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Spiced Banana Cupcakes with Apricot Frosting (Hot Cross Bun Cupcakes)
5 from 20 votes

Spiced Banana Cupcakes with Apricot Frosting (Hot Cross Bun Cupcakes)

Spiced Banana Cupcakes are made with mashed ripe bananas, brown and granulated sugars, butter, eggs, and warm spices like cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and cloves. They include raisins folded into the batter and are topped with an apricot and white chocolate frosting, enriched with butter and cream. An apricot glaze finishes the cupcakes with a glossy shine.

Servings: 22 cupcakes
Calories: 254 kcal
Course: Dessert, Cake
Cuisine: European, North American, British

Ingredients

Cupcakes
  • ¼ cup butter softened to room temperature, unsalted
  • ¼ cup vegetable oil
  • 3.5 oz brown sugar packed light or dark, 100g
  • 3.5 oz granulated sugar 100g
  • 3 egg room temperature, large
  • 325 g / 11.5 oz 1½ cups mashed banana - about 3 large very ripe bananas
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 8.8 oz all-purpose flour 250g
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ tsp allspice
  • ¼ tsp nutmeg
  • ¼ tsp cloves
  • 5 oz / 140g 1 cup raisins
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ¼ cup milk or buttermilk
Apricot Frosting
  • 20 oz white chocolate
  • 9 oz apricot jam I used jam because fresh apricots aren’t always in season and jam is easier to find
  • 6 - 8 tbsp butter softened, unsalted
  • 1/3 cup whipping cream cold
Apricot Glaze
  • 3 apricot jam heaping tbsp
  • water about 1 - 2 tsp

Instructions

Cupcakes
    Cup of Yum
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F / 180°C. Prepare two, 12 cup muffin pans with cupcake liners (only 22). Set aside until cupcake batter is ready
  2. Peel the over-ripe bananas and completely mash them. Measure out 11.5 oz of the mashed banana (about 1 ½ cups) and set aside.
  3. Add the butter, oil, sugars into a bowl and using a hand held mixer, mix the ingredients until they have been creamed.
  4. Add the eggs, one at a time - mixing well between each addition, and mix them through the batter. Add the mashed banana and vanilla and mix those through as well, using the mixer.
  5. Place the sifted flour, spices, baking soda and salt in a bowl and whisk till well-combined.
  6. Add ⅓ of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and fold through. Add the milk and mix through. Add another ⅓ of the dry ingredients and fold through. If the mix is REALLY thick, add a little more milk.
  7. Add the raisins to the remaining flour and mix. Add this raisins and flour mix and fold through.
  8. Scoop the batter onto the cupcake liners evenly, until they are about ⅔ of the way full, and fill all 22 cupcake liners. I used an mini cookie scoop to help me distribute the batter evenly.
  9. Bake for about 15 -17 minutes until the cupcakes are done (a dry toothpick inserted should come out clean, and the top of the cupcakes will be springy to the touch at this point).
  10. Remove from the oven and let them cool.
Frosting
  1. Place the chocolate chips and jam in a microwave-proof bowl and heat in 20 second bursts until the chocolate has melted. Add half of the butter and a pinch of salt and mix it in to create a smooth chocolate ganache. Let it cool.
  2. When the chocolate ganache is cool, but not hard, whisk it using a hand-held beater to whip the frosting. Add the softened butter and whipping cream and whip until it's completely incorporated and light.
  3. Set aside for a few minutes, till the chocolate thickens so that it's pipeable.
  4. Take one piping bag and insert a 2A swirl tip. Place the frosting in another piping bag. Snip the end off of the frosting filled bag (when ready to decorate cupcakes), and insert it into the piping bag with the tip.
  5. Pipe a rosette swirl on each cupcake and drizzle some apricot glaze on top.
  6. Optional - Pipe some pastel coloured flowers (see video!).
Apricot Glaze
  1. Place the apricot jam and water in a small bowl and heat for a few seconds just to loosen the jam. Make sure it's not hot and then drizzle it on the cupcakes. Enjoy!

Nutrition Information

Serving 1cup cake Calories 254kcal (13%) Carbohydrates 43g (14%) Protein 4g (8%) Fat 12g (18%) Saturated Fat 7g (35%) Polyunsaturated Fat 1g (6%) Monounsaturated Fat 3g (15%) Trans Fat 0.2g (10%) Cholesterol 43mg (14%) Sodium 192mg (8%) Potassium 199mg (4%) Fiber 1g (4%) Sugar 26g (52%) Vitamin A 237IU (5%) Vitamin C 3mg (3%) Calcium 56mg (6%) Iron 1mg (6%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 22 cupcakes

Amount Per Serving

Calories 254

% Daily Value*

Serving 1cup cake
Calories 254kcal 13%
Carbohydrates 43g 14%
Protein 4g 8%
Fat 12g 18%
Saturated Fat 7g 35%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g 6%
Monounsaturated Fat 3g 15%
Trans Fat 0.2g 10%
Cholesterol 43mg 14%
Sodium 192mg 8%
Potassium 199mg 4%
Fiber 1g 4%
Sugar 26g 52%
Vitamin A 237IU 5%
Vitamin C 3mg 3%
Calcium 56mg 6%
Iron 1mg 6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.