You Say Banana

I'll say banana split cupcakes! Doesn't this just look like the perfect sundae?

Let's make some shall we?

Here's the batter for the cake part of the cupcake. It even has mashed up bananas in it. You can't have a banana split without bananas right?

Fill your cupcake liners 3/4 full. It kind of looks like banana muffins.

Bake them up pretty!

While the cupcakes are baking dice up some strawberries and add some powdered sugar. Let that sit for awhile.

When the cupcakes have cooled you're going to cut a cone shaped hole out of the center of each cupcake.

Fill each center with your strawberry mixture.Pull out a can of crushed pineapple.

Throw some pineapple on top of the strawberries because that's what you do with banana splits right?

Heavy whipping cream is a staple in my house. I use it frequently. In this case we're going to make a whipped cream frosting.

Whip up your heavy cream until it's nice and fluffy. This is way better than that Cool Whip stuff. ;) Then add powdered sugar and 

a few teaspoons of vanilla.

Whip it up on high speed until you get a nice whip cream consistency.

Frost your banana split cupcakes because you have to have whip cream with banana splits.

Here's one of my favorite parts of the cupcake! This is the BEST chocolate ever!

Pull out your heavy whipping cream again because we're making ganache!! Aren't you excited? I could eat ganache all by itself. Heat up the cream.

While the cream is heating chop up your chocolate and stick it in a heat safe bowl.

Once the cream is heated through pour it over the chocolate. 

As you whisk the mixture the chocolate should magically start melting. Mix well.

Then before the ganache cools too much grab a spoon and put dollop of ganache on top of each cupcake. It looks just like chocolate syrup doesn't it?

A banana split is not complete until you add a cherry on top. So just do it! Then add some sprinkles to make it even cuter. This was a fabulous cupcake!

Banana Split Cupcakes

Ingredients:

For the cupcakes:

2½ cups all-purpose flour

1 tbsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

12 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature

2½ cups sugar

6 eggs

1 cup plus 2 tbsp. buttermilk

1 1/3 cups mashed ripe banana

For the filling:

1 lb. strawberries, hulled and diced small

2 tbsp. confectioners' sugar

12 oz. crushed pineapple, drained

For the frosting:

1½ cups heavy cream, chilled

1/3 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted

½ tsp. vanilla extract

For the ganache:

8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1 cup heavy cream

For garnish:

Multi-colored sprinkles

Maraschino cherries

Directions:

To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350° F.  Line cupcake pans with paper liners.  In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt; whisk together and set aside.  In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream together the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Reduce the mixer speed to medium low and add in eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.  Mix in 1 the mashed banana until well combined.  With the mixer on low speed alternately add the dry ingredients and buttermilk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients and mixing only until just incorporated.

Divide the batter between the prepared cupcake liners, filling each about 2/3 to ¾ full.  Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20-22 minutes.  Allow to cool in the pan 5-10 minutes, then transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the strawberry filling, combine the strawberries and confectioners' sugar in a medium bowl.  Toss well, smashing slightly with a fork.  Allow the berries to macerate at least 20-30 minutes.  

To fill the cupcakes, cut a small cone out of the center of each cupcake with a paring knife or small biscuit cutter.  (The excess cake can be discarded.)  Add a teaspoon or two of the strawberry filling to the center of each cupcake.  Top with a teaspoon or two of the crushed pineapple, filling to the top of the cupcake.

To make the frosting, add the heavy cream to the chilled bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment.  Whip on medium-high speed until soft peaks form.  Add the powdered sugar and continue to whip until thoroughly combined and stiff peaks form.  Be careful not to over-beat!  Blend in the vanilla extract.

Add the whipped cream to a pastry bag fitted with a large plain round tip.  Pipe a swirl of the whipped cream onto each filled cupcake, covering the filling.  Transfer the filled and frosted cupcakes to the refrigerator and chill for at least 30 minutes.

To make the ganache, place the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl.  Bring the cream to a simmer over medium-high heat.  Remove from the heat and pour the hot cream over the chocolate. Let stand 1-2 minutes.  Whisk together until a thick, smooth ganache forms. Let stand at room temperature at least 10 minutes so the ganache is not hot, but also not completely cooled.  

To finish the cupcakes, pour a spoonful of the ganache over the whipped cream topping of each cupcake.  Garnish with sprinkles and maraschino cherries before the glaze sets.  Chill the assembled cupcakes until ready to serve.

Again, I got this recipe from Annie's Eats and the ganache recipe from Martha Stewart.

These are the perfect party cupcake!