Banana Split Cupcakes start with cake mix and have all the flavors of your favorite banana split dessert! Made with bananas, cherries, chocolate chips and marshmallow cream for a simple cupcake recipe that tastes amazing!
Love bananas as much as we do? You can find all of our favorite banana recipes here!
Banana Split Cupcakes
If you are looking for an easy recipe to use those over ripe bananas on your counter and wanting to stray away from the common banana bread, this is the recipe for you!
Banana Split Cupcakes are made by adding mashed bananas, eggs, chopped cherries and chocolate chips to a yellow cake mix. After the cupcakes are baked, they are frosted with a simple vanilla marshmallow frosting and topped with more cherries. These cupcakes have all of the flavors of a banana split, but they won’t melt!
As a bonus, the bananas in the cupcakes are used in place of the oil that is normally used, so these cupcakes are a little bit lighter than normal!
INGREDIENTS IN BANANA SPLIT CUPCAKES
Yellow cake mix – You will need one box of yellow cake mix as the base for the cupcakes. You will reserve 2 tablespoons of the dry mix before making the rest of the cake batter. The reserved portion is used to mix with the chopped cherries so that they don’t stain the cupcake batter and turn it all pink!
Water – 1 cup of water is needed to mix with the cake mix.
Bananas – You will need 1 cup of mashed, ripe bananas which is about 3 bananas. The mashed bananas are mixed into the cake mix to add all of the banana flavor.
Eggs – Three eggs are needed for the cupcake batter.
Maraschino cherries – You will need about a cup of quartered maraschino cherries. Make sure to drain them well and then place the chopped cherries on a paper towel for a few minutes to help absorb any extra liquid.
Mini chocolate chips – You can use regular semi-sweet chocolate chips, but I like the mini ones much better in the cupcakes. You will need 1 1/2 cups, but only put 1 cup in the batter and save the other 1/2 cup for the chocolate drizzle on top.
MARSHMALLOW VANILLA FROSTING
Vanilla frosting – One 16-ounce can of vanilla frosting is perfect for the recipe. Can’t get easier than canned frosting! And it will taste better because you’ll be mixing it with the marshmallow creme. If you prefer to make your own frosting from scratch, you can find our favorite Marshmallow Buttercream Frosting recipe here.
Marshmallow creme – Use a 7-ounce container of marshmallow creme to mix with the vanilla frosting.
TOPPING:
Shortening – Just a teaspoon of shortening will help to thin out the chocolate chips so that you get the perfect drizzle consistency!
Maraschino cherries – You will need 24 maraschino cherries (with or without stems, drained and patted dry) to put on top of each cupcake.
HOW TO MAKE BANANA SPLIT CUPCAKES
Preheat oven to 350°. Line 24 regular sized muffin cups with paper liners.
Save 2 Tbsp of the dry cake mix. In a large bowl, combine the rest of the cake mix, water, bananas and eggs. Beat for about 1-2 minutes with an electric mixer. Combined the chopped cherries with the reserved cake mix and stir until cherries are coated. Fold the cherry mixture and 1 cup of chocolate chips into the cake batter.
Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin cups. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool in pans for about 10 minutes and then remove the cupcakes and place them on wire racks to cool completely.
Combine frosting and marshmallow creme until well blended. Frost each cupcake with frosting. You can use a knife or you can pipe it out with an icing bag.
In a small bowl, combine the remaining chocolate chips and the shortening. Microwave for about 30 seconds and then stir. Microwave for another 20 seconds and then stir again until chocolate is fully melted and smooth. Drizzle over the cupcakes and then place a maraschino cherry on top of each cupcake.
BANANA SPLIT CUPCAKES
Ingredients
- 1 yellow cake mix divided
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup mashed ripe bananas about 3 bananas
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup maraschino cherries chopped and drained
- 1 ½ cups mini chocolate chips divided
MARSHMALLOW VANILLA FROSTING
- 1 16 oz container vanilla frosting
- 1 7 oz container marshmallow creme
TOPPING
- 1 tsp shortening
- 24 whole maraschino cherries with or without stems, drained and patted dry
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Line 24 regular sized muffin cups with paper liners.
- Save 2 Tbsp of the dry cake mix. In a large bowl, combine the rest of the cake mix, water, bananas and eggs. Beat for about 1-2 minutes with an electric mixer. Combined the chopped cherries with the reserved cake mix and stir until cherries are coated. Fold the cherry mixture and 1 cup of chocolate chips into the cake batter.
- Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin cups. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool in pans for about 10 minutes and then remove the cupcakes and place them on wire racks to cool completely.
- Combine frosting and marshmallow creme until well blended. Frost each cupcake with frosting. You can use a knife or you can pipe it out with an icing bag.
- In a small bowl, combine the remaining chocolate chips and the shortening. Microwave for about 30 seconds and then stir. Microwave for another 20 seconds and then stir again until chocolate is fully melted and smooth. Drizzle over the cupcakes and then place a maraschino cherry on top of each cupcake.
Nutrition
📫 Save this recipe! Send it to your email! 📩
I consent to receiving emails from this site.
HOW RIPE SHOULD BANANAS BE FOR BANANA CUPCAKES?
You want your bananas to no longer have any visible signs of greenness (except for maybe a little around the stem). The riper a banana gets, the darker in color it becomes and the sweeter they are. You can use a yellow banana with a few brown spots or wait for it to fully brown and possibly blacken if you want a super sweet banana flavor.
HOW CAN I RIPEN BANANAS QUICKLY?
Ripe bananas are used in banana cupcakes because they have a stronger, more pronounced flavor. There are several ways to help bananas ripen faster so that you can make the recipe soon, even if your bananas aren’t quite ready. Here are my preferred methods:
- Ripen bananas in the oven. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place bananas peel and all on the parchment and bake for 30-40 minutes, until peels are black & shiny. Let cool 1 hour and proceed with the recipe.
- Ripen bananas in a paper bag. If you have more time, place bananas in a paper bag with an apple. Fold and secure closed. I usually leave bananas like this for a full day, then proceed with the Banana Split cupcake recipe.
CAN I LEAVE BANANA SPLIT CUPCAKES OUT OVERNIGHT?
Already frosted cupcakes can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days. Make sure to keep them in a cool place and inside of an airtight container for maximum freshness.
CAN YOU FREEZE CUPCAKES?
You can definitely freeze the cupcakes, but wait to frost them until after they are thawed. I like to place the cupcakes in a single layer in a Ziplock freezer bag and make sure all of the air is out of the bag before freezing. To thaw, leave the cupcakes at room temperature for about an hour.
LOOKING FOR THE BEST BANANA RECIPES? CHECK THESE OUT!
- Strawberry Banana Bread
- Nutella Banana Muffins
- Double Chocolate Banana Bread
- Banana Snacks for Kids
- Apple Banana Bread
- Chocolate Banana Ice Cream
- Glazed Blueberry Banana Bars
- Banana Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
- Banana Split Milkshake
- Zucchini Banana Bread
- Banana Split Pie
- Easy Banana Bread
- Yogurt Banana Bread {With Video}
- White Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
- Banana Cream Cookies
Banana Split Cupcakes start with cake mix and have all the flavors of your favorite banana split dessert! Made with bananas, cherries, chocolate chips and marshmallow cream for a simple cupcake recipe that tastes amazing!
Justine says
These were so good! Tasted just like a banana split, we couldn’t get enough of them!
Allison says
These are so fun! My kids and their friends loved them!