Banana Pudding Cupcakes
I’m really really bad at holding recipes back from you guys.
When I make something awesome I want to share it with you the next day when I’m just as excited as the day I make it.
But- trying to go on maternity leave once the baby comes has made it necessary for me to do some advance baking so I have some goods saved up to share while I’m busy cuddling my babe.
These cupcakes are a great example- oh so good- and oh so hard to save!
I so enjoy trying to come up with fun flavor combos for cupcakes and executing them.
This idea was born with the help of my little sister Ameara who has become a baking buddy lately. She loves banana pudding more than anything and since I already have an amazing recipe for it on the blog- I thought baking it into a cupcake would be the next best thing!These beauties start with a dense and vanilla cake (with a vanilla wafer baked in,) and then are filled with a generous portion of banana pudding.
The frosting is basically lightly sweetened whipped cream, made more stable for piping. (Regular old whipped cream would work no problem, but it tends to get droopy with time and adding a cornstarch mixture to the cream keeps it stiff and pipe-able.)
I topped with with a banana slice and a mini vanilla wafer which are pretty much the cutest things ever right?
The goal when creating a cupcake recipe is that it truly tastes like whatever it’s trying to emulate and every bite of these truly taste like the most delicious banana pudding.
Though a couple steps are involved- it is so worth it if you are half as much of a banana pudding lover as I am! :)
PS- If you want to skip the cupcake part- check out my recipe for Homemade Banana Pudding that even uses Homemade Vanilla Wafers!
Banana Pudding Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the cupcakes:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (12.75 oz)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
- 24 vanilla wafer cookies (or about 60 minis)
For the banana pudding:
- 2 1/4 cups whole milk
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 3 egg yolks
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 bananas
For the whipped cream topping:
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 2 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Banana slices and vanilla wafers for garnish (optional)
Instructions
First make the Pudding:
Combine 2 cups of milk and the sugar in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Stir together and heat until simmering.
Whisk egg yolks together in a medium-sized bowl and slowly pour about half of the milk mixture into it with one hand while whisking with the other until combined. Pour the egg mixture back into the pot with the rest of milk.
In a small bowl combine the remaining 1/4 cup of milk with the cornstarch until thick and combined. Pour it into the milk mixture and turn the heat back up to medium. Whisk constantly until very thick and bubbling like lava.
Stir in the vanilla extract and butter until smooth and combined. Transfer pudding to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap directly onto the surface and chill in the fridge while you make the cupcakes.
For the Cupcakes:
Preheat oven to 350F.
Line cupcake pans with liners; set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, mix in vanilla.
Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately, beginning and ending with flour. Scrape down the bowl- don't over mix the batter.
Place a vanilla wafer into the bottom of each cupcake liner- or if using mini sized- break 2-3 apart so they fit into each liner. Divide batter evenly among liners, filling each about three-quarters full. Bake until tops spring back when touched, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool for 5 minutes and then remove from pan. Let cupcakes cool completely before filling/frosting.
For the whipped cream:
Place metal bowl and wire whisk beater or beaters in freezer to chill.
In a small saucepan stir together the powdered sugar and cornstarch. Slowly pour in 1/2 cup heavy cream and whisk until smooth.
Place on medium heat and stir constantly until mixture thickens and almost comes to a boil. (it will look pudding-like) Remove from heat, transfer to a small bowl and pop it in the freezer to chill while you start whipping the cream.
In the chilled bowl combine the remaining 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream and the vanilla and beat with the chilled whisk of your stand mixer (or hand mixer) until very soft peaks form. While still beating add the powdered sugar/cornstart mixture a little at a time. Beat until the mixture holds stiff peaks and seems spreadable. (Don't over-mix!)
To assemble:
Chop the bananas into small pieces and fold into the chilled pudding.
Use a paring knife to cut a circle in the top of each cupcake with your knife at an angle making a cone-shape. Remove the cones and fill each cupcakes with a generous dollop of pudding- spreading it to the edges if desired.
Frost with whipped cream topping and top with a banana slice and vanilla wafer. (Banana slices will turn brown eventually so do this right before serving!)
Notes
Base cupcake recipe from Martha Stewart
Whipped Cream recipe from Food52
Awwww…these cupcakes are adorable and I’m sure they taste delicious, too! How is it that I had never thought of this amazing flavor combination myself?! Thanks to your little sister for inspiring these deliciousness!
xo, Elisa
Oh my goodness, these are the prettiest cupcakes ever! And filling them with pudding? GENIUS.
I know that I could get mine to look no where near as purdy as these, but my belly won’t know the difference ;) Pinned!
So adorable! And such a great idea to put pudding into a cupcake :)
I loooove me a banana cupcake! This recipe looks perfect!
Ooo banana pudding! These are so fun!
I’m a total sucker for banana pudding…I’m so glad you even have a Nilla wafer in the bottom!! These look amazing!
I need these. Absolutely NEED them.
I really want to make these cupcakes but I have never made banana pudding before so I’m curious as to how and when you add the bananas to the pudding. Are they mashed and mixed in with the vanilla and butter or do you add them in while cooking? Thanks in advance for answering my question….although I’m sure everyone else knows the answer ;)
Never mind my previous post…I actually read the whole recipe and found my answer at the bottom..hehe. It’s amazing what you find out when you read the whole recipes before asking questions. Have a great day!
Banana pudding stuffed into a cupcake, delicious!
Oh. my. goodness. These sound AH-MAY-ZING!
Ooooohhhh…. Yes, please!
My husband has been wanting banana pudding for a while now. Looks like I might be making these cupcakes instead.
Hi! I’ve been following your blog for some time now and I wanted to say congratulations for both the beautiful blog (photography and recipes!) and the baby! Honestly, each photo looks mouthwatering and I love reading each and every post! I was just wondering, when you say you’ll do some advanced baking, do you mean you are prepping recipes to be posted while you embrace your newborn baby, or that you will post the recipes now, and then you’ll have a break from the posts? I’m sorry, I got a little confused in the introductory paragraph! And being a frequent reader, I wanted to be sure if you would be taking a break, which is more than acceptable! Thank you so much for your blog and hard work!
Hi Jessi- I have some posts saved up to share while I’m on maternity leave so the blog shouldn’t have too great of a lapse while I adjust!:)
Thanks a lot for the reply! That’s great to hear, I’ll be able to read more posts hahah ;)
Can you freeze these and add whip cream on top after thawing?These sound so amazing and almost everyone likes banana pudding.I wanted to take these to my family reunion but will need to make ahead.
What can indomwith the leftover innards? Can iput in some bread?
These are ADORABLE. I love banana pudding so I know I’d love these.
These would be the perfect Valentine’s gift for my hubby, Audra.
I love that you don’t cheat & use boxed pudding. I cannot wait to make these!
I have been very eagerly awaiting these cupcakes since you posted about them on instagram! I’m not sure how banana pudding will go over with the.boy. But, you know. More for me.
Such pretty cupcakes, and they sound absolutely delicious!! Love the pudding and bananas and wafers and really just…all of it. Pinned!
Banana pudding never excited me all that much but this cupcake form looks incredible!
I have been searching far and wide for a banana pudding cupcake recipe that isn’t a modified box cake or have instant pudding! I am eager to try these, but how is the pudding added to the cupcake? I’m sure it’s a common sense answer, but I don’t want to assume.
Nope not common sense- I just forgot to include it- I fixed it :)
I’ve always looked at the pudding recipe on the box of vanilla wafers and thought I’d like to make it. Probably unlike most of your readers, I actually am focused less on the banana pudding and more on the vanilla wafers as an ingredient–I am addicted to them! Like Ayana, I haven’t made filled cupcakes before and would love to try this recipe. It seems to me that some additional instruction under #15 explaining how to get the pudding inside the cupcakes is missing (or is filling cupcakes explained elsewhere on your site?).
You are right- I forgot to add that info- Pregnancy Brain?! I fixed it :)
I’m literally wanting to cry because these aren’t in front of me RIGHT NOW. I’m obviously having a very “grown up” day. Oops.
But seriously. Shut the front door. I want all the cupcakes.
How can you go wrong with banana pudding cupcakes? I need these in my life right now!
OH my goodness gracious. This preggo cannot even handle these right now! I want dozens… in my belly… for the baby, of course. Speaking of, hope you’re not waiting to much longer for your little boy, Audra! :) Thinking of you!
Hi Audra, I’ve featured your yummy looking cupcakes on my blog, hoping that you don’t mind, but if you do, please contact me and I’ll remove it. All the best.
So undeniably cute!
HERE is a cupcake my mom would loove! She’s not a sweets person but when there’s banana pudding or cream pie in front of her…ooooh!
These cupcakes look sunny and lovely and I am sure were really yummy!
I want to make these for my graduation open house (I can’t stand those store bought cakes), but I want to make almost everything the night before. Do you think the cupcakes will get too soggy from the pudding filling? Obviously, I will have to add the bananas on top in the morning… probably coat them in a little lemon juice. Just curious what your thoughts are! Thanks! I love banana pudding. <3
Hi Kelly! I think it should be OK. Fill the cupcakes and frost and then add the toppings in the AM :)
1 1/2 stick of butter dosen’t equal 12 tbsp that’s about 3 sticks of butter. Correct if I’m wrong
1 stick is 8 tablespoons so yes 1 and a half sticks are 12 tablespoons :)
Thank you Audra I will be making this weekend! I’ll let you know how it goes
I made these for work Tuesday and they were a big hit. What can I do with the leftover innards? Think I can put them in a bread mixture.
The pudding? You can eat it as is, or layer it with fruit/vanilla wafers and make a new type of pudding!
Hi Audra! Thanks so much for this awesome recipe. I just made these and, my frosting came out yummy, but it isn’t very stable (it’s been about 5 minutes and, it’s beginning to “sag”). Any suggestions on how to create a more stiff whipped cream frosting, and hopefully one that can last overnight, so that I can bake 36 of these one night, for a birthday party the next morning? Thank you!
Hi Seema! Sorry for the late reply. I really think the whipped cream is the best topping for these. Did you add the corn starch mixture to help it stay firm? That worked pretty well for me- I’d suggest adding a little more of that until you reach the desired consistency?
This recipe was disappointing. Barely made 12 cupcakes. Batter was super thick. Directions are unclear. I’ll never make anything from this site again.
I’m so sorry it didn’t work out for you- it’s one of my most popular recipes!
I would love to make these from scratch BUT wondering how they would turn out with box pudding and ready made whip cream….
I never tried it that way but I imagine it would work :)
Hi, i made these today and let me tell you…as far as the pudding it was easy to make, was my first time making pudding. I didn’t have cornstarc, so I replaced that with flour, which was ok, flavor and consistency was great. When i got to the cupcake part, I didn’t have milk so i used full fat half and half…for buttermilk I used almondilk with vinegar, other than that I followed the directions. The whipped cream, was a fail :( i did try it out as written but it went flat. I followed a different recepie and i topped them with a vanilla wafer , banana and crushed cookies. The cupcakes were moist for a few after that they were dry:( not sure where I went wrong
Cupcakes aren’t really meant to last more than a day or two. I would definitely suggest eating these soon after you make them- they are always best fresh!
I disagree with your statement of cupcakes not being fresh for more than a day or two. Most of my from scratch recipes are moist and yummy for 3-4 days
Thank you so much for this post. I made 84 mini cupcakes last night for a job function today. These are amazing!! I have to say, though, they are laborious. It took me a few hours to finish everything. It’s well worth it though!
Made these last night to bring to our Easter dinner and they are wonderful! Your directions were so clear and easy to follow. Thanks for posting :)
Also the recipe did make a full 24 cupcakes for me! Thanks again!
My family absolutely LOVE LOVE loves this recipe. I have made them several times with a couple adaptations. I don’t eat banana pudding but my family loves it so I had to make them and the response was overwhelming! I added 2 pureed bananas to the cake batter for more banana flavor and chunks of banana into the pudding.
And I use the leftover scooped out banana cake to as the bottom to a mini banana pudding!
I made these today and had never heard of adding a powdered sugar and cornstarch mixture to whipped cream but I went with it and the whipped cream completely curdled, it looks like rice pudding. I’m so bummed, wanted to take these to an oscars party tonight.
Hey Melissa- Stabilized whip cream is pretty common- it prevents it from weeping after it sits out. Sorry it didn’t work for you- I have made it many many times! Regular whipped cream would be fine if you prefer.
This happened to me too! Making regular whipped cream instead and hoping it will hold up…
these are adorable and I bet super yummy!
Hi- these look yummy & I’m making them now but I think there’s a typo on the vanilla extract for the cucake. It says 2 tablespoons, which seemed like a lot to me so I confirmed on Martha Stewart’s recipe that it is 2 TEASPOONS. Thanks for the great idea/recipe!
Best cupcakes ever! For the cupcake batter I use Betty Crocker vanilla super moist cake mix. In addition to the box directions I add an extra egg, 1 oz of oil and a 3oz box of instant banana pudding. I get so many requests for these cupcakes! Amazing!!!!
How many does this make? Thanks!
I made today and it was my first receipe from scratch. Everything turned out perfect except the batter. I think I over mixed it so next time I will be more careful. No one seem to mind and loved them!
How would you recommend storing these cupcakes, in the fridge I’m assuming?
Yes! Fridge but bring to room temperature a bit before serving
I was so excited to make these cupcakes. I followed the recipe exactly and it made 24 cupcakes. The vanilla cupcake was good, but the whipped cream frosting was a disaster. It had the wrong consistency, probably my fault for over mixing, and was not nearly sweet enough. I did not find that there was enough banana flavor in the finished product. It was very bland. So I tried icing some of the cupcakes with cream cheese frosting, and it was absolutely delicious. It tasted less like banana pudding, but was a fabulous cupcake over all.
I’m so sorry. Whipped cream can definitely turn to butter if it’s whipped too much…