These Banana Split Cupcakes have a moist and sweet banana cupcake base with a classic American buttercream, fudge topping, and your favorite sundae toppings! They are an awesome twist on the classic banana split, are so super cute, and are easy and fun to decorate!
If you are looking for other cupcake recipes, my cupcake section is FILLED with tons of fun ideas! My Triple Chocolate Cupcakes are some of my very favorites, or these Peach Cobbler Cupcakes are always a refreshing and fruity go-to!
Into the banana flavor? Check out my Banana Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins or this classic and quick Banana Bread!
Tell Me About These!
- sweet, simple, and moist banana cupcakes
- smooth and fluffy classic American buttercream
- rich and fudgy chocolate ganache with all of your favorite sundae toppings
- unique twist on a classic dessert
Banana Cupcake Ingredients
- All Purpose Flour: Simple, plain all purpose flour works perfectly in these cupcakes! Make sure to measure it using a kitchen scale or by spooning and leveling flour into your measuring cups.
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda: Together, these two leavening agents will work together to give the cupcakes rise and create a gorgeous dome.
- Salt: Salt brings out flavor and enhances sweetness.
- Granulated Sugar: Plain, white sugar creates moisture and sweetness.
- Egg: A room temperature egg contributes to the structure of the cupcakes.
- Vegetable Oil: Vegetable oil creates moist cupcakes that maintain moisture.
- Vanilla Extract: Vanilla rounds out the overall flavor of these banana cupcakes.
- Mashed Bananas: What would a banana cupcake base be without bananas? Make sure to use ripe bananas for best results.
- Buttermilk: Room temperature buttermilk creates soft and tender cupcakes.
Step by Step Process
STEP 1: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 12-count muffin tin with liners.
STEP 2: In a medium bowl, whisk all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together.
STEP 3: In a large bowl, whisk granulated sugar, a room temperature egg, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, mashed bananas, and buttermilk together until smooth.
STEP 4: Add the medium bowl of dry ingredients into the large bowl of wet ingredients. Use a whisk to combine the ingredients together only until you see the flour pieces disappear into the batter. Do not whisk past this point to avoid dense cupcakes.
STEP 5: Then, divide the batter evenly between the liners, adding between ¼-1/3 cup of batter to each liner. The batter should fill the liners about ¾ full.
STEP 6: Bake the cupcakes for 18-22 minutes or until the tops are domed, slightly soft in the center, and spring back when poked in the center. Allow the cupcakes to cool before decorating.
Buttercream Frosting
STEP 1: Prepare the buttercream frosting by mixing butter and powdered sugar on low speed in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer until smooth.
STEP 2: Next, add heavy whipping cream to the frosting before mixing on high speed for 5 minutes to create a light, fluffy, and bright white frosting.
Making Chocolate Ganache
STEP 1: Start by placing your chocolate chips in a medium glass bowl.
STEP 3: Next, heat heavy cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until it just begins to bubble. Then, pour the heavy cream on top of the bowl of chocolate chips. Push the chocolate chips below the heavy cream because the chocolate may not fully melt if it is not fully touched by the hot cream. Then, let the mixture sit for 2 minutes.
STEP 4: Stir the ganache with a wire whisk in the center of the bowl. As the mixture starts to combine, slowly stir in a larger circle. Continue this process until you reach the outside rim of the bowl.
Frequently Asked Questions
To make moist cupcakes, use room temperature ingredients to ensure the batter comes together evenly, measure your flour properly using a kitchen scale or by spooning and leveling to prevent dry cupcakes, and bake only until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.
Yes! These banana cupcakes have the best flavor and texture with ripe bananas. Make sure they have lots of brown spots!
Expert Tips
- When measuring your flour, measure properly by using a kitchen scale or a spoon to transfer the flour from your container to your measuring cup before using a knife to sweep across the top to level it.
- Do not overmix when adding your dry ingredients to your wet ingredients in your cupcake batter, as mixing past when the flour pieces disappear will create dense cupcakes.
- Mix your buttercream on high speed for about 5 minutes after adding the heavy cream to create a smooth, bright white frosting.
- When decorating the cupcakes, work quickly to add toppings to the ganache to ensure they stick to the fudge.
Related Recipes
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Banana Split Cupcakes
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 12 cupcakes
- Category: Banana, Cupcakes, Ganache, Chocolate
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
These Banana Split Cupcakes have a moist and sweet banana cupcake base with a classic American buttercream, fudge topping, and your favorite sundae toppings! They are an awesome twist on the classic banana split, are so super cute, and are easy and fun to decorate!
Ingredients
For the Banana Cupcakes
- 1 ½ cups (210g) all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup (158g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- ¼ cup (50g) vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup (95g) mashed bananas
- 1 cup (240g) buttermilk, room temperature
For the Buttercream
- 1 cup (220g) unsalted butter
- 2 ½ cups (300g) powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons (30g) heavy whipping cream
For the Ganache and Decoration
- ⅔ cup (132g) semi sweet chocolate chips
- ⅓ cup (80g) heavy whipping cream
- for topping: sprinkles, nuts, and maraschino cherries as desired
Instructions
For the Banana Cupcakes
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 12-count muffin tin with liners.
- In a medium bowl, whisk all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together.
- In a large bowl, whisk granulated sugar, a room temperature egg, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, mashed bananas, and room temperature buttermilk together until smooth.
- Add the dry ingredients into the large bowl of wet ingredients. Use a whisk to combine the ingredients together only until you see the flour pieces disappear into the batter. Do not whisk past this point to avoid dense cupcakes.
- Divide the batter evenly between the liners, adding between ¼-1/3 cup of batter to each liner. The batter should fill the liners about ¾ full.
- Bake the cupcakes for 18-22 minutes or until the tops are domed, slightly soft in the center, and spring back when poked in the center. A toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcakes should come out with a few moist crumbs on it. Allow the cupcakes to cool before decorating.
For the Buttercream
- In a large bowl with a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and powdered sugar together until smooth. This should be about 2 minutes of mixing.
- Add heavy whipping cream to the frosting and beat on high speed for about 5 minutes. This will create air in the frosting, resulting in a smooth, bright, white, and fluffy frosting. Transfer the frosting to a piping bag or zippable plastic bag with the corner snipped off for greater control if desired.
- Frost the cooled cupcakes as desired.
For the Ganache and Decoration
- Pour your chocolate chips into a glass bowl.
- In a small saucepan, heat heavy cream over medium heat until the mixture just starts to bubble in the center.
- Pour the heavy cream on top of the chocolate chips. Immediately, use a spoon to push the chocolate chips below the heavy cream to ensure all parts of the chocolate are touched by the hot cream.
- Allow the chocolate chips and hot cream to sit for about 2 minutes.
- Using a spoon, start mixing by making small circles in the center of the bowl. Continue making a swirl motion and slowly begin working outside the center of the bowl as the mixture combines.
- Do not let the ganache sit for longer than 10 minutes, as it will firm up and be difficult to top the cupcakes with.
- Use a spoon to place a dollop of ganache in the center of each cupcake. Use the spoon to carefully help spread the ganache to create a dripping effect.
- Immediately after topping a cupcake with ganache, decorate with nuts, sprinkles, and cherries as desired.
Notes
Measuring Flour: Measure flour properly by using a kitchen scale or a spoon to transfer the flour from your container to your measuring cup before using a knife to sweep across the top to level it.
Ripe Bananas: Make sure to use ripe bananas in this recipe for the best flavor, sweetness, and texture. The banana should have lots of brown spots.
Decorating: When decorating, top one cupcake with ganache and toppings before moving onto the next cupcake to ensure the toppings stick to the ganache before it firms up.
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