• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Fermenting for Foodies

Health, Taste and Tradition

  • Fermentation
    • General Information
    • Beans, Nuts & Seeds
    • Beer, Wine, & Cider
    • Dairy & Cheese
    • Fermented Fruit
    • GF Sourdough
    • Trad Sourdough
    • Probiotic Beverages
    • Vegetables
    • Supplies
  • Healthy Meals
    • Appetizers
    • Baked Goods
    • Breakfasts
    • Condiments
    • Main Dishes
    • Sides & Salads
    • Soups & Stews
    • Desserts
    • Gluten-Free
    • Vegan
  • Fruit-Sweetened Treats
  • Cookbook

Banana Cinnamon Churro Cupcakes (GF)

Gluten-free donut muffins with cinnamon-sugar coating
Banana-sweetened churro cupcakes for a healthy treat.

Churro cupcakes are a deliciously healthy treat. These cinnamon and banana-sweetened cupcakes are rolled in a crunch cinnamon sugar topping for a Mexican churro-like flavor. Serve with cream cheese frosting for a party-perfect cupcake!

How to make gluten-free churro cupcakes.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise to the readers of fermenting for foodies, that I am not a sweet tooth. However, there are some occasions where a bit of sugar is necessary. Children’s birthday parties happen to be one of those occasions. Most kids would be surprised to bite into an entirely banana-sweetened cupcake.

A Healthier Cupcake

This churro cupcake is my go-to when serving a group of kids. The cupcake is entirely banana-sweetened, quite like how churro batter contains very little sugar.

However, the crunchy cinnamon-sugar topping means that the resulting cupcake can be as sweet (or not sweet) as you want!

Cream Cheese Frosting

I really recommend serving these cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. For a healthier frosting option, try making jam-sweetened cream cheese frosting. It avoids the enormous amount of icing sugar that goes into typical frostings.

Even better… why use kefir cheese or yogurt cheese for your frosting? It’s a great way to share a bit of probiotics!

Gluten-free churro cupcakes with cream cheese frosting
Churro cupcake with apricot jam cream cheese frosting.

Fermented Churro Cupcakes

And since, fermentation is my thing…. why not try fermenting the cupcake batter?! It’s the perfect way to improve the flavor and texture of gluten-free baked goods.

Here’s how to preferment the cupcake batter:

  1. Fermenting is only recommended for whole-grain gluten-free flour. It won’t work with starchy flour mixes as the flour will be too dry. I recommend using oat or buckwheat flour.
  2. Mix the flour and the buttermilk (or milk kefir) in a glass bowl or measuring cup. If the mixture appears to be too dry, add up to 1/4 cup of additional buttermilk.
  3. Cover with a tea towel and leave it to sit out for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours.
  4. Follow the rest of the recipe as directed.
Buttermilk churro muffins with crunchy cinnamon-sugar.
Gluten-free churro cupcakes.
Print

Churro Cupcakes

Banana-sweetened churro cupcakes for a healthy treat.
Print Recipe

★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

These churro cupcakes are rich and buttery with a crunchy cinnamon-sugar coating. Top them with cream cheese frosting for a party-perfect treat!

  • Author: Emillie
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 36 cupcakes 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Diet: Gluten Free

Ingredients

Units Scale

Cake Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups of flour (see notes for GF options)
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1 ripe banana
  • 1/2 cup butter, melted
  • 4 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Crunchy Cinnamon Sugar Coating

  • 1/4–1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 3 tablespoons butter, melted

Instructions

Churro Cupcakes

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 F and prepare a muffin tin with nonstick liners.
  2. If you are making gluten-free cupcakes, I recommend mixing the flour and buttermilk together first. It helps to fully hydrate the flour. If you want to presoak and ferment the flour, see the section above for details. All-purpose flour should be added with cinnamon, salt, and baking soda.
  3. Mash the banana in a large bowl. Stir in the melted butter. Then beat in the eggs, one at a time.
  4. Add the vanilla extract, buttermilk, and flour. Stir in the salt, baking soda, and cinnamon.
  5. Divide the batter among the cupcake liners. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick, comes out clean.

Crunchy Cinnamon Sugar Coating

  1. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before coating.
  2. Mix the sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl. The amount of sugar to use will depend on how sweet you want the cupcakes to be. To fully coat the cupcakes in sugar, use 1/2 cup of sugar.
  3. To coat in cinnamon sugar, first, brush each cupcake with melted butter. Then roll the cupcake in the cinnamon sugar.
  4. The cupcakes are best if served immediately after coating. Feel free to top with a cream cheese frosting.

Notes

  • For a classic cupcake, use my gluten-free baking flour blend and don’t preferment the flour. Otherwise, see the section above for details on how to preferment whole grain gluten-free flour (like oat or buckwheat).
  • If you want to completely avoid refined sugar for this recipe, coat the cupcakes in sifted date sugar instead of white sugar.

Keywords: cupcakes, churro, gluten free, Cinco de Mayo, cake, spring, summer, celebration, donut cupcake, banana-sweetened

Filed Under: Baked Goods, Gluten-FreeTagged With: Cake, Frosting, Mexican

Previous Post: « Fermented Beets – Five Different Flavor Options!
Next Post: Gluten-Free Sourdough Bagels »

Reader Interactions

Related Posts

No added sweeteners banana bread
No Sugar Banana Bread (GF Option)
Healthy chocolate cupcakes with cream cheese frosting
Healthy Chocolate Cupcakes (Date-Sweetened & GF Option)
Healthy Apple Muffins
Healthy Apple Muffins (GF & Refined Sugar-Free)

Healthy morning glory muffins are fruit-sweetened for a sugar-free snack
Healthy Morning Glory Muffins (GF)
Gluten-free torta di mele apple cake
Torta di Mele: Italian Apple Cake (GF Option)
Healthy rugelach is perfect for breakfast or snack
Gluten-free Rugelach with Apples and Walnuts

Comments

  1. Stas

    April 4, 2020 at 3:45 pm

    I love churros! These aren’t churros, but they’re good. And the creamy frosting totally makes it worth it. Yummm!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Emillie

      April 4, 2020 at 3:51 pm

      Thanks!

      Reply
  2. Debbie Leonard

    September 18, 2020 at 9:20 am

    I am making these cupcakes.
    The fermenting mixture is dry and hard. Seems like there should be more liquid.
    I did make your gluten free mix with oat flour.

    Reply
    • Emillie

      September 18, 2020 at 12:21 pm

      It will be very thick because it doesn’t have all the liquid (butter and eggs). However, it will really help with making the oat flour thick and sticky. You’ll need to really cut the soaked flour into the other ingredients. Don’t be afraid to knead it if required. It will come together and it won’t be tough (like it would if you were using wheat flour). Enjoy!

      Reply
  3. Mandy Miller

    April 8, 2022 at 2:59 pm

    What would you suggest if taking to a party and you have to do the cinnamon sugar topping ahead of time? Will they still be good several hours later?

    Reply
    • Emillie Parrish

      April 11, 2022 at 9:09 am

      I have made these muffins in advance, and they are delicious. However, the coating won’t be as crunchy. If a crunchy coating is necessary, maybe you can quickly roll them in the cinnamon sugar when you plate them for the party? Enjoy!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

Primary Sidebar

Hi, I'm Emillie, an island-dwelling fermentation enthusiast. Fermenting For Foodies features healthy recipes designed to feed your microbiome.
Read More →

Check Out My Cookbook!

Fermenting Made Simple Cookbook

Want healthy recipes right to your inbox? Subscribe to our mid-month newsletter!

Thank you!

Please check your inbox to confirm your subscription.

Affiliate Disclosure

In order to run this site, Fermenting For Foodies sometimes earns an affiliate commission on the sales of products we link to. We only feature items we genuinely want to share, and this is an arrangement between the retailer and Fermenting For Foodies. Readers never pay more for products. Thank you for reading!

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Affiliate Disclosure
  • Sponsored Content
  • Contact

Copyright © 2023 · Fermenting for Foodies