Banana Split Cake

A slice of banana split cake is the best way to have the flavor of a banana split sundae without any melting! Moist banana cake layers filled with homemade strawberry filling, iced with vanilla buttercream frosting, chocolate ganache, rainbow sprinkles, and maraschino cherries. An impressive and delicious dessert!

Ingredients for Banana Split Cake

Banana cake

• Light brown sugar
• Granulated sugar
• Vegetable oil: Use any neutral baking oil you prefer.
• Eggs: Large eggs, room temperature. 
• Vanilla extract: Pure vanilla extract enhances the banana flavor. 
• Sour cream: For additional moisture.
• Banana: Overripe, spotty bananas work best. Mash well with a fork or potato masher. For this recipe, I used 5 bananas to yield 2 cups of mashed banana.
• All-purpose flour
• Baking powder: Leavening agent to help the cake layers rise.
• Salt: Enhances the flavor of the cake.

Strawberry filling

• Frozen strawberries: You can also use fresh strawberries, if preferred.
• Granulated sugar
• Lemon juice: Adds brightness to the strawberries.
• Cornstarch + water: Creates a slurry to thicken the strawberry filling.

Vanilla buttercream frosting

• Unsalted butter: Softened to room temperature.
• Powdered sugar: Confectioners’ sugar or icing sugar.
• Salt: To contrast the sweetness of the buttercream.
• Vanilla extract: Vanilla extract adds great flavor to give the buttercream the taste of vanilla ice cream.
• Heavy cream: Heavy cream or heavy whipping cream makes the buttercream smooth and creamy.

Other components

• Chocolate chips + heavy cream = chocolate ganache drip to mimic chocolate syrup.
• Rainbow sprinkles
• Maraschino cherries

How to Make the Components of Banana Split Cake

Banana cake

To make the banana cake layers, you simply need a large bowl and a whisk.

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Prepare cake pans with nonstick cooking spray and parchment circles.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine brown sugar, granulated sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, vanilla extract, sour cream, and mashed banana. Whisk until smooth.
3. Add in baking powder, salt, and all-purpose flour. Stir until the dry ingredients are fully incorporated into the batter.
4. Portion cake batter into prepared cake pans. Use a kitchen scale to weigh the batter for even layers. 
5. Bake for approximately 30 minutes until the cakes bounce back when gently touched or an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
6. Remove the cakes from the oven and allow the cake layers to cool in the pan for approximately 10-15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Strawberry filling

1. In a saucepan, combine frozen strawberries, granulated sugar, and lemon juice over medium-low heat on the stove.
2. Simmer until the strawberries have broken down and are bubbling. Use a wooden spoon to break up the strawberries.
3. In a small bowl, mix together cornstarch and water.
4. Add the cornstarch slurry to the strawberry mixture and stir to combine. Immediately remove from the heat.
5. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature before transferring to a bowl and chilling in the fridge for at least one hour before use.

Vanilla buttercream frosting

To make the vanilla buttercream frosting, I recommend using a stand mixer or an electric hand mixer.

1. Whip the room temperature butter until light, fluffy, and pale in color.
2. Add powdered sugar in two batches, mixing on low in between each addition. 
3. Add the vanilla extract and salt.
4. Drizzle in the heavy cream and continue to mix on low until combined.
5. Turn the mixer to medium speed and whip the buttercream for about 3 minutes to get the desired consistency.

Chocolate ganache

1. Add chocolate chips to a heat-proof medium bowl.
2. In a microwave-safe bowl, heat heavy cream for about 30-45 seconds until bubbling.
3. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate chips and allow the mixture to sit for a few minutes.
4. Stir the chocolate/cream mixture until smooth and shiny.

How to Assemble Banana Split Cake

Before assembling the cake, be sure to level the cake layers with a serrated knife to remove the cake domes.

1. Place first banana cake layer on an 8-inch cake board. Using an offset spatula, spread a thin, even layer of vanilla buttercream frosting over the cake. Use a piping bag to pipe a thick ring of vanilla buttercream around the edges of the cake.
2. Add strawberry filling inside the buttercream border. Spread the filling evenly with an offset spatula.
3. Add the second cake layer on top of the strawberry filling. Repeat the above process, adding a thin layer of frosting, a buttercream border, and the strawberry filling.
4. Add the final cake layer, bottom side up.
5. Spread a thin layer of buttercream frosting (crumb coat) over the top and sides of the cake using an offset spatula. Use a cake scraper to smooth out the frosting and remove excess buttercream.
6. Chill the cake for 30 minutes to firm up the buttercream frosting.
7. Frost the top and sides of the cake with the vanilla buttercream using an offset spatula. Use a cake scraper to smooth out frosting on the top and sides of the cake. If desired, add a rainbow sprinkle skirt on the bottom of the cake.
8. Chill the cake for an additional 15 minutes to firm up the buttercream.
9. Use a squeeze bottle to create a chocolate ganache drip down the sides of the cake. Immediately add some rainbow sprinkles onto the chocolate ganache drips.
10. Pipe swirls of vanilla buttercream frosting around the top edges of the cake using a Wilton 1M piping tip. Add additional rainbow sprinkles and maraschino cherries onto the buttercream swirls.

Be creative and decorate the cake how your prefer! You could add additional ingredients such as chopped walnuts or pecans, sliced bananas, or pineapple slices.