive and well combined.
- Add in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk together until only a few flour streaks remain. Add in the mini chocolate chips, then mix just until no flour streaks remain.
- Divide the batter evenly between the six parchment liners. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcakes comes out with only a few moist crumbs.
Whipped Mocha Buttercream
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer, beat together the butter and salt for 1-2 minutes, until light and fluffy.
- Add in half of the powdered sugar and beat until combined, then beat in the cocoa powder and the rest of the powdered sugar.
- Place a fine mesh sieve over the buttercream mixing bowl. Stir the coffee-infused cream mixture to break up the layer of espresso beans at the top. Pour the cream through the fine mesh sieve to remove the espresso beans. (If you made the infused cream day of by simmering, simply add the cream into the buttercream.)
- Beat the buttercream for an additional 1-2 minutes, until it thickens and is light and fluffy.
- Once the cupcakes have fully cooled to room temperature, generously frost them with the whipped mocha buttercream and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Please note that the nutrition facts are only an estimate and may vary based on different brands of ingredients and any substitutions made.