Vegan Banoffee Cupcakes – Easy!

Love banoffee pie? You’ll LOVE these vegan banoffee cupcakes! The banana-flavoured cupcakes are baked on a biscuit crust, filled with vegan caramel and frosted with rich and creamy vanilla buttercream frosting. They are such perfect cupcakes for afternoon tea to enjoy with friends and family.

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I enjoyed making my banoffee pie recipe but I might have enjoyed making these little vegan banoffee cupcakes even more! They are so scrumptious just like classic banoffee pie but in a cupcake form. It looks and tastes decadent but don’t be intimidated by the gorgeous look, they are actually pretty easy to make too.

These are honestly one of the best cupcake recipes I’ve made so far! It’s so moist, fluffy, tender, delicious, and needless to say, they look super cute too. If you are looking for recipes for festive occasions like Thanksgiving or Christmas parties, these cuties will make a perfect dessert and gift.

Main ingredients and substitutions

*Use room temperature ingredients unless otherwise instructed.

Plain flour: The base of the cupcakes is plain flour. I like using plain flour because it gives a nice and fluffy texture to baked goods but you can also use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend if you want from brands like King Arthur.

Fresh banana: I used 1 medium fresh banana mashed into a paste in the cupcake for a lovely banana flavour. 1 medium size will make about 1/2 cup of mashed banana.

Caster sugar: I used simple white caster sugar to sweeten the cupcakes. You can also use other sugar such as brown sugar, granulated sugar, coconut sugar, etc. Make sure to use a digital scale to weigh if swapping.

Soy milk: You can sub for other plant milk like almond too.

Vegan butter: I love using vegan butter from Naturli, it works amazingly in my recipes! You can use other vegan butter as well if you can’t find the one from Naturli.

Tapioca flour: Tapioca flour helps create a soft and fluffy texture in the cupcakes. You can replace it with cornflour, potato flour, or arrowroot flour if you want.

Digestive biscuits: Use any digestive biscuits you like here. I used ones from Gullon, they are super tasty and I love using them in my recipes as well as eating some with my coffee and tea!

Soy whipping cream: I like using some whipping cream for my buttercream frosting because it creates a really nice creamy and rich texture. You can use other whipping creams too if you can’t find soy one.

Vegan caramel: I used my homemade vegan caramel sauce for this recipe! It’s pretty easy to make and handy to have in your fridge. You can also use store-bought vegan caramel too.

Other ingredients: apple cider vinegar, baking soda, baking powder, icing sugar, and vanilla extract.

*I use bone char-free sugars for all of my recipes. I cover the topic in my article Vegan Baking 101. Go to the “Is sugar vegan?” section to learn more!

Recommended equipment for this recipe

Muffin/cupcake tin: Use a muffin tin to bake the cupcakes. I have one that can bake 12 cupcakes/muffins at once.

Electric mixer: Use a stand mixer or hand mixer to make the vanilla buttercream frosting. I used my stand mixer but a hand mixer will work perfectly too.

Food processor: Use a good food processor like KitchenAid to process the digestive biscuits.

Piping bag and star tip: I like using a big piping bag and star tip because it’s easier to control the movement. Use a star tip with any shape that you like! I used a standard shape.

Cupcake corer: You can cut the core with a small fruit knife or use a cupcake corer to make the core.

*The ingredient list and measurement for this recipe can be found in the recipe card at the bottom.

How to make vegan banoffee cupcakes

Step 1: Make the biscuit crust layer

Let’s make the biscuit crust layer first! Using a food processor, process the digestive biscuits very finely until they are almost like flour. This is pretty important! If you don’t process enough, the crust can fall apart after baking.

Transfer the processed biscuits into a mixing bowl, add the melted vegan butter and mix until it’s crumbly like wet sand.

Spread the biscuit mixture in cupcake cups lined in a cupcake tin, and press down firmly onto the bottom with a spoon to make the crust base. Set aside for now.

Step 2: Make the batter and bake

Preheat the oven to 180°C(350°F).

Let’s prepare some wet ingredients for the cupcake batter! In a medium size bowl, mash the banana until it’s paste-like. In a separate medium bowl, mix the soy milk and apple cider vinegar to make vegan buttermilk. Set them aside while mixing the dry ingredients.

In a large mixing bowl, mix the flour, caster sugar, tapioca flour, baking powder, and baking soda until well combined. Add the melted vegan butter, vegan buttermilk, and mashed banana and mix very gently with a large wooden spoon or a silicone spatula until they are just combined. Be careful not to over-mix!

Pour the cupcake batter into each cupcake cups filling about halfway to 3/4. Bake in the oven until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. If it comes out with wet batter, bake for another 3-5 mins and test again.

Let the cupcakes cool down to room temperature in the tin and transfer them onto a cooling rack and cool completely. While they are cooling down, let’s make vanilla buttercream frosting!

Step 3: Make the vanilla buttercream frosting

Making the vanilla buttercream frosting is very simple and easy yet the final product is so delicious. I used my stand mixer but you can use either a stand mixer or hand mixer for making it, whichever you prefer!

Beat the cubed vegan butter until it’s creamy and fluffy then add the icing sugar 1 cup at a time and keep beating until well combined. Add the soy whipping cream and vanilla extract and beat until rich, creamy, and fluffy. That’s it! Delicious vegan vanilla buttercream ready for frosting.

Step 4: Assembly

Once the cupcakes are completely cooled down, core them in the middle using a small fruit knife or a cupcake corer. Fill the core with vegan caramel sauce and lightly put the core back on.

Attach a star tip to a piping bag and fill it with the vegan vanilla buttercream. Frost the cupcakes whilst holding the end of the piping bag to prevent the buttercream from leaking. I like to frost my cupcakes from the centre to make a pretty and tall frosting shape!

Drizzle some more vegan caramel and enjoy!

Serving tips and ideas

• I didn’t do it in the pictures but topping the cupcakes with sliced bananas or banana chips would be super cute and delicious!
• If you want them less sweet, skip the caramel core or drizzle of caramel, they’ll still taste delicious.
• Sprinkles of shaved vegan milk chocolate or dark chocolate would be absolutely delicious too!

Expert tips and tricks

Make the vegan caramel sauce in advance

If you are making your vegan caramel at home, make it at least 6 hours in advance or the day before so that it has time to cool down. Using hot caramel sauce would melt the buttercream and spoil its texture.

Mix the batter gently

I repeat, do mix the cupcake batter gently with a loving heart! Don’t over-mix. This will make tons of difference. When you mix cake batters vigorously, gluten will form in the batter too much which is one of the common causes of a tough and rubbery texture in baked goods. Use a large wooden spoon or silicone spatula to avoid forming too much gluten in the batter.

Use a digital scale to weigh ingredients

Always use a digital scale rather than measuring cups when you are baking. It’s so much more accurate and measuring correctly is very important to achieve the best result.

Recipe variations

• Try my caramel buttercream frosting for more caramel flavour!

How to store

• Refrigerating: The cupcakes last in the fridge for up to 2-3 days. If you are refrigerating, put them in an airtight container or wrap them with clingfilm and store them in the fridge. The frosting will harden a little so let them sit on the kitchen counter for a little bit to allow them to soften before serving.

• Freezing: They will freeze well too if you want to keep them handy in the freezer for the near future. Either put them in a freezer-friendly airtight container or wrap them with a clingfilm and store them in the freezer for up to 2-3 months. Thaw until they are soft again before serving. 

*Although you can store this recipe in the fridge or freezer, it’s always best to consume it fresh and as soon as possible.

Q and A

Can I make these banoffee cupcakes in advance?

Yes, you can make them 1-2 days in advance if you need to! Just have in mind that the cupcakes might be slightly less moist on the day you serve them. You can either make them in advance frosted or not frosted, both works fine. Make sure to put them in an airtight container and store them in the fridge.

Want to master the basics of vegan baking?
Check out Vegan Baking 101 – the beginner’s guide to vegan baking for you to become an excellent vegan baker and familiar with the basics of vegan baking, ingredients, and techniques with useful tips!

You will LOVE these banoffee cupcakes because they are:

•  moist and fluffy
• easy to make
• lovely banana and caramel flavour
• great for home parties
• delicious

Want more recipes like this?

Try my other delicious cupcake and dessert recipes you might enjoy!

• Banoffee pie
• Ginger cake
• Funfetti cupcakes
• Brownie cake
• 5 ingredient banana bread
• Caramel cake

Visit the cakes and cupcakes page and recipe page for more delicious recipes!

Please leave a comment and rate this recipe with 5 stars in the comment section below if you like the recipe! Let me know and tag me @thechestnutbakery on Instagram too. Thank you for making my recipe, friends!

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