Banana Pudding Cupcakes (Cake Mix Recipe)
We are excited to share this delicious recipe for Banana Pudding Cupcakes! If you are a fan of banana pudding, and eas and delicious cake mix recipes, you will love this flavorful dessert.
Banana cupcakes are filled with vanilla cream filling, frosted with cream cheese frosting, and topped with a dollop of whipped cream and a mini Vanilla Wafer.
These cupcakes were inspired by our homemade Banana Pudding Layer Cake recipe, and the flavor is every bit as delicious!
Our easy banana cupcake recipe is based on our Banana Cake (Cake Mix) Recipe, but with the addition of crushed Vanilla Wafers in the batter.
Table of Contents
How to Make Banana Pudding Cupcakes
These banana cupcakes are simple to make using cake mix- but the additional ingredients give them a from-scratch flavor. They are ultra moist and delicious!
In keeping with our Banana Pudding theme, we used crushed vanilla wafers in place of the flour called for in our usual banana cake mix recipe. (We do something similar in our classic Vanilla Wafer Cake also!)
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line cupcake pans with cupcake liners.
- Crush Vanilla Wafers to make ½ cup of crumbs. (We used a sealed ziplock bag and rolling pin for this step).
- Combine dry ingredients in your mixing bowl.
- Add the remaining ingredients and mix on low speed to moisten the ingredients for about 30 seconds. Then increase to medium speed and mix for two minutes.
- Scoop batter into the cupcake liners. Bake at 350 F for about 17 minutes or until the centers spring back when lightly touched (or toothpick can be inserted and removed with just a few crumbs attached).
- This recipe makes about 6 ¼ cups batter. I was expecting 24 cupcakes but wound up with 29 ;0)
Easy Vanilla Cream Filling
We have used this delicious "mock mousse" filling in many of our cake recipes, but it is especially perfect for Banana Pudding Cupcakes!
This easy vanilla cream filling can be whipped up in no time. It is a combination of vanilla instant pudding and heavy cream (or whipping cream).
Simply follow the directions on the box, but substitute the heavy cream for milk. The result is a filling that tastes like a light vanilla pudding, but with more richness and a thicker consistency.
I like to combine the instant vanilla pudding and heavy cream using a handheld electric mixer, but you will have good results from whisking as well. You will likely need to add one or two tablespoons more if it seems too thick.
Cream Cheese Frosting
We topped our cupcakes with our favorite cream cheese frosting recipe.
It is an easy recipe, which consists of softened cream cheese and butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla.
I love the creaminess of this frosting and the slight tang of cream cheese.
Cream cheese frostings are a bit softer than most other frostings and so I often pop it in the refrigerator a few minutes just after making.
Chilling will thicken the consistency so that it will hold up better when piping swirls. You can also add a bit more powdered sugar as needed.
Assembling the Cupcakes
- Once the cupcakes have completely cooled, it is time to decorate!
- Spoon vanilla cream filling into a disposable piping bag with the tip snipped away. (Or if you would prefer to use a piping tip, a round tip 12 is a good choice).
- Insert the filled piping bag halfway into the cupcake and give it a squeeze for a couple of seconds and remove. (You can do this on a plate first to get an idea of how much filling you will be adding to the cupcake--or if you have an extra cupcake, do a trial run and slice it in half.)
- Once all of the cupcakes are filled, add cream cheese frosting to another piping bag with your piping tip of choice. We used a large 2D piping tip. I also like 1M for swirls.
- Add a swirl of frosting to each cupcake. I started my swirls and the center and spiraled out- but the reverse of this is fine also.
- Add a little dollop of cool whip (or whipped cream) to each cupcake. We used cool whip, which we loaded into a piping bag with the tip snipped away.
- Top with mini Vanilla Wafers.
Here's a peek inside!:
Refrigeration
Because of the cream filling and cream cheese frosting, these cupcakes need to be refrigerated. You can store them in an airtight container, cake dome, or bakery box.
For best flavor and texture, bring the cupcakes out of the refrigerator a couple of hours before serving so that the cake and frosting can soften.
Don't miss our other favorite Cupcake Recipes!
Recipe FAQs
More Banana Cakes!
Thanks so much for stopping by! We hope that you enjoy this recipe as much as we have! If you give it a try, make sure to leave a comment and photo below. Don't miss our Scratch Banana Cupcakes as well!
Here are a few more DELICIOUS Banana Cake Recipes to put on your must-bake list! Some of our most popular are our Banana Split Cake and Hummingbird Cake (in all of its variations) and Banana Cream Cake!
Banana Pudding Cupcakes (Doctored Cake Mix Recipe)
These easy Banana Pudding Cupcakes have amazing flavor! Banana cupcakes are filled with vanilla (pudding) cream filling, frosted with cream cheese frosting, and a dollop of whipped cream.
Ingredients
Banana Cupcakes
- 1 box Yellow Cake Mix, sifted (We used Betty Crocker Super Moist)- I like to sift the mix.
- ½ cup (45g) Crushed Vanilla Wafers
- ¾ cup sugar (150g)
- 1 teaspoon (4g) baking powder
- 1 teaspoon (3g) cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt (3g)
- 1 ½ teaspoon (6g) vanilla extract
- ¾ cup oil (160g or 5.5 oz)
- 3 eggs
- 3 bananas, mashed (approximately 1 ¼ cup or 305g)
- 8 oz milk
For the Vanilla Cream Filling
- 1 small box instant Vanilla pudding (3.9 oz/96g) We used Jello- Brand
- 2 c. (464g) heavy cream or whipping cream (You will likely need a tablespoon or two more as it becomes very thick.)
For the Cream Cheese Frosting
- *See Notes re: possible adjustments
- 2 sticks (1 cup) (226g) unsalted butter, slightly softened
- 2 (8oz) packages cream cheese, slightly softened (total weight 452g) I use full fat cream cheese. Using reduced fat or the spreadable cream cheese will cause the frosting to be too soft.
- 2 teaspoons (8 g) vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon (2g) salt
- 6 to 6 ½ cups (690g to 747g) powdered sugar
Instructions
For the Banana Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line cupcake pans with cupcake liners.
- Combine dry ingredients in your mixing bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and mix on low speed to moisten the ingredients for about 30 seconds. Then increase to medium speed and mix for two minutes.
- Scoop batter into the cupcake liners. Bake at 350 F for about 17 minutes or until the centers spring back when lightly touched (or toothpick can be inserted and removed with just a few crumbs attached).
- This recipe makes about 6 ¼ cups batter. I was expecting 24 cupcakes but wound up with 29 ;0)
For the Vanilla Cream Filling
- Combine the pudding mix and heavy cream in a mixing bowl. I prefer to mix with a hand held mixer, but a whisk is just fine too. If using a mixer, start on low speed until well combined. Then, switch to high speed and whip the pudding until thick and fluffy. If mousse is too thick, mix in small amounts of heavy cream a tablespoon at a time to reach desired consistency.
- If mixing by hand, simply whisk rapidly for a couple of minutes or until mixture is nice and thick.
- Refrigerate until ready to use. Cakes with this filling should be chilled until close to serving time.
For the Cream Cheese Frosting
- Cut the softened butter into slices and add to the bowl of your mixer. Beat on low to medium speed until the butter is softened and smooth.
- Cut the softened cream cheese into pieces and add to the butter, beating at low to medium speed until incorporated. If you are using a hand mixer you may need to soften the cream cheese a bit more.
- Add the vanilla. Gradually add the powdered sugar beating on low speed until blended. Cover the bowl with a towel to keep down the cloud of powdered sugar.
- Increase mixing speed and mix until fluffy. Don't over mix or it will become too soft. If it becomes too soft, just refrigerate a short while to firm it up a bit.
- This frosting will pipe best if used while still chilled. You can make it in advance, refrigerate and when ready to use let it soften slightly (do not microwave) and remix.
Assembling the Cupcakes
- Once the cupcakes have completely cooled, it is time to decorate!
- Spoon vanilla cream filling into a disposable piping bag with the tip snipped away. (Or if you would prefer to use a piping tip, a round tip 12 is a good choice).
- Insert the filled piping bag halfway into the cupcake and give it a squeeze for a couple of seconds and remove. (You can do this on a plate first to get an idea of how much filling you will be adding to the cupcake--or if you have an extra cupcake, do a trial run and slice it in half.)
- Once all of the cupcakes are filled, add cream cheese frosting to another piping bag with your piping tip of choice. We used a large 2D piping tip. I also like 1M for swirls.
- Add a swirl of frosting to each cupcake. I started my swirls and the center and spiraled out- but the reverse of this is fine also.
- Add a little dollow of cool whip (or whipped cream) to each cupcake. We used cool whip, which we loaded into a piping bag with the tip snipped away.
- Top with mini Vanilla Wafers.
Refrigeration
Cupcakes should be stored in an airtight container, cake dome, or bakery box in the refrigerator.
For best taste and texture, remove from the refrigerator a couple of hours before serving.
Notes
- The cream cheese frosting that is listed in the recipe is our full recipe and you will have some leftover. We experimented with halving this recipe and it made enough to swirl 21 cupcakes. So depending on the number that you need, you can adjust the frosting recipe as needed. Because the additional ingredients, we had 29 cupcakes.
-These cupcakes bake up with very little dome (something that nobody would know once they are frosted but just fyi!)
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Looks delish! :-)
I didnt find the ingredients list 🤔
Also, where in Canada do u buy Nilla biscuits? I won't buy them on Amazon bcz they're super pricey. Do u find them in stores somewhere?
Hi Jody- I'm sorry, the ingredients list should be showing for you now!
If you can't find vanilla wafers, I've heard of people using Chessmen butter cookies, shortbread cookies, or even graham crackers in banana pudding. You could also opt to leave out the cookie crumbs altogether and replace that 1/2 cup of crumbs in the batter with flour. In that case, they would be Banana Cream Cupcakes- still delicious ;0)
I'm sorry about that! I have no idea what happened, but I have added the ingredients back again ;0) - Hope you enjoy the recipe!
Thanks ! I’m sure I will.
Melissa and Lynda
I made these for my 6 minus 1( as one is too young to eat cupcakes :( banana loving grandchildren and the little monkeys couldn't get enough....many thanks to ya'll.
Great! So glad that you all enjoyed them! xoxo