Banana Split Cupcakes

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line 12 cups of a muffin tin with paper liners.

2. Combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg, and salt in a bowl.

3. Cream sugar and shortening together in a large mixing bowl. Add mashed bananas, buttermilk, egg, and vanilla extract. Add flour mixture and stir to combine. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full.

4. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.

5. Meanwhile, cream butter in the bowl of a stand mixer. Slowly add confectioners' sugar 1 cup at a time and mix until creamy; the final cup of sugar will not blend smoothly. Add milk until frosting is creamy. Mix in vanilla extract.

6. Reserve 1/4 cup frosting in a separate bowl. Divide remaining frosting into 2 equal portions. Add cocoa to one portion and mix until thoroughly blended. Add jam to the other portion and mix until thoroughly blended.

7. Pour cream into a microwave-safe container and heat in the microwave for 30 seconds. Add chocolate, butter, and instant coffee granules. Stir ganache until smooth and let sit until thickened, 15 to 20 minutes.

8. Pipe a ring of chocolate buttercream frosting around the edge of a cooled cupcake; do not pipe too high. Fill in the center with a dollop of strawberry buttercream frosting. Place a banana chip on top and drizzle with ganache. Repeat with remaining cupcakes.

Cook's Notes:

Because a cupcake has higher proportion of frosting to cake and a smaller surface, the frosting needs to be thicker than you might make for a cake. I pull the spatula up from the cream to check if it forms stiff peaks.

You may want to add a drop of red food coloring to the frosting to give it extra eye-appeal.