Banana Cupcakes with Honey-Cinnamon Frosting

Rating: 3.63 stars
870 Ratings
  • 5 star values: 225
  • 4 star values: 263
  • 3 star values: 250
  • 2 star values: 98
  • 1 star values: 34

For a handheld treat that takes the cake, try these cute confections -- they combine the flavor of classic banana bread with a creamy spiced frosting.

Gallery

Read the full recipe after the video.

Recipe Summary

prep:
10 mins
total:
40 mins
Yield:
Makes 12
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Ingredients

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

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  • Make a well in center of flour mixture. In well, mix together butter, mashed bananas, eggs, and vanilla. Stir to incorporate flour mixture (do not overmix). Dividing evenly, spoon batter into muffin cups.

  • Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a cupcake comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pan; cool completely on a wire rack. Spread tops with honey-cinnamon frosting. Just before serving, peel and slice banana into rounds, and place one on each cupcake, if desired.

Reviews (102)

870 Ratings
  • 5 star values: 225
  • 4 star values: 263
  • 3 star values: 250
  • 2 star values: 98
  • 1 star values: 34
Anonymous
Rating: 5 stars
11/05/2019
I have been making this recipe for years! I follow it to the letter. When I have ripe banana’s this is my go to. My husband and teen son love them.
Anonymous
Rating: 5 stars
11/02/2018
Living alone, I halved the recipe and the cupcakes came out perfect. The frosting makes them even better.
Anonymous
Rating: 5 stars
01/15/2018
I’ve made this recipe several times. We love it!
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Anonymous
Rating: 5 stars
01/12/2018
MINOUCHKA -- Looks easy and great!
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
07/04/2017
I am making these banana cupcakes for my dad! The batter tasted great and I've put the cupcakes into the oven right now. However, I do have some leftover batter... I don't know what I've done wrong. Has anybody experienced this problem before? What can I do?
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
07/01/2017
I love banana muffins so much, so when I found out there was a banana cupcake I went right to it. I hope I am not disappointed by this recipe, and that the frosting creates stiff peaks that are good for piping. I'll let you know my thoughts on the recipe after its made!
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Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
03/09/2017
These are the most delicious & easy cupcakes. They're also nice & moist, And the Honey Cinnamon Frosting pairs very well with these & is also easy & delicious. It makes 12 good size cupcakes as the recipe states. This recipe will be a regular in my kitchen :)
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
12/05/2016
Cupcakes were very dense, very uncupcake like and more of a muffin. Still yummy, a bit too sweet but good none the less.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
01/09/2016
Is it normal that they're too soft? I think they are ready but they are way too soft? Is it because of the banana??? Is it normal??
Anonymous
Rating: 5 stars
08/03/2015
Really good cupcakes! I use the recommended recipe for icing, but replace the honey with dark rum for a delicious rum-cinnamon icing. A real treat!
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
08/03/2015
When it says 350 degrees, I assume that's in Fahrenheit, right? It would be good to clarify these things for non-US users.
Anonymous
Rating: 5 stars
01/04/2015
Made these for our daughter's 4th birthday (as she requested strawberry banana cupcakes) with a strawberry cream cheese frosting! Yum. They were a hit! Everyone liked them. Lots like a moist banana bread ~ but that's okay with us. Will make again I'm sure! :) Thanks for the recipe.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
05/02/2014
I have made these many times and everyone just loves them! I highly recommend this recipe!!
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
04/05/2014
Hello! i made this, and everybody loved this cupcake. banana is a favourite fruit from my husband, so he was the first to eat it. i made it using oil.
Anonymous
Rating: 5 stars
01/16/2014
I had left a review a while ago but it mysteriously disappeared. I made these a while ago and they were wonderful! I only had enough bananas to make one cup, so I decided to reduce the flour to 1 cup, as well. They turned out fluffy and tender and my kids loved them! I didn't like the frosting by itself but I loved how it tasted with the banana cupcake. I will definitely make this again.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
07/04/2013
What a delightful banana cupcakes recipe. Thanks for sharing! I'm pregnant so I'm having intense cravings for banana recipes. This will surly hit the spot!
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
04/30/2013
I love baking...that's my passion but when i tried to bake for the first time it was awesome. but when i bake second time it was hard or something like dry. tell me why?
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
04/14/2013
My best friend loves bananas so I decided to make banana cupcakes for her I was a little worried at first because its all bananas in a cupcake but they're delicious if you're you thinking of making these you definitely should!!!! & the frosting is AMAZING
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
04/09/2013
I made this recipe this weekend and all I can say is WOW. Its delicious, the icing is fluffy and divine and the cinnamon and honey add such a classy touch. I used butter flavor crisco in place of the butter though and I also added chocolate chips to the batter. They were gone in a day.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
03/11/2013
This recipe is great. I was looking for a banana muffin recipe and came across this one. I have made it a couple of times and have not been disappointed. I put blueberries in this time. Another hit! My kids are not fond of icing so I left these plain but have used one of Martha's cream cheese frostings before and loved it. Rave reviews.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
02/08/2013
I really wanted to like this recipe but sadly I cannot. I used muffin cups and the oil from the butter seeped through the cups and into the muffin pan. It was drinking with grease. The top were hard and the centre was too wet. I will stick to my food.com recipe. Sorry Martha
Anonymous
Rating: 5 stars
02/02/2013
Scrum delicious! I was looking for something other than the old stand by banana bread to make with some extra bananas I had on hand, this is my new go to cupcake recipe. I agree that the frosting is a tad to sweet, but I love the honey and cinnamon together, brings everything together nicely.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
01/21/2013
Definitely a very nice cake. Possibly one of the nicest cakes that I ever made :) I forgot to put honey in the icing (ooops), but it was gorgeous without it as well. VERY sweet though! I will probably cut down on sugar next time I make this.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
01/17/2013
Almost followed this to the letter. Only thing I did was put 1/2 cup of sugar in (and next time will only put a 1/4 cup in as it is sweet enough with the bananas. Cooked them in a muffin maker press and they were perfect. Yummy and the kids LOVED them. Will make again, and again and again
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
01/10/2013
I don't understand the complaints! I have made these cupcakes at least 3 times-- one of which I gave them to someone as a thank-you. These cupcakes ROCK. The person I gave them to said that she was hiding them from her family so she could have them to herself--they were that good. Yes, use bananas that are super dark and squishy. I followed the instructions to the letter.
Anonymous
Rating: 4 stars
09/30/2012
These were really, REALLY good. Something about that banana in the batter makes it so moist and sweet. The icing was a nice twist on vanilla cream with the honey and cinnamon. My new favorite cupcake recipe!
Anonymous
Rating: 5 stars
08/25/2012
I have tried this recipe three times, twice as written and once following baker guys instructions. If you want a muffin like cupcake then this recipe is the one for you, however if you want a light and fluffy cupcake, then definitely follow baker guys instructions. The taste is the same but the texture is what is different. This recipe has been my go to recipe when making banana split cupcakes and it just got better because of the modifications that baker guy suggested. Thanks baker guy!!!
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
07/25/2012
These were just wonderful! I substituted nutmeg instead of cinnamon (due to allergies) and they turned out grand!
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
07/12/2012
I followed it exactly but when I baked them, I put a container with water in the oven, this way the vapor or condensation created, makes the cupcakes SUPER FLUFFY and even more delicious!!! You have to try it!!!
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
05/27/2012
I followed baker guys recommendations, with 4 bananas. I also filled them with a mashed caramelized banana filling. They were really good! I also topped them with chocolate ganache frosting!
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
05/07/2012
To BakerGuy before me, your adjustments were off the hook! Perfectly light and fluffy cupcakes, although I did add 4 bananas and not 2. Had it not been for your post, I wouldn't have tried this recipe. I already know how to make muffins! ;)
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
04/21/2012
Too breadlike. Made these changes: Cake flour 2 ripe bananas 2 tsp baking powder 3 eggs 1 tsp cinnamon Separate eggs. Cream the butter. Beat the bananas and egg yolks into the butter, well mixed. Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Mix 1/3 of the whites with the wet mix. Fold the wet mix into the dry until mostly mixed. Then gently fold in the last 2/3 of the egg whites. Spoon into the cups, and bake for 15-20 mins. Light & fluffy. Had to be brief, 500 word limit.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
03/03/2012
Very unhappy with this recipe. Cupcakes were more like muffins & completely tasteless.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
03/01/2012
Excellent! The cupcakes are moist and tasty and the frosting is incredible. The only change I made was I added one teaspoon of cinnamon to the cupcake batter, other than that I followed the recipe exactly. I will make this again and again!
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
02/13/2012
Excellent recipe! Very quick and easy to make. I decided to add a bit of brown sugar to the honey cinnamon frosting and it turned out great!
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
01/20/2012
Yummylicious! Very moist cake, more like muffin than cake but I think thats to be expected when using banana's. I was pleasantly suprised how strong the banana flavor was, I'm glad I do not add any banana extract as it was not needed. I added about a 1/2cp of walnut pieces just for added texture and loved having that bit of crunch. I used a cream cheese frosting with the cinnamon and honey and it complimented perfectly. Great recipe will add it to my arsenal of cupcake recipes.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
11/20/2011
To those who say this recipe has very little flavor...You must use VERY RIPE BANANAS - to the degree that they are practically black. This is when a banana is best for use in baking. The starch turns to sugar at this stage and renders a very nice moist and sweet flavor - a very banana flavor. Hope this helps.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
08/08/2011
I made this recipe today and my family LOVED it! Best banana cupcake recipe! The delicious icing was a hit too.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
05/07/2011
I thought the flavors in this recipe were GREAT-- especially the frosting! But the texture of my cupcakes came out a bit tough-- like a muffin but even tougher! I'm not sure what the cause of this was, maybe leaving it too long in the oven, overmixing? I'm not sure at all-- but I shall attempt again using vegetable oil instead of butter next time and re-review. If anyone has suggestions please help! My cupcakes also stuck too hard to the cupcake wrappers. But besides that, the FLAVOR was great!
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
04/15/2011
I think everyone must just review this recipe along with the frosting. I used both the cupcake and frosting recipes and both are awesome. This is my new go-to recipe - especially for the cupcake which is both light and fluffy and also just the right sweetness. 25 minutes was just perfect in my oven. Yum!
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
03/19/2011
Very good, highly recommend!
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
03/05/2011
These cupcakes are delicious! I only had 2 bananas so I halved the recipe and used a slightly smaller cupcake tin so the recipe make 8 cupcakes. These cupcakes are so moist and flavorable that I did not make the frosting. I did add about 1/4 cup butterscotch chipe. I definitely will make this reipe again and share it with others.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
02/25/2011
I just made the banana cupcakes with honey-cinnamon cupcakes. I added a 1/4 tsp. of salt to the frosting to make it a little less sweet and they are AWESOME! I've never had banana cupcakes before, and honey-cinnamon frosting is pretty unique, so I'm sure the family will love them.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
02/21/2011
I added 1 Tbsp of milk and 1 Tbsp of sour cream to make it more tender, chocolate in the middle as previously suggested and skipped the frosting all together. Delicious!
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
12/29/2010
Today I made this cupcake for my cooking test in Kitchen Operation Subject, it was awesome. My teacher and my friend thought it was very delicious. I got very good mark for this cupcake!!! :) But I think Honey-Cinnamon Frosting is too sweet, so I reduce the amount of confectioner sugar to be 3/4 cup. It comes out PERFECT! Thanks for your wonderful recipe^___^
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
11/09/2010
I though this cupcake/muffin was delicious - right amount of everything and not too sweet. I used banana for one batch and passionfruit for another - yummmmm. And the icing is rich and very very tasty. Will definitely make again, was a big hit.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
10/25/2010
With this recipe, I can make 18 regular size cupcakes. I usually use the very sweet golden bananas we can find here in Malaysia. Add some choc chips in the middle of the batter just before baking for an extra oomph! Doesn't require the icing if you add the choc chips.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
08/15/2010
Sadly this cupcake is more of a muffin and not a very tasty one at that. It lacks flavor, cupcake moistness and fluffiness, and the icing is too sweet. This recipe is not worth keeping or ever trying again.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
08/10/2010
I was so excited when I saw this reciepe because I love bananas, and I wish I could say they were great. But sadly they were not. The cupcake didn't have a lot of flavor and the icing was just okay.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
07/22/2010
Super easy, super yummy! I agree with other commenters, the frosting might be too sweet, but I'll play with that next time I make them.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
05/24/2010
these were THE BEST cupcakes i EVER made! i love banana anything so was looking for some cupcakes in that taste. the only thing was when i made them they kind of ooozed out of the BIG cupcake papercups but it was fine. i added a bit of dark chocolate in the middle before baking each and it gave them a schnazzy decadent finish. i did that because i didnt have time to make frosting. thank you for this great recipe!! so simple and easy to top it off!
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
05/04/2010
Made these beauties with gluten free flour (in Australia, I recommend "White Wings Gluten Free Flour") and low salt butter- the results were AMAZING!! Ultra ripe, unbruised bananas are the way to go! xox
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
04/29/2010
delicious. and i made 8 monster cupcakes out of the batter and added a bit of dark chocolate in the center to skip the frosting part. very easy and quick recipe. simple usually tastes best. and i only had 2 large bananas and it tasted bananny. :)
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
04/11/2010
whistler, I have made these a few times and have always ended up with enough batter for 12 regular sized cupcakes. I'm not sure why you ended up with so much batter. Perhaps your cupcake/muffin pan is a little smaller than the average size.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
04/10/2010
I think it is strange that only one other person commented on the fact that there was too much batter for 12 cupcakes. Because I follow directions, I over filled them. I thought it seemed like too much and was right. This was enough batter for 18. Did you other people really try these? If so why didn't you tell others that there is too much batter? They were good but like muffins - not cupcakes.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
04/06/2010
These were fantastic! I made them for a co-worker's birthday and they were universally ejnoyed. Easy to make too!
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
03/15/2010
these were absolutely delicious. i made them for a baby shower and everyone loved them. the frosting is really good too, but don't frost them generously otherwise it will overpower the cupcake.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
02/10/2010
These taste great and are easy to make!
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
02/10/2010
i would like to find a good banana cookie reciepe
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
01/21/2010
I made these for my daughter's 1st birthday and she loved it!
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
01/19/2010
These are gr8! Made them for my daughter' in class party. Garnished w/ dried bananas instead of fresh (no turning brown). Would be good for breakfast w/o frosting. May even add nuts next time. YUMMMM!
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
12/29/2009
these cupcakes turned out fantastic and taste great without the frosting as well :)
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
11/25/2009
I made these for my 3-year old son's in-class birthday party. They were a hit! I put a little blue food coloring in the icing to make them more fun and colorful for the kids. Two thumbs UP!
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
11/15/2009
Delicious - for the frosting, I used only 1 cup sugar and 3/4 stick butter, and still had plenty
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
07/05/2009
these were the easiest things i've made in a long time - so much lighter than banana bread and takes much less time.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
06/02/2009
simply awesome
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
03/14/2009
These are great cupcakes
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
03/06/2009
These were absolutely DELICIOUS! I thought a honey and cinnamon icing would taste weird (and it kind of does without the cupcake to compliment it) but it was sooooo good. Highly recommend.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
02/23/2009
kalexiloo if you doubled it then you could probably make it in a 9x13. As a general rule cake batters for a 9x13 pan make 24 cupcakes. HTH
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
02/19/2009
could i use this same recipe for a 9x13 pan?
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
02/08/2009
these is the best cupcake ever !
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
02/07/2009
These cupcakes are super yummy, one of my favorites.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
01/22/2009
everyone absolutely LOVES these muffins. they are so easy to make, and they even taste great without the frosting!
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
01/21/2009
everyone absolutely LOVES these muffins. they are so easy to make, and they even taste great without the frosting!
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
01/21/2009
everyone absolutely LOVES these muffins. they are so easy to make, and they even taste great without the frosting!
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
01/20/2009
everyone absolutely LOVES these muffins. they are so easy to make, and they even taste great without the frosting!
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
01/10/2009
Just made these today - added a little nutmeg to the batter and left the honey out of the frosting. Turned out great - my husband keeps asking for another!
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
12/25/2008
Thank you for this really easy to follow recipe and soooooooooooooo yummy, eaveryone loved them even without adding the frosting, many thanks.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
12/25/2008
very easy and really yummy, my kids and my husband really loved them .
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
10/25/2008
Absolutely Devine! Frosting and all! I am so pleased to have found a solution for my over-ripe bananas!
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
09/17/2008
I made these with my 3 year old son. We had so much fun making them and really enjoyed eating them too! They are so moist and delicious! 5 stars all the way!
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
08/06/2008
How come every time I make one of the cupcakes recipes I end up with twice the amount of cupcakes as is mentioned in the recipe? Same with the muffins. Are muffintrays a different size in America then in Europe? I used the standard, 'normal' size tray for 12 muffins with standard sized cups. If anyone travels between Europe and America - and knows - please tell me? They always turn out great btw, these too. Can't wait to try the next recipe!
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
07/06/2008
These were really good! I ate two at one sitting!
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
06/16/2008
These were great. I made a vegan version by adding an extra banana to replace the eggs, and used non-hydrogenated vegan butter, and it turned out incredible. I'll definitely make these again in the future.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
06/10/2008
These were wonderful and easy to make with my two toddlers. A great way to use those overripe bananas. The honey cinnamon frosting was very nice. I will definitely make these again.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
06/09/2008
These have been a huge hit with my family here in Australia. However, I'm not sure if I have got the butter measured right. But at the end of the day they are simply delicious. They stay soft
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
05/26/2008
We make these a lot, as we always seem to have overripe bananas around. We also find that 3/4 cup sugar is too sweet and cut it back to 1/2 cup. Yummy.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
04/19/2008
I was so excited for these. Unfortunately, they were like muffins. The frosting was amazing! I have made it 2 times. The first time as directed. A bit too sweet. Then I cut back a bit on the sugar not the honey. It is lovely! I am going to try to find a better cake or cupcake to go with this. Any ideas?
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
04/14/2008
Yummy banana cupcakes! My husband loved them and I will definitely make them again. The batter only makes 12, so they disappear almost too quickly. Also, the frosting is quite buttery, so maybe it would be a good idea to cut back on some of the butter.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
04/05/2008
Yipes - Sorry! I made a typo in my post of 3/18 regarding these cupcakes: I decreased the amount of sugar to 1/2 cup (from 3/4 of a cup as indicated in the recipe).
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
04/03/2008
These cupcakes are beautiful and delicious. The frosting is very sweet and not white like the picture but I think it add a more natural taste a look to cupcakes which usually have brightly colored tastless frosting.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
03/25/2008
I thought these were AMAZING! Easy to make, tasty and the kids (and husband) loved them. Keep these kinds of recipes coming. This is a definite "will make again" kind of recipe.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
03/17/2008
These cupcakes are very good, moist, tender, have a nice banana flavor, and very easy to make. They're not dense like banana bread and are more muffin-like. We thought they were a little too sweet so I cut the sugar to 1 cup the second time I made them. They turned out just as nice. We voted for cream cheese frosting instead of the recommended honey frosting as it was too sweet for our family's taste. These are one of our favorites now.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
03/14/2008
I made these last night. The cake part turned out well, though my husband and thought they tasted more like muffins. The frosting was a bit of a mystery. It might have been the honey, but the frosting turned out very yellow (like the color of butter). To compensate, I added more sugar to try to whiten it. When I did that it was way too sweet. The published photo of this frosting is white and fluffy... how did they get it that way?
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
03/14/2008
I made these last night. The cake part turned out well, though my husband
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
03/02/2008
These are fantastic. I was worried they'd be too "banana bread-y" -- heavy and dense -- but to my delight they were truly "cupcake-y" and dessert-like. They're also tremendously easy to make. I don't like honey so I omitted it from the frosting and added a little milk to make it more spreadable. Perfect!
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
02/25/2008
So, so easy to make! It is amazing that they taste so superb.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
02/17/2008
My family loved these! The frosting is especially lovely. Great recipe!
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
02/17/2008
These are absolutely divine. They would be great without the frosting, but the cinnamon and honey combo is not to be missed. My 20-month-old daughter and I just made these. She lined the cupcakes and helped with the stirring. Even with a toddler, these were super fast and easy. Will make again and these are the leading candidate for her birthday party this year.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
02/17/2008
Delicious delicious delicious!!. I will definetely be making these again.
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