Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: Out of this world!!! The combination of sweet flavors is just incredible. You NEED these in your life.
Texture: The cupcakes are ridiculously moist and soft, the dulce de leche stuffing is thick and sticky, and the chocolate cream cheese frosting is rich and luscious. Each bite is pure heaven.
Ease: Nothing too complicated here, though you will dirty some dishes.
Appearance: Like something from a bakery!
Pros: My new favorites cupcake.
Cons: Rich and indulgent.
Would I make this again? YES.
This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.
We live in a ridiculously awesome world, but I can see why people might be tired of cupcakes. That’s why whenever I share a cupcake recipe with you all it has to be a REALLY fantastic one.
Fantastic is definitely a word to describe these dulce de leche banana cupcakes with chocolate frosting because I think everyone should make them immediately after reading this post.
Super moist and tender banana cupcakes are filled with dulce de leche then topped off with chocolate cream cheese frosting. I challenge you to think of anything better than that. It’s seriously my new favorite cupcake recipe and I hope it’ll be yours too.
By the way, in case you haven’t seen it before, dulce de leche comes canned and can be found at many grocery stores in the Latin food section. The most common brand is Nestle (it’s packaged in a tin can).
I’ve also seen higher end versions at specialty stores like Sur la Table, Williams-Sonoma, and World Market. You can also make your own dulce de leche with sweetened condensed milk.
More Recipes You’ll Love:
- Nutella Stuffed Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes
- The BEST Chocolate Cupcakes
- Red Velvet Cupcakes
- The Best Classic Banana Bread
- Brown Butter Dulce de Leche Cookie Cups
Become a Baking Genius!
Sign up for our free email newsletter for NEW recipes & baking science secrets.
Dulce de Leche Banana Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting
Ingredients
For the banana cupcakes:
- 1 cup (127 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 stick (113 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup (67 grams) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (50 grams) light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (57 grams) sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 large overripe bananas, mashed
- About 1/4 cup prepared dulce de leche
For the chocolate cream cheese frosting:
- 8 ounces (227 grams) cream cheese, at room temperature
- 4 tablespoons (57 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3 cups (375 grams) powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup (43 grams) good-quality cocoa powder
Instructions
For the cupcakes:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a standard muffin tin with paper cupcake liners.
- In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the sour cream and vanilla and beat until combined. On medium speed add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until combined. Add the mashed bananas and beat until combined. On low speed gradually add the flour mixture and beat just until combined. Do not overmix.
- Use a spring loaded scoop to fill each cupcake liner three-quarters full. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Remove to a wire rack and let cool completely.
- Use a small knife or apple corer to cut a small hole in the middle of each cupcake. Place the dulce de leche in a zip top bag and snip one small corner. Squeeze out about 1 1/2 teaspoons of dulce de leche into each cupcake.
For the frosting:
- In the bowl of an electric mixer beat the cream cheese and butter on medium-high until smooth and creamy. Sift the powdered sugar and cocoa powder into a large bowl. On low speed gradually add the sugar and cocoa, beating until incorporated. Increase the speed to high and blend until smooth and creamy.
- Place the frosting into a piping bag fitted with a decorative tip. Pipe frosting onto the cupcakes, directly over the filling. Serve or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Let come to room temperature before serving.
This post was originally published in 2014 and recently updated with weight measurements and new photos by Ashley McLaughlin Photography.
Just a comment regarding the mix-up from Tinka, and I noticed she wrote an updated review. The problem is using the American Imperial measurement system as compared to the metric system. Most people don’t realize that WEIGHT OUNCES are not the same as FLUID OUNCES and so many recipes have bad reviews because of that. A liquid cup is always 8 fluid oz no matter what is in the cup = 240 ml. However, a weight measure of ounces changes with material. A cup of sugar is 200 g = 7 oz and a cup of AP flour is 127 g = 4.5 oz and a cup of cotton candy is 12 g = 0.4 oz.
As a rule, when it is dry, use the scale in ounces or grams, when liquid, use the liquid measuring cup for fl oz or ml.
Amazing blog and amazing recipes. I appreciate that you use exact gram weights in your great recipes which rings back here again and again.
Question is there a substitution for banana. I don’t like the taste of banana in my desserts. Thanks
Hi Tesss thanks for this sounds delicious want to make them this weekend. Can I use cake flour instead of all purpose and if do do I need to add the baking powder and baking soda? Thanks awaiting your response. Love the tutorials
Hello Tessa,
I love your blog and recipes. Love baking period. I want to try these cupcakes because I have overripe bananas left over every week. Little tried of banana bread and smoothies. Plus the cupcakes look totally delicious.
My question is how do you make perpared dulce de leche.
Thanks Tessa, I keep baking your great recipes
I love your photographs Tessa, wish I could take them as good as these, will try the recipe on our summer stall next week they appear so yummy!
Tinka, you definitely need at least a dozen of these cupcakes in your life to sweeten it up a bit. With such hateful comments don’t know how anything you make will come out tasteful.
Adoro suas receitas. Obrigada .
Dulce de leche recipe? One w/o the pressure cooker. Lol
Thanks
Made these for my fiance’s birthday and WOWZAS! They are probably the best cupcakes I’ve ever had. Amazing! Thank you for sharing 🙂
Do i have to use an electric mixer for the cupcakes, i just started baking? i dont have one i only have a hand mixer. If i end up not being able to do this recipe because i dont have the right mixer, can you help me find a good recipe that i can do with a hand mixer? I would really appreciate it, thank you.
I want to make these very soon. One question though… does the dulce de leche come out hardish like the photo? I’ve never bought dulce de leche.I want my cupcake fillings to be prominent. Thank you!
Hi Tessa!
I made these cupcakes and they turned out grrreat and so delicious! I’m sorry for the late response!
I know that 1cup of flower can’t weigh 250g and I knew that all along, so I don’t go to sites or blogs that had “this strange kind of measures” no more, and I asked myself how can they give us the measures, if they don’t know how to convert cups into grams!
Never mind that, Your cupcakes were really great and I made some others too, and they all turned out great and so delicious, that they were gone in a matter of seconds and I had to do them for birthdays, picnics, parties and I also had to gave your site to so many of my friends and they can’t stop praising you and your jummy creations!
Thank you so much again and we all are anxiously waiting for a lot more tasty recipes in the future and also we all wish you of plenty good luck in the future!!! ❤️
Much love, Tinka and friends!