Banana Split Cupcakes

School is officially in full swing.  So now I have work, classes, homework and volunteer stuff to get done in addition to trying to find time to bake and post here.  It's tiring.  I try to reserve it for special occasions on the weekends.  Last weekend my roommates and I threw a little house warming party.  I was immediately drawn to the idea of banana split flavored cupcakes.  It still feels like summer here, it is only a little cooler and the leaves haven't even turned so I felt like I needed a summery recipe.  Plus they're so festive and cute!  I admit, the cute part was really the deciding factor but they turned out to be really delicious!

Cupcakes

2½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
12 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
2½ cups sugar
6 eggs
1 cup plus 2 tbsp. buttermilk
1 1/3 cups mashed ripe banana

Strawberry Filling

1 pint strawberries, cleaned and stemmed

1/3 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Frosting

8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature

6 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 tbsp. vanilla extract

5 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

4 tbsp. heavy cream

Chocolate Ganache

8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp. light corn syrup

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F.  Line cupcake pans with paper liners.  In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt; whisk together and set aside.  In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream together the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Reduce the mixer speed to medium low and add in eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.  Mix in 1 the mashed banana until well combined.  With the mixer on low speed alternately add the dry ingredients and buttermilk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients and mixing only until just incorporated.

 2. Divide the batter between the prepared cupcake liners, filling each about 2/3 to ¾ full.  Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20-22 minutes.  Allow to cool in the pan 5-10 minutes, then transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.

3. Puree about ½ of the strawberries, hull and coarsely chop the rest.  In a saucepan over medium high heat, combine strawberries, sugar and vanilla. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens, about 5 minutes.  Remove from heat.   Let cool.  Core the cupcakes and spoon in about a tablespoon of the strawberry filling.
 

4.  To make the frosting, add the heavy cream to the chilled bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment.  Whip on medium-high speed until soft peaks form.  Add the powdered sugar and continue to whip until thoroughly combined and stiff peaks form.   Blend in the vanilla extract.

5. Add the whipped cream to a pastry bag fitted with a large plain round tip.  Pipe a swirl of the whipped cream onto each filled cupcake, covering the filling.  Transfer the filled and frosted cupcakes to the refrigerator and chill for at least 30 minutes.

6. To make the ganache, place the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl.  Bring the cream to a simmer over medium-high heat.  Remove from the heat and pour the hot cream over the chocolate; let stand 1-2 minutes.  Whisk together until a thick, smooth ganache forms.  Blend in the corn syrup.  Let stand at room temperature at least 10 minutes so the ganache is not hot.

To finish the cupcakes, pour a spoonful of the ganache over the whipped cream topping of each cupcake.  Garnish with sprinkles and maraschino cherries before the glaze sets.  Chill the assembled cupcakes until ready to serve.

 Cupcakes adapted from Annies-Eats