Cake Mix Cupcakes: Tropical Banana Cream Pie Cupcakes

Week three of the cupcake challenge at Hoosier's site called all participants to use a boxed cake mix and add a little flair.  I wanted to keep up with the 'summer' theme, AND I've wanted to try a banana pudding filled banana cupcake, with a whipped icing for the last few months.  I looked around for some boxed cake+banana cupcake recipe ideas so that the cupcakes would be in alignment with this week's theme, and guess what?  I think it more than worked flavor-wise!  I'm glad I didn't make the cupcakes from scratch, this was much easier to put together, and it taste great.  This is a keeper in my book.  I also managed to pretend it was perfectly fine to eat these for breakfast.  Here is the recipe and process.
For the Cupcake: 
Ingredients-1 yellow cake mix, 3 (more than) ripe bananas (mushed), 1 c. water, 1/2 t. baking soda and follow the number of eggs, and oil the back of the box calls for on the back (The recipe I used also said you can use this same basic cake mix+any  fruit recipe with just about any fruit and a different variation on this cupcake.)

Instructions-Mix all ingredients together, and bake at 350 for 18 minutes.

For the Filling:

Ingredients-1 small instant banana pudding package, 2 c. of milk, 1 t. vanilla

Instructions-Mix all ingredients together, and  chill for 30 minutes before filling cooled cupcakes.  I like to carve off the top, you can also push the filling in with a piping bag and tip, pick your poison.

For the Icing: 

Ingredients:1 small package instant vanilla pudding, 1 c. milk, 1 t. vanilla, 8 oz extra-creamy whipped topping, 1/4 c. powdered sugar.

Instructions:  Mix and chill for thirty minutes, and then ice and top with crushed vanilla wafers, or chocolate shell decorations.  I bought this mold at the dollar store, and took a little white chocolate and pink chocolate, melted it, and gently stirred the two colors together, poured it in the mold, and put it in the freezer until set. 

I wanted to put these in little buckets, and throw the crushed wafers on top to look like sand.  These were the only buckets I could find (at US Toys). 

The birthday sayings didn't really go with my summer beach theme, so I covered them with some scrap paper, and then plopped a cupcake inside.  Took a picture, and dug in....

This recipe made a VERY full 24 cupcakes, after my dog snagged 9 in literally less than a minute (I walked out of the house and forgot they were cooling on the counter, remembered at the end of my sidewalk and ran back in to witness Mr. Licking-His-Lips.  For the last 11....I just did this....

I love these mini-vanilla waffers.  P.s.  I think the icing is my favorite part....very light.  I piled it high, to the point of toppling in one case, it's how the best cupcakes are made!

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Linking To:
Hoosier Homemade
C.R.A.F.T.
The Girl Creative
Keeping it Simple
Between Naps on the Porch
I Heart Naptime
Sew Can Do