Banana Split Cupcakes {Recipe}

Sometimes it's just too cold for ice cream... or so I'm told. I would actually eat ice cream all day, every day if given the chance, but... I hear some people don't do that.
So, here's a warmer twist on an old favorite... the banana split, cupcake-style.

What You Need:
Banana Cake Recipe (one batch will give you about 2-dozen standard cupcakes)
Vanilla Buttercream Recipe
Strawberry Buttercream Recipe
Dark Chocolate Candy Melts or Semi-sweet chocolate
Sprinkles
Maraschino Cherries (drained)
Equipment:
Cupcake pans/liners (standard or mini-size)
Dough scoop or Ice Cream Scoop
Tip #1M and #230

Start by making a single recipe of my Best Banana Cake. Use a dough scoop to get evenly-sized cupcakes. (This one is slightly smaller than 1/4 cup in size. I don't know exactly what size or brand because I got it as a gift from a student and threw away the box. Oops!)

If you don't have the scoop - or an awesome student to give it to you - you can use a 1/4 cup measure for standard cupcakes.

If you want to do the mini cupcakes, because these guys are RICH, use a 1 tsp. sized scoop for mini-cupcakes. (This is the same size as I use for my cake pops. It's a good investment, to get one of these! Check out the shopping list below if you want to get one.)

When your cupcakes have baked (about 20 minutes for the standard-size, about 13 minutes for the minis-- at 350-degrees), let them cool on a cooling grid for at least 30 minutes before decorating. That should be enough time to get your icing made!

Make one batch of vanilla buttercream, and one batch of strawberry buttercream. You will need a total of EIGHT egg whites, and SIX sticks of butter. Yes, six. I told you they were rich!

*Note: To make it easier on yourself, you can make a single batch of vanilla buttercream, and remove half of it from the bowl, then add one-half of the strawberry puree to the remaining icing. It may be a little thinner consistency if you do this, but it should still work just fine.

To assemble the cupcakes, you'll want to start by filling the cupcake with vanilla icing. You can either use a Bismarck Tip like seen here... (Click the link to see a tutorial on filling cupcakes.)

... or you can use a spoon to carve out a little cupcake- or use a 'cupcake corer' like you see here. (My grandma got this for me, and I'd never used it before, but I like it!)

Then you can scoop or spoon the icing in the middle.

* Note: this was a toss-up for me, fill with vanilla, top with strawberry or fill with strawberry and top with vanilla. After some trying, I think my friend Kirk's recommendation of strawberry on top is definitely the way to go.

Top them in one of two ways, with a big ol' scoop of strawberry icing... (Trust me, with this icing, a big ol' scoop is the only way to go... it is so good!)

* Note to self, shiny things like ice cream scoops reflect, Beki, so you shouldn't take a picture just like this. Hi!

... If you want to be a little fancier, you can do a cupcake swirl with your tip #1M. It is pretty, and I will admit that they are easier to eat this way. (Click the link to see How to Swirl a Cupcake.)

Then you'll use your melted chocolate to either add a drizzle- to your swirled cupcakes - or add a cute little hot fudge-looking smear to the top of the icing. I used a squeeze bottle and moved it around to get the perfect little "drips." You could also put the melted chocolate into a disposable piping bag or a freezer storage zip-top bag to do the same thing.

Add your sprinkles and cherries on top quickly, especially if you're using candy melts rather than chocolate, because it will set rather quickly, then they won't stick.

That's it! Easy Peasy! (Well, if you don't consider how many eggs and how much butter you just went through!)

The minis aren't quite as cute because the cherries were too big to go on top... but they were a lot easier to eat. (And not quite as rich.) I used the small 1 tsp. scoop - again - for the icing on these guys.

I recommend serving these cupcakes at room temperature. When you refrigerate the icing, it gets really hard - think of all that butter. So, if you do need to store them in the fridge, just take them out 30 minutes or so before you eat them. I also ended up eating some of mine with a spoon... just because.

Click the Links Below to See:
Banana Split Cake Recipe
Banana Split Cake Pops
Other Cupcake Decorating Ideas

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