A Southern Grace: do the splits

March 12, 2012

do the splits

Yum

I thought more of you would be excited by my rainbow cupcakes, but apparently the majority of folks aren't as distracted by pretty colors as I.


Perhaps you'll be more enamored of these, or perhaps you're so sick of my cupcakes that nothing I do will float your boat. Regardless, this is my next best shot: Banana split cupcakes.


The base is a banana cupcake which I've done several times before and never disappoints. The filling is a rich and luscious chocolate mousse and the frosting is a buttercream flavored with strawberry jam. The finishing touch, of course, is a sparkling cherry on top.


If you enjoy the flavors involved in that calorie bomb known as the banana split, you'll love these cupcakes. They're much easier on the waistline (assuming you eat them in moderation...) and super fun, to boot!

Banana Split Cupcakes
(makes 28 cupcakes)

Banana cupcakes:
3 cups cake flour, sifted
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 ounces unsalted butter, softened
1-1/2 cups brown sugar, tightly packed
3 large eggs
4 very ripe large bananas, mashed (about 2 cups)
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Chocolate mousse filling:
6 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon sugar

Strawberry buttercream:
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup strawberry jam
28 cherries, to garnish

Directions:
To make the cupcakes, first preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl. In another bowl, whisk together bananas, buttermilk, and vanilla.
Cream the butter and sugar with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the banana mixture and ending with dry, making sure to scrape the sides of the bowl. Divide batter among muffin cups, filling each 3/4 full. Bake until testers inserted into centers come out clean, about 20 minutes. Let cool in tins on wire racks.

To prepare the mousse, carefully melt the chocolate and set it aside. Place the heavy cream and sugar in the well-chilled bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the chilled whisk attachment. Whisk on high-speed until stiff peaks form. Remove the bowl from the mixer. By hand, whisk to combine 1/4 of the whipped cream into the melted chocolate until smooth and completely incorporated. Add the combined whipped cream and chocolate to the remaining whipped cream and use a rubber spatula to fold together.

To make the frosting, with an electric mixer, beat butter on medium-high speed until pale and creamy, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to medium. Add the powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down sides of bowl as needed; after every two additions, raise speed to high and beat 10 seconds to aerate frosting, then return to medium-high. This process should take about 5 minutes. Frosting will be very pale and fluffy. Add vanilla and jam, and beat until frosting is smooth.

To fill the cupcakes, carve out a cone-shaped hole (and immediately eat the cone)(after adding frosting to it, of course) and carefully squirt the mousse inside. Apply frosting generously to cupcakes, top each with a cherry, and devour.

41 comments:

Cara said...

mmm... that's my kind of cupcake!

Elizabeth said...

Strawberry buttercream and banana cake? Talk about delicious!

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

Delightful! I must say that I find those cupcakes morea ppealing than the rainbow ones... ;-P

Cheers,

Rosa

jillian said...

These look great! I love the flavor combo of banana splits.

Georgia Glam said...

Those sound delish!!!!!!! I just bought a new cupcake stand....perhaps I'll make these to go in there!

Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella said...

Well as someone that was enamoured with the rainbow cupcakes, I'm similarly in love with these lovely layers! :D

Julie M. said...

Wowza! Those looks scrumptious Grace! I'm especially drooling over the chocolate mousse part. I'm not sure that mousse would make it into the cupcake - I'd probably clean the bowl before it even got that far.

Elizabeth King said...

Looks really good!

Deborah said...

Love these!! And I loved the rainbow ones, too. In fact, I love all of your cupcake creations!

Lyndas recipe box said...

I love all your cupcakes Grace, and these are no exception....I need to go on a diet just after reading your posts! I love the combination of flavors, and the fine texture in these babies.
Great job again....Maybe you should own your own bakery!

Pam said...

This combination is killing me... YUM! I always leave your site drooling.

Are you still getting my feeds through email? Some long time readers told me that they aren't getting them anymore & they had to re-sign up with the new url. Just wondering.

José Manuel said...

Que jugoso se ve, rico rico.

www.asopaipas.com

shaz said...

Oh my goodness Grace, you are certainly floating my boat! And I do love your rainbow cupcakes, just didn't have time to visit until today :)

Barbara said...

Nobody does cupcakes like you do, Grace! I love coming here to see what flavors (and colors) you've combined...you've sure packed a lot of punch in these.
Even cinnamon.
Delicious!

Joanne said...

I, for one, ADORED your rainbow cupcakes. FOR. REALZ.

And seriously...how could I tire of any cupcakes at all ever? Especially yours? Impossible. These look amazing.

Vianney Rodriguez said...

I loved the rainbow cupcakes....but really I love all that you post and these babies.. are just TOO yummy!!

Hornsfan said...

Hey Hey, I loved the rainbow cupcakes, definitely don't have the patience to make them myself but I admire them here for sure :)

Secondly, this looks delish!

Juliana said...

Grace, how could anyone not like the rainbow cupcake?
Now this one is awesome too...so pretty and flavorful...beautiful pictures as always...
Hope you are having a great week :)

lisa is cooking said...

I do love a banana split and banana cake! With all the great fillings and frostings, you can keep the cupcakes coming.

Faith said...

Oh, these are truly a stroke of genius, Grace! My hubby's favorite sundae is a banana split and I know he'd go crazy for these cupcakes too!

The Blonde Duck said...

If I ate any cupcakes, it'd be your rainbow ones or these. I'm just a pie girl.:)

Lucie said...

The maraschino cherry on top just makes my day. Is it wrong to want to eat a whole jar, and have a few of your cupcakes?

Marjie said...

My lawyer daughter has discovered a cupcakerie in Philadelphia. Better yet, I have discovered that someone from my little town has opened a cupcake truck in Philly! Lawyer daughter promises to check it out and give me a full report, soon. I wonder if Banana Split Cupcakes are on the Cupcake Truck! I'd surely want one, but I'm in the minority: folks who don't love the marischino cherries.

The Teacher Cooks said...

You got me at the chocolate filling! YUM!

Carolyn Jung said...

Oooh, I'd want mine with a little hot fudge sauce drizzled over. Is that wrong? LOL

Erica said...

This looks fabulous! What a wonderful and tasty cupcake recipe!!

La Cuisine d'Helene said...

Wow, amazing! Now I want to try these cupcakes.

Hungry Dog said...

Was is it about maraschino cherries..they're totally preserved and weird and creepy yet I can't help but be drawn to them. These are very cute cupcakes!

vanillasugarblog said...

can i have a quart of the strawberry buttercream? in time for the weekend too?
thanks!

Cookingcollegechick said...

These look so delicious. I love the idea of all the flavors in a single cupcake. Definitely bookmarking this!

Mimi said...

Yum! Love the rainbow cupcake too.
Mimi

I WIlkerson said...

Banana AND filling! Wow!

Choc Chip Uru said...

I love I love I want this so much!
Never again will I have to make a huge sundae - so compact and delicious right here :D

Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Latest: Strawberry Hot Fudge Choc Cobbler

Bianca @ Confessions of a Chocoholic said...

A banana split cupcake! How lovely! I've been obsessed with anything strawberry lately and the strawberry buttercream is going to be occupying my mind now...

oneordinaryday said...

Excellent twist on my summer favorite. :)

ATasteOfMadness said...

There are just so many great cupcakes here, I'm getting all excited! These look awesome!

Becki's Whole Life said...

I have never been a big fan of banana splits, however, in cupcake form it sounds so much better! Love the little cherry on top - so cute!

Mom Fashion World said...

Mmmm.... yum, yum!

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and if you like it, can we follow each other on GFC?

http://www.momfashionworld.com/

eatme_delicious said...

It's funny to think that a cupcake is better for you than something else!! I lovvvve maraschino cherries so would definitely want to pick them off all the cupcakes first. :D

Jaime said...

mmm i could see myself devouring a few of these :)

scrambledhenfruit said...

Oooohhh...Banana split? Sounds sooo yummy. The strawberry frosting and chocolate mousse are calling my name. :) I'm loving all the cupcakes, (even the rainbow ones!)