When we make cupcakes for our family, we typically pipe frosting on a few of them for blog pictures and then just spread it on with an icing spatula for the rest. Of course, when we are bringing cupcakes to an event, we pipe the frosting on all of them! While piping frosting itself is fun, refilling the piping bag can be a messy and annoying job, so we avoid it if possible.

Luckily, these are the kind of cupcakes where a fancy piped swirl isn’t necessary. Regardless of how you spread your frosting, these cupcakes are fantastic. The base is a banana cupcake that is less dense than banana bread but still packed with banana flavor. It’s definitely the best banana cake we’ve made. The frosting is the perfect topping for this cake. It is more chocolatey than it looks (we beat ours for longer, so our frosting became lighter as more air was incorporated). The nutella flavor is not super strong, so if you want to increase the amount, you can. We loved it just as it was, though!

Banana Cupcakes with Nutella Buttercream Frosting

Recipe from Cooking Classy

Makes about 15 cupcakes

Ingredients:

For the cupcakes:

1 1/4 cups + 2 tbsp all-purpose flour

2 tbsp cornstarch

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 medium bananas)

1/2 tsp lemon juice

1/4 cup butter, softened

2 Tbsp vegetable oil, divided

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1 large egg+ 1 large egg white

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2/3 cup buttermilk

For the frosting:

1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/4 cup salted butter, softened

1/4 cup Nutella (feel free to add more)

2 1/2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder

2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

3 – 4 tsp heavy cream

Directions:

For the cupcakes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt until evenly combined. Mash the bananas with lemon juice until fairly smooth and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, 1 tbsp of the vegetable oil, granulated sugar and brown sugar until pale and fluffy. Beat in the remaining 1 tbsp of vegetable oil. Blend in egg, then add the egg white and vanilla. Beat in the banana mixture.

With the mixer  on low speed, add in a third of the flour mixture and beat until combined. Add half of the buttermilk. Repeat, alternating between the flour and the buttermilk. Mix until just evenly combined. Divide the batter among 15 paper lined muffin cups, filling each cup 2/3 full. Bake in the  preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, about 18 – 22 minutes. Allow to cool in the pan for a few minutes, and then transfer to a wire cooling rack.

For the frosting:

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip together the butters on medium-high speed until very pale and fluffy, about 5 – 6 minutes. Scrape down the side of the bowl halfway through. Add the Nutella and cocoa powder and beat for two more minutes. Add the vanilla and powdered sugar and blend on low speed until combined. Add the cream and whip on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes more minutes. Frost the cupcakes as desired and enjoy!