Hooray that it’s nearly summertime! It’s my favorite time of year, mainly because Portland gets sunny and so picturesque. I just want to be outside 24/7 soaking it all up! Since ice cream is such an iconic summer treat, I wanted to use it as inspiration for these Banana Split Cupcakes. There’s no actual ice cream involved, just tons of cuteness and flavors that are so perfect together.

banana split cupcakes by Sugar and Sparrow

These Banana Split Cupcakes start with the perfect banana cupcake recipe, enhanced with a little cinnamon to really bring out the flavor. The secret to the perfect banana flavor is using over-ripe (aka brown spotted) bananas, so if you ever find yourself in a situation where your bananas are too ripe to eat, it’s always a good excuse to bake with them! If your bananas are not as ripe, the flavor won’t come through as well, so make sure you wait until the peel starts browning for maximum taste.

Next, I topped the banana cupcakes with a scoop of cold vanilla buttercream and it’s amazing how much it looks like ice cream! If you don’t have an ice cream scoop for this part, a spoon will totally do the trick. Just scoop out a bit of buttercream and top the cupcake, then use a spoon to shape it until it looks like ice cream.

To finish the look, I drizzled a little chocolate ganache, added some sprinkles, and topped these beauties with a maraschino cherry. I’m a little obsessed with how they look! For the sprinkles, you can use any rainbow jimmies, but I used the jimmies from the Rainbow Road mix by SprinklePop. It’s no secret that I love their sprinkles, and if you’re in the need of the perfect sprinkle mix for your cake projects, don’t forget to use my code SUGARANDSPARROW15 for 15% off your order.

Ingredients

Banana Cupcakes

1 1/4 Cup (173g) all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 Cup (177ml) mashed banana (about 2 large)
1/2 Cup (113g) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 Cup (94g) packed brown sugar
1/2 Cup (103g) white granulated sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/3 Cup (79ml) full-fat buttermilk, room temperature

Vanilla Buttercream

1 Cup (226g) unsalted butter, room temperature
3 1/2 Cups (420g) powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp whole milk, room temperature
pinch of salt

Chocolate Ganache

1/2 Cup (92g) semi-sweet, milk, or dark chocolate chips
1/3 Cup (79ml) heavy whipping cream

Additional Garnishes

rainbow sprinkles
maraschino cherries

Instructions

Make The Banana Cupcakes

Preheat the oven to 350ºF and prepare a muffin pan by lining with cupcake tins. Measure the flour by spooning into your measuring cup and leveling it, then whisk it together with the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and ground cinnamon and set aside.
Place the bananas in the bowl of your stand mixer and mash them with a paddle attachment on medium for about 30 seconds. Set aside.
Cream the butter on high for 1 minute. Add the white and brown sugars and cream on high for another 2 minutes. Turn the mixer to low, add the eggs one at a time and mix until combined. Add the mashed bananas and vanilla and beat for 1 full minute, then scrape down the bowl and paddle. With the mixer still on low, add the dry ingredients until just combined, then add the buttermilk and mix until just combined. Give it a few stirs with your spatula to ensure that everything is nice and mixed up without overmixing. The batter will be thick.
Spoon the batter into prepared cupcake tins ⅔ of the way full, then bake for 17 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool the cupcakes in the pan for five minutes before removing and continuing to cool on a wire rack or flat surface.

Make The Vanilla Buttercream

With a hand mixer or paddle attachment on your stand mixer, cream the butter on medium-high until it’s creamy and light (almost white) in color. About 7 minutes.
Add the sifted powdered sugar, one cup at a time, scraping down after each addition and making sure each cup is fully incorporated before adding the next one. Add vanilla, milk, and salt and mix on medium-low for another two minutes until fully incorporated.
Place the buttercream into an airtight container and chill in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Make The Chocolate Ganache

Place chocolate chips into a heat resistant bowl (glass or metal). In a saucepan over medium-high heat, warm heavy whipping cream until it just starts to boil. I always look for small bubbles forming around the edge and a soft boil starting in the middle. When you see that it’s just starting to boil, pour it into your bowl of chocolate and let sit for 30 seconds, then whisk it together until it's uniform in consistency and there are no bits of chocolate left on your whisk.
Cool ganache at room temperature for about 30 minutes, or until the ganache itself is room temperature.

Assembly

Once the Banana Cupcakes have cooled completely, add a scoop of cold Vanilla Buttercream on top of each one and shape it with a spoon until it resembles a scoop of real ice cream. Drizzle the buttercream with Chocolate Ganache (make sure it's room temperature, not hotter or colder than that), add the rainbow sprinkles, and place a maraschino cherry on top.

Notes

Make Ahead Tips: The Banana Cupcakes can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one day. Alternatively, you can place them in the freezer in an airtight container for up to one month before thawing and using.

The Vanilla Buttercream can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one day. Alternatively, you can store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks before thawing, re-whipping with your stand mixer, and using.

The Chocolate Ganache can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. When you’re ready to use it, microwave it in 10 second increments, stirring after every interval until your ganache is room temperature and uniform in consistency.

Did you make this cupcake recipe? I want to know what you think! Let me know in the comments below or feel free to tag me on Instagram. I love to see what you’re caking!

Comments

Ana says

July 19, 2019 at 2:06 pm

Hi Whitney! Your recipies are the best 🙂
Can this one be used for a cake? If so, should I double it if I wanna make three 6 inch pans?
Thank You!!!

- Whitney says
  
  July 21, 2019 at 2:24 pm
  
  Thanks so much Ana! Happy you’ve been loving the recipes 🙂 I’m not sure about how this cupcake recipe will turn out as a cake, but if you’re wanting to make a banana cake I do have this recipe: https://sugarandsparrow.com/banana-nutella-birthday-cake/
  
Shelby says

January 8, 2022 at 4:25 pm

I just made these cupcakes for my son’s first birthday. I used the Nutella buttercream from the pretzel and Nutella cake recipe. It was a hit with the birthday boy and the guests. Thank you for the recipes and tutorials.

- Whitney says
  
  January 8, 2022 at 10:02 pm
  
  Yay, Shelby! I’m so happy to hear that and the addition of the nutella buttercream sounds incredible. I’m going to have to try that!

Banana Split Cupcakes Recipe