These banana pudding cupcakes start with a sweet and fluffy vanilla cake base. They then get filled with a creamy mascarpone banana pudding with fresh chopped bananas. The proverbial icing on the cake is a light mascarpone whipped cream that tops these delicious rich but fresh cupcakes!
My very first recipe on this blog was an adaptation of a Paula Deen banana pudding recipe. My version is in cute little individual mason jars and uses mascarpone cheese to lighten the pudding. Check out my banana pudding mason jars recipe! You won’t be sorry!
Likewise, you won’t be sorry when you make these cupcakes. There are a few steps that go into making these cupcakes but I promise they are well worth it. To save time, you can even make the vanilla cupcakes one day and the pudding the next and then assemble.
Making the vanilla cupcakes
These cupcakes have a lot of vanilla flavor from 2 tsp of vanilla and are very moist due to the addition of sour cream.
To start, combine your dry ingredients (flour, baking powder and salt) in a small bowl. Combine the softened butter and sugar and beat for about 3 minutes until light yellow in color and fluffy. The creaming step is important in baked goods as this is where air gets incorporated into the mixture allowing a proper rise and the right texture. Not creaming it correctly can lead to overly dense cakes.
Once the butter and sugar are creamed together, add the eggs, one at a time, until mixed well. It’s important to scrape the sides of the bowl during these steps so that all the ingredients get incorporated equally.
Combine the sour cream, milk and vanilla in a pyrex or another small bowl. Next, you’ll alternate adding the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients to the creamed butter and sugar until everything is mixed in well.
Scoop the batter into 24 cupcakes liners about 1/2 to 2/3 full and bake for 16-18 minutes. You can make the cupcakes 1-2 days in advance. Store them in a covered container in one layer until ready to fill.
Making the banana pudding filling
This pudding thankfully requires no cooking! The use of instant vanilla pudding makes this come together rather quickly.
Start by combining instant vanilla pudding mix with milk and let it start to thicken. Next, mix together mascarpone cheese and sweetened condensed milk. Finally, whip 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream until soft peaks form.
Combine the vanilla pudding with the sweetened condensed milk and then fold in the whipped cream. Fold in the chopped bananas. Place the pudding into the fridge to chill for about an hour before filling the cupcakes.
Making the mascarpone frosting
The frosting for these banana pudding cupcakes is light, fluffy and not overly sweet. It’s the perfect complement to the sweet cupcakes and filling.
Simply combine the mascarpone and powdered sugar until creamy. Add the heavy cream and vanilla and whip until stiff peaks form but make sure to not over whip the cream!
Assembling the cupcakes
To fill the cupcakes with the banana pudding, use a sharp paring knife or a cupcake corer to cut a hole in the middle of the cupcake. You can discard the cake that was cut out or better yet snack on it as you assemble the cupcakes :-). Next, using a spoon or a small cookie scoop, scoop about 2 teaspoons of filling into the cupcake hole.
Frost the cupcakes with the mascarpone whipped cream. I used a plastic pastry bag with a piping tip to achieve the pretty swirls in the pictures. Feel free to use a knife to spread it on or place the frosting into a zip-top bag and snip the corner off to pipe onto the cupcakes without a piping tip or fancy pastry bag.
How to store the cupcakes
The banana pudding cupcakes are best stored in the fridge due to both the filling and the frosting. The assembled cupcakes will keep for 2-3 days tightly covered in the fridge. They are delicious right from the refrigerator as the frosting does not harden like a buttercream frosting would. You can serve them after being out of the refrigerator for awhile but they may be messier to eat due to the banana pudding softening some.
For more dessert recipes, check out these:
- White Chocolate Blondie Raspberry Cheesecake Bars
- Meyer Lemon Tarts with White Chocolate
- Carrot Cake Cheesecake Cupcakes
- Nutella S’mores Cake
Tag me on Instagram @TaraKringlen if you make this and leave a review and comment below! Thanks and enjoy!
Banana Pudding Cupcakes
Ingredients
Vanilla Cupcake
- 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp kosher salt
- 1 ½ cup sugar
- 12 tbsp unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ¾ cup sour cream
- ¾ cup milk 2% or whole milk
Banana Pudding Filling
- Half of a 3.4 oz box instant vanilla pudding mix about ¼ cup + 1 tbsp of powdered mix
- 2/3 cup milk 2% or whole milk
- 4 oz mascarpone cheese
- 2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 banana chopped
Mascarpone Frosting
- 8 oz mascarpone cheese cold
- 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Vanilla Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a 2 cupcake pans with paper liners.
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer or in a large bowl and a hand mixer, cream together butter and sugar for about 3-4 minutes, until light yellow and fluffy on medium/medium high speed.
- Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well and scraping the sides of the bowl after each addition.
- In a small bowl or pourable measuring cup, whisk together sour cream, milk and vanilla. Set aside.
- Starting with the dry ingredients, add about 1/3 to the butter mixture and beat until combined.
- Add half of the milk/sour cream mixture and mix well. Continue alternating dry and wet ingredients, ending with the dry ingredients.
- Pour batter into each cupcake liner filling about 1/2 to 2/3 full. Bake for 16-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cupcake comes out clean.
- Let cool in the pan for about 10 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool the rest of the way.
Banana Pudding Filling
- In a bowl, combine the milk and instant pudding and mix well. Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, combine the sweetened condensed milk and mascarpone and beat until smooth.
- In a separate bowl, whip heavy whipping cream to soft peaks and then fold into the mascarpone mixture. Combine the mascarpone mixture with the vanilla pudding and mix until smooth.
- Fold in the chopped bananas. Refrigerate for
Mascarpone Frosting
- Using a stand mixer or a medium bowl and a hand mixer, whip the mascarpone cheese and powdered sugar until creamy, about 1 minute.
- Add the heavy cream and vanilla and continue to whip on medium to medium high speed until stiff peaks form, about xx minutes.
Assembling the Cupcakes
- Use a sharp paring knife or cupcake corer to create a hole in the middle of the cupcake (see pictures in post). Discard the cake that was cut out (or eat it!).
- Using a spoon or small cookie scoop, scoop about 1-2 teaspoons of banana pudding into each cupcake.
- Frost the cupcakes using a knife or pipe the frosting using a bag and pastry tip. Top with a banana slice and vanilla wafer if desired. Refrigerate the cupcakes until ready to serve.
Notes
- Cupcakes are best served cold from the refrigerator.
- Keep assembled cupcakes covered tightly in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
- You’ll have extra banana pudding mixture after filling the cupcakes. I suggest layering it with vanilla wafers, shortbread cookies or golden oreos in mason jars for 2 desserts in one!
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