Banana cupcakes: easily the tastiest use of overripe bananas

When I was younger, my Dad was a stay-at-home-dad. This meant that he was responsible for the cooking. My Mum was the baker, but only when she felt like it. My Dad only had one thing he baked: banana cake.

Dad’s banana cake (and these banana cupcakes) is easily the tastiest use of overripe bananas. In fact, the recipe only really works with overripe bananas. And his motto: the riper the better.

I have distinct memories of my Dad going to the local grocers and asking if they had any bananas out the back that were too ripe to sell. Sometimes, when he needed the cakes for the next day, he would reject the bananas because the were not ripe enough.

Ironically, my Dad couldn’t make the icing or frosting for his banana cake. He still can’t. That job was always left up to Mum.

I made the recipe my own

I still make banana cake, or rather banana cupcakes, when I have overripe bananas. Over the years, I have tweaked Dad’s recipe to make it my own. Today, I had some bananas that were overripe.

Dad would probably say that the bananas I used today were not as ripe as he would like. Overripe bananas – the kind that are black and falling apart – will make the cupcakes darker, but they will also make them sweeter and the banana-taste stronger. Naturally.

Dad’s recipe involves throwing all of the ingredients into a bowl and stirring. It does make a lovely cake. I have made a couple of tweaks and added a couple of steps, to make them lighter and, I think, great cupcakes.

If you are like me and can’t but self-raising flour (it is not generally available in Germany) sifting the flour and baking powder helps to combine them. It also helps to add air to what can otherwise be a very dense cupcake. I recommend taking the time to sift the flour, even if you are using self-raising flour.

I also added an extra egg to the mixture. If you are making the classic cake, use one egg and bake for about 25-30 minutes.

I am my father’s daughter

Like my Dad, I have adopted my own way of baking to make things simpler.

Use the beaters to mash the bananas. There is no need to get something else dirty.

My measuring cup for this recipe (and almost all my recipes) is a simple, straight-sided coffee mug, like this one (mine doesn’t have Snoopy on it). I just guesstimate where the half and quarter marks would be. There is no need to get a number of cups dirty for this recipe.

The best way to portion the cupcake batter into the patty pans is to use a 1/4 cup measure. This is almost always the right amount and it ensures that the cupcakes are all the same size.

This is easily the tastiest use of overripe bananas

Peter eats a banana for breakfast each workday. Miss M and I do not have a set number of bananas that we eat each day or even each week. So when we do the grocery shopping, we get enough for Peter plus one or two.

Frequently, Miss M and I will go a week without eating any bananas. Peter has also be known to forget to take one to work with him. Those weeks, we have an excess of bananas, which quickly become overripe.

These banana cupcakes are the tastiest way to use overripe bananas. They are delicious, moist and super easy to make. They keep well in an airtight container and can even be frozen (and used in school lunches).

Try these cupcakes next time you have overripe bananas

If you have overripe bananas and are looking for the tastiest way to use them, look no further! I have tried muffins and smoothies and even pancakes, but these cupcakes are easily the tastiest use of overripe bananas.

Like our moist chocolate cupcakes and our allergy-friendly chocolate cupcakes, these banana cupcakes are simple, yet delicious. In fact, this is true for all of my recipes.

Go decadent and memorable by turning these banana cupcakes into Elvis cupcakes with creamy peanut butter frosting and chocolate dipped-bacon (don’t knock it till you try it!).