Banana Pudding Cupcakes

We love cupcakes!  What's not to love, right?  The versatility of flavor combinations and fillings is only limited by your imagination.  They don't require forks or spoons and... they're portable! 

This cupcake combines two desserts to make one delectable handheld treat.  If you prefer to bake completely from scratch, a basic butter cake batter works beautifully.  Portable banana pudding, it doesn't get much better than that.

 
Ingredients you'll need:
1 box vanilla cake mix, plus ingredients to prepare
Or from scratch using 1 batch Old Fashioned Butter Cake batter
For the filling:
1 [8 oz] container spreadable light cream cheese, softened
1 [14 oz] can sweetened condensed milk
3/4 cup whole milk
1 box [3.4 oz] instant vanilla pudding
1 [16 oz] frozen whipped topping, thawed & divided
3 bananas
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup crushed vanilla wafer crumbs for garnishing

To prepare the cupcakes:
Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two 12 cup muffin tins with liners.  [Depending on how you separate the batter,  you'll have 18-24 cupcakes total]  Prepare the cake mix per the instructions on the box using buttermilk in place of the water.  Use the same quantity of eggs recommended by the package directions.   Bake the cupcakes per the directions then set aside to cool.  From scratch, one batch of my Old Fashioned Butter Cake batter.

To prepare the filling: 
In a mixing bowl, whip together the softened cream cheese and the sweetened condensed milk for around 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy.  Next add 3/4 cup whole milk, 1 tsp vanilla and package of instant vanilla pudding mix.  Whip the ingredients together on medium-high speed for 3-4 minutes until the mixture thickens.  Fold in 1 cup of thawed whipped topping by hand.  Slice and quarter the bananas just before adding to the custard, so, they won't brown.  Fold the chunks of chopped banana into the custard. 

To assemble:
Using a sharp knife, cut the middle out of each cupcake leaving a 1/2 inch border around the edge.  Be careful not to cut all the way to the bottom of the cupcake shell.  The centers of the cupcakes are treats for the baker or for keeping the kids happy while you work!  Sprinkle half of the crushed vanilla wafer crumbs into the bottom of the cupcake shells reserving the other half for garnishing the tops.  Divide the filling between the cupcakes.  To finish the cupcakes, pipe a dollop of  whipped topping on top and sprinkle the tops with the remaining crushed vanilla wafer crumbs.  Chill thoroughly before serving. Yield: 18-24 filled cupcakes

Cook's note:
Due to the fact that bananas begin to brown quickly, I recommend making these cupcakes and serving them on the same day.