Monday, April 9, 2012

Banana Split Cupcakes

 Hello all,

So did any of you guess what this post would be about from my hint last week?


Well if you guessed Banana Split you get an A+ in my book. 'Banana Split' you may wonder 'how on earth do you turn an ice cream sundae into a cupcake?' My friends, it was hard for me to believe too, at first, but it's been done in the most perfect way by ConfessionsofaCookbookQueen and I am so delighted to share it with you here.




Step 1 - Take a French Vanilla Cake Mix and turn it into a delicious, soft, moist Banana Cake. Then proceed to cut a decent sized hole in the center of the cupcake and fill it with, would you believe it, Marshmallow Fluff.


As if this wasn't enough to make you drool, Step 3 is whipping up some decadent homemade Strawberry Buttercream and piping a unhealthy sized amount on top to hide the fluff and all it's marshmallowy goodness from unsuspecting taste-testers.

Now here's where I deviated. She suggested using Chocolate Sauce (like Hershey's chocolate syrup for example) but for me, I planned on having these around for more than a few days and needed a chocolate topping that was a little more sustainable and a little less "it's going to drip all over the kitchen table all week". So I opted to melt chocolate chips and drizzle it on top of the Buttercream instead. Add a dash of sprinkles and a cherry and voila!


Banana Split Cupcakes. I can't even express in words how amazing this cupcake is. It could very well be my most favorite miniature-sized dessert ever in existence. Though I do have an unhealthy obsession with cake pops...see now if we could turn this into a cake pop THEN we'd be getting somewhere.

And honestly, it's not that overwhelming to create yourself. It's a little more time consuming than other cupcakes, but just in that there are many steps to go through. The fact that she doctors a cake mix will save you tons of time (and less mess!).

Plus, if you're like me and need a distraction every now and then, just do these cupcakes in steps throughout your afternoon. I baked the cupcakes, then let them cool while I read half of one novel for class; then I'd frost them and read the other half of the novel, etc.

See? Procrastination can be turned into progress with the help of cupcakes!


Happy Procrastinating Baking!

Banana Split Cupcakes Via ConfessionsofaCookbookQueen

1 box French Vanilla Cake Mix
1/2 cup butter (1 stick) melted
4 eggs
3/4 cup water
2 medium ripe bananas, mashed

1 jar (7oz) marshmallow fluff

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line 2-12 cup muffin pans with liners.
2. In a large bowl combine cake mix, eggs, water, bananas, and melted butter. Beat with a hand mixer on low for one minute, then on medium/high for another 2 minutes.
3. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full (I always use a 1/4 cup measuring cup for a guide) and bake at 350 for 12-16 minutes or until cupcakes spring back lightly when touched. Let cool completely before frosting.

4. Once cool, cut a small hole in the center of each cupcake and fill with marshmallow fluff. (I suggest placing the fluff in a large plastic bag, snipping off an end and piping into said holes).

For the Strawberry Buttercream:

1 cup sliced strawberries, pureed
1 cup butter (or shortening)
5-6 cups powdered sugar

1. Beat butter and sliced strawberries together until well combined. Beat in powdered sugar, one cup at a time, until desired consistency is reached.

Assembling the Cupcakes:

1. Pipe Strawberry Buttercream onto the cupcakes, covering the marshmallow fluff center completely.
2. Use chocolate syrup OR melted chocolate chips to pipe the "hot fudge" onto the cupcake. Quickly add rainbow sprinkles and cherry on top.

10 comments:

  1. Banana split in a cupcake? Oooooh. I am all in!

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    1. Thanks healthyfoodietravels!

      I am telling you, you HAVE to make these. You will impress everyone you know and they are just so darn good :D

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  2. Replies
    1. Thanks Anita!

      If my cupcakes initiate drooling then I've done my job right :D

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  3. These are insanely cute. They look fabulous and that frosting really looks like an ice cream scoop!

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    1. Thanks Emily!

      Fabulous is exactly the word I would like to hear when thinking of my cupcakes :D

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  4. Omygoodness these cupcakes are absolutely ADORABLE! Bookmarking these for sure! These would be too cute at a party, plus they sound amazinggg, I want to scrape all that frosting and chocolate sauce right off of there!

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    1. Thanks Kristina!

      It took a LOT (and I mean a lot) of self control not to eat all of the strawberry buttercream myself. I probably saved myself from a stomache ache...but at what cost? :D

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  5. That buttercream looks positively delicious! And visually, these are so much fun.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Cucina49! :D

      I definitely had a lot of fun with these photos; they are just so cute on their own that the photos pretty much take care of themselves

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