Monday Funday = Banana Split Cupcake!

One of my New Year's Resolutions for 2011 was to eat healthier. (I know, a cupcake blog really kind of contradicts that. Haha.) Last weekend I bought a bunch of bananas that I planned on eating throughout the week. Well, I only ate one banana from the bunch and by Friday they were starting to get brown. Luckily, that is a baker's perfect banana! I just let them sit there in my fruit basket and get their brown on until I was ready to party! And what is the best thing to have at a party?! Well, a banana split, of course! :) So this week I decided to try out a Banana Split Cupcake, which is a banana cupcake (recipe from Martha Stewart), with a chocolate ganache filling, topped with a vanilla whipped creme frosting. Delicious!

Banana Cupcake: (makes 18)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (about 4 ripe medium-sized bananas)
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line your cupcake pans.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture. In the well, mix together the melted butter, mashed bananas, eggs and vanilla extract.
4. Carefully incorporate the flour mixture with the banana mixture. Be sure not to over mix the batter.
5. Fill the cupcake pans, each cup about 3/4s of the way full.
6. Bake for 15 minutes.
7. Take them out and let them cool on a wire rack.

Chocolate Ganache Filling:
1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
8 oz Chocolate, chopped

1. In a small saucepan, bring the whipping cream up to a boil.
2. Put the chopped chocolate into a medium bowl.
3. Once the whipping cream is boiling, pour it on top of the chocolate.
4. Stir the chocolate until melted through.
5. Pop the bowl of chocolate into the freezer for about 15 minutes to thicken the consistency a bit.

Whipped Creme Frosting:
1 cup Heavy Whipping Creme
5-6 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. In a standing mixer, beat the whipping creme on a medium speed until thickened (about 2 minutes).
2. Slow the speed down on the mixer and add the sugar one tablespoon at a time until the whipped creme gets stiff peaks. You may have to stop the mixer to check the whipped creme peaks.
3. Mix in the vanilla extract, to taste.

Building the cupcakes into Banana Splits:
1. Once your cupcakes are cooled, you will have to put a hole in them. I used a frosting tip that I had lying around. But you could even use a pearing knife (which may take a while) or a straw. Really, anything that will make a 1/2 inch hole in your cupcake.
2. Fill your cupcakes with the Chocolate Ganache Filling. Overfilling is totally acceptable.
3. Pipe on your Whipped Creme Frosting. (You can use a large ziplock bag to pipe on the frosting. Fill the bag and cut one the tips off the corner. Voila! You have a piping bag!)
4. Top with a Maraschino Cherry and Nuts, if desired.
5. PARTY!

Storage: I am storing these in the refrigerator due to the fact that the frosting is really fragile and will probably melt if they sat at room temp.