You can't help falling in love with these incredible Gluten Free Banana Cupcakes with Peanut Butter and Candied Bacon!
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OMG, y'all! These cupcakes are gonna "rock" your world! No pun intended (get it?) Or maybe pun was intended. If you don't have any idea who Elvis is, I don't even know if we can be friends. I can't imagine anyone older than, like, 10 not knowing who Elvis is.
I call these Elvis Cupcakes. The King of Rock and Roll would definitely LOVE these cupcakes because they have all his favorites combined into one small cake--bananas, peanut butter, and bacon! It's always been rumored that his favorite sandwich was a peanut butter and banana with bacon (and sometimes honey). I actually used to make my daughter Elvis sandwiches for lunch when she was little (and still ate bacon). Why not recreate this masterpiece into a cupcake?!?!
What You'll Need
The Cake
- Kim's all purpose gluten free flour blend -- you can try a store bought blend, but these cupcakes haven't been tested with anything other than my own blend.
- Bananas -- try to use bananas that are ripe, but not overly ripe to the point of being soupy. I find the best ones for these cupcakes have plenty of black spots all over them, but are not super mushy.
- Buttermilk -- I always buy whole fat buttermilk because it really makes a difference in the texture of the cakes I use it in.
- Cornstarch -- I sometimes will add cornstarch to recipes that call for cake flour as a cake flour hack.
The Frosting
- Peanut butter -- don't use the natural stuff here. You need the good 'ole creamy stuff, like Jif or Skippy.
- Powdered sugar -- make sure to sift your powdered sugar first. It makes a difference in the texture of this American buttercream.
The Candied Bacon
- Bacon -- use a thick-cut bacon that can handle the caramelization. Otherwise, you could end up with burnt candied bacon.
- Brown sugar -- either light brown or dark brown sugar will work.
making elvis cupcakes
- Make the cupcakes. Beat butter and sugar until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, followed by mashed bananas and vanilla extract. Alternate adding dry and wet ingredients, beginning and ending with dry. Let batter sit for 15 minutes and then stir and scoop into cupcake liners. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool completely.
- Candy the bacon. Dredge thick-cut bacon slices into brown sugar on large plate, being sure to cover both sides. Place on foil-lined baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes on one side and then flip them over and bake for another 5-10 minutes. When fully baked and candied, remove them from foil-lined baking sheet and place them on parchment paper to cool completely.
- Make the peanut butter buttercream. Beat the butter and peanut butter in the bowl of a mixer until smooth. Add the vanilla and sifted powdered sugar and pulse until the powdered sugar is just mixed through. Increase the speed to medium and beat for 5 minutes, until the frosting is light in color and texture. It should look pale brown and very fluffy.
- Assemble cupcakes. Pipe or scoop a large mound of buttercream on top of each cupcake. Microwave the additional peanut butter until pourable and add to a piping bag. Snip off the end and pipe squiggles of the melted peanut butter on top. Break up the candied bacon and stick a few pieces into the tops of each cupcake. Serve.
banana cupcakes fAQs
I recommend using ripe, but not overripe bananas. If they are completely black, they will be very soupy and cause an imbalance in the ratios of the batter. Bananas with several black spots on them are ripe, but not mushy and perfect for banana cupcakes.
If you can't find buttermilk in your area, measure out one tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar in a measuring cup and add enough whole milk to reach 1 ¼ cups or 300 milliliters. This is homemade buttermilk.
Cupcakes can be stored at room temperature or in the refrigerator in a container with a lid, such as a cupcake taker, for up to 5 days. They can also be frozen, wrapped gently with plastic wrap, for up to 2 months.
more gluten free banana recipes to try
more gluten free peanut butter recipes to try
- Gluten Free Peanut Butter Pie
- Gluten Free Peanut Butter Brownies
- No Bake Peanut Butter Bars (Naturally Gluten Free)
- Ultimate Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies
- Gluten Free Tagalongs (A Girl Scout Cookie Copycat Recipe)
What could be better than peanut butter, banana, and candied bacon all in one bite? I can't think of much. Make these Gluten Free Banana Cupcakes with Peanut Butter and Candied Bacon and you'll see for yourself how delicious they are.
Gluten Free Banana Cupcakes with Peanut Butter and Candied Bacon
Ingredients
Banana Cupcakes
- 2¾ cups (385g) Kim's all purpose gluten free flour blend (a store bought blend may be substituted, but hasn't been tested)
- 2 tbsp (30g) cornstarch
- 1¾ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1¼ cups (300ml) whole fat buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup plus 6 tablespoon (200g) butter, at room temperature
- 1½ cups (300g) granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1½ cups (360ml) mashed ripe bananas (about 3 large)
Peanut Butter Buttercream
- 1¼ cups (283g) butter, softened
- 1 cup (240g) smooth peanut butter
- 2½ cups (313g) powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Candied Bacon
- 1 lb (454g) thick-cut bacon
- ½ cup (100g) light brown sugar
Assembly
- ¼ cup (60g) additional peanut butter, melted in the microwave for 15-20 seconds.
Instructions
Make the Banana Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake liners and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the all purpose flour blend, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl until smooth and creamy, 1-2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well and scraping the bowl after each addition.
- Add the bananas and vanilla and blend until combined. The mixture will look somewhat curdled.
- Add the dry ingredients alternating with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the dry (dry in 3 parts, buttermilk in 2). After everything has been added, scrape the bowl and mix the batter one more time. Let the batter rest for 15 minutes. Stir gently before using.
- Fill cupcake liners ¾ full. Bake until the tops of the cupcakes spring back when lightly pressed and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 23-27 minutes. Let the cupcakes cool for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make Peanut Butter Buttercream
- Cream butter and peanut butter until smooth, 1-2 minutes.
- Add sifted powdered sugar and vanilla extract and pulse to combine. Increase speed to medium and beat buttercream for 5 minutes, until light and fluffy and very pale beige in color.
Make Candied Bacon
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a large baking sheet with foil and set aside.
- Place brown sugar on a plate or in a shallow bowl and dredge each piece of bacon into the brown sugar on both sides, You don't need to coat the bacon with a thick coating of the sugar, just a dusting to cover all parts.
- Bake for 15 minutes, remove from the oven and flip bacon slices over, and bake for another 15 minutes.
Assemble Cupcakes
- Fit large pastry bag with ½-inch round decorating tip (Wilton tip 2A). Fill pastry bag with peanut butter buttercream and, holding the pastry bag perpendicular to the tops of the cupcakes, squeeze out a large round "blob", releasing the pressure when you have a suitable mound.
- Fill a small pastry bag with the melted peanut butter and snip off a small opening at the tip. Pipe drizzles onto the tops of each cupcake.
- Cut or break candied bacon into irregular shards and stick a few pieces poking out from the peanut butter topping. Serve.
Notes
Adapted from Jennifer Shea's Banana Cupcakes recipe on Craftsy.com.
Recipe idea and decorating techniques inspired by Cupcake Jemma's Elvis Cupcakes.
Lorraine
Hi Kim, thanks so much for these recipes. I’ve found making sweet pastry to be the most challenging. In the UK we are still a little behind on the whole GF thing although it’s improving. I’ve been looking for a flour called Cassava - I’ve read it’s good for pastry and has a similar taste to wheat. I find rice flour does have a lingering rice taste. I wondered if you had heard of Cassava flour and whether you had ever tried to use it? Thanks!