Easy Banana Split Cupcakes Recipe

When it comes to ice cream desserts, few dishes are as classic as a good ol' banana split. You can typically order one of these decked-out treats at diners, ice cream shops, and even at Dairy Queen. But what if you could enjoy all of the delicious flavors that come together in a banana split in cupcake form?

Skip the mess of ice cream and dish up these cupcakes for the next occasion you're looking for a special dessert. Whether you're hosting a get-together or you simply want to treat the family to something sweet after dinner, this recipe is sure to please.

To pull off these easy banana split cupcakes, you'll need simple ingredients to make the banana cupcakes, and then you'll make vanilla frosting to add on top. Dress up your cupcakes with all of your favorite banana split toppings such as chocolate sauce, rainbow sprinkles, and, of course, a cherry on top. It's the perfect balance of modern and nostalgic, and the best way to use up those overripe bananas sitting on the counter.

To get started on making these banana split cupcakes at home, you'll want to first gather all of your ingredients. This will make the process so much smoother. For this recipe, you'll need white sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, two eggs, a quarter of a cup of oil, half of a cup of milk plus two tablespoons (divided), two teaspoons vanilla extract (divided), and three ripe bananas, mashed.

For the frosting, you'll also need half of a cup of softened butter and five to six cups of powdered sugar. To finish off your cupcakes, remember to grab chocolate sauce, rainbow sprinkles, and fresh or maraschino cherries.

The first step to baking banana split cupcakes is to preheat the oven to 350 F. This will allow the oven plenty of time to get up to the proper baking temperature.

To prepare your cupcake batter, start by mixing together all of your dry ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, add in the white sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Use a hand mixer to mix the dry ingredients until well combined.

Once the dry ingredients are mixed, it's time to add in the wet ingredients to finish off the cupcake batter. First up, mix in the eggs one at a time. Then, mix in the oil. To finish adding moisture to the batter, add in half of a cup of milk and one teaspoon vanilla extract and mix.

Once the batter has formed, mix in the mashed banana until fully incorporated.

With the batter prepped and ready to go, it's time to fill your cupcake pan. Line the cupcake pan with paper liners to prevent the cupcakes from sticking.

Use a measuring cup to scoop the batter into the cupcake wells, filling each just under halfway full. With the cupcake pan filled, put it in the oven to bake the cupcakes for 18 minutes until the tops are lightly golden. Once the cupcakes are baked, from the pan from the oven and set the cupcakes aside to fully cool before frosting and decorating.

While the cupcakes are cooling, use the time to make the vanilla frosting to go on top. In a large mixing bowl, add in the butter and use a hand mixer to cream the butter until broken up. Next, add in two cups of powdered sugar, one teaspoon vanilla extract, and two tablespoons of milk. Mix the frosting ingredients, and then gradually add the remaining powdered sugar, continuously mixing until a frosting forms. Once the frosting forms, turn the speed up on your mixer to whip the frosting until fluffy.

Once the cupcakes have fully cooled, top each with vanilla frosting to mimic the ice cream. Then, add your banana split toppings. Drizzle the frosting with chocolate sauce, top the cupcakes with rainbow sprinkles, and add a cherry on top to finish it off.