I Dream In Buttercream

So, I saw the challenge for Cupcake Hero was bananas for this month. How could I resist my favorite fruit in a cupcake?! This recipe was actually for a cake that won the blue ribbon at my town’s July 4th celebrations a few years back. I tweaked it a bit and Viola! here it is!!

The cupcake is a banana batter with chocolate chips sprinkled in. I piped in pineapple fluffy filling and covered them in whipped cream frosting. The cutey cherry is definitely the finishing touch! I would consider sprinkling with chopped peanuts as well but these are going to be around my niece who has severe nut allergies so I left them off. I try not to get nuts near anything she could possibly get into!

So, onto the recipe….

Banana Split Cupcakes

Cake:
2 1/3 cups cake flour
1 Tbs baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
½ cup packed light brown sugar
2 medium-sized ripe bananas, peeled and mashed
½ cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 cup chocolate chips

Pineapple Filling:
20 oz. can crushed pineapple, undrained
1 pkg. instant vanilla pudding (4 servings)
1 cup Cool Whip, thawed

Frosting:
2 packages of Dream Whip
1 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake tins with paper liners.
2. Blend all cake ingredients except the chocolate chips on low speed for one minute. Scrap down the sides of the bowl and continue mixing at medium speed for 2 minutes. The batter should be well blended and the bananas should be pureed.
3. Fill the cupcakes 2/3 full. Sprinkle the tops with the chocolate chips.
4. Bake until they are lightly browned and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 20-25 minutes. Allow to cool in the pans for 10 minutes. Then invert them onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
5. While the layers are baking, prepare the filling. Mix the pineapple with the pudding mix. Gently fold in the Cool Whip. Let the mixture thicken in the refrigerator.
6. Place the Dream Whip, milk, and vanilla into a mixing bowl. Beat on low until combined. Turn the mixer to high and beat for 4 minutes or until stiff peaks form. Refrigerate until needed.
7. Once the cupcakes are cooled, fill your piping bag (with a large tip) with the pineapple mixture. Fill the centers with the filling.
8. Using a large star tip, pipe the whipped cream frosting onto the cupcakes and top with a maraschino cherry.