Replicate the famous banana split at home in form of a cheesecake!
Bananas, whipped cream, chocolate and of course maraschino cherries! These are the key ingredients for a great banana split (cheesecake)! Serve it with ice cream to make it a real treat!
Packed with banana flavor without being overwhelming!
Mashed bananas give this cake structure and a great flavor. They are a key ingredient in banana split cheesecake, adding a sweet and creamy texture to the dessert. Using ripe bananas is crucial for this recipe as they are naturally sweeter and easier to mash.
Not only do the mashed bananas add a delicious flavor to the cheesecake, but they also provide additional nutritional benefits. Bananas are a great source of potassium, vitamin C, and fiber, making this dessert a slightly healthier option than some other indulgent treats. Overall, mashed bananas are a crucial component in the beloved banana split cheesecake recipe, adding both flavor and texture to this decadent dessert.
These are the cake pans that I always use in my recipe videos and the bake even strips for flat cake tops!
A 8 inch cake pan is the traditional choice to make most cake recipes. It creates tall cake layers without making a huge cake! Having issues with cake domes? Bake even strips help to get flat cake tops by cooling the sides of the cake while baking so that the center bakes evenly with the outside.
Want a real New York Style baked cheesecake? Check out my recipe here
Banana Split Cheesecake
Ingredients for an 8 or 9 inch cake
For the graham cracker crust:
2 cups (240 g) graham cracker crumbs (20 crackers)
6 tbsp (85 g) melted butter
4 tbsp sugar
For the cheesecake batter:
32 oz (910 g) cream cheese, softened
4 tbsp flour
3/4 cup (150 g) sugar
1 cup (240 g) sour cream, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup (225 g) mashed bananas
1 cup (255 g) cherry pie filling
For the whipped cream:
1 1/2 cups (360 ml) cold heavy cream
1/2 cup (65 g) powdered sugar
For the chocolate ganache:
1 cup (170 g) semi-sweet chocolate, chopped or chips
1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy cream, hot
2 medium barely ripe bananas for decoration
8 to 10 maraschino cherries for decoration
Check out my full recipe tutorial with a lot of helpful tips!
INSTRUCTIONS
Step 1:
Preheat oven to 350 °F. To make the cookie crust use a food processor and pulse cookies until fine crumbs form. Add melted butter and sugar and mix until combined. Line a 8 or 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper and grease it with baking oil. Fill the mixture in the baking pan and press it down. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack. Reduce oven temperature to 315 °F.
Step 2:
While the crust is baking make the cheesecake batter. Use a large mixing bowl and add softened cream cheese, flour, sugar and vanilla extract. Mix it on the lowest setting of an electric mixer until it is smooth. This should take about 4 minutes. Add sour cream and mashed bananas. Mix in eggs until combined. Fill it on top of the cooled crust and smooth it out. Add dollops of cherry pie filling. You want to have lots of pieces and less liquid. Stir it in with a spoon or spatula. I like to press it down a bit.
Step 3:
Wrap the springform pan with multiple layers of heavy duty aluminum foil or a silicone baking pan and then place it into a bigger baking dish. Fill the bigger dish with about an inch of hot water and bake the cheesecake for 90 minutes. Then turn off the oven without opening the oven door. Let it cool inside the oven for about 10 minutes. Then take the cheesecake and cut around its edges to avoid cracks. Let it sit at the counter for about 30 minutes or up to 2 hours (the longer the better). Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Step 4:
To decorate the cheesecake make a chocolate ganache. For that heat up heavy cream and add chocolate chips. Whisk it until smooth. Let it come to almost room temperature before using it. It should not be warm to touch but still liquid. Remove cooled cheesecake from its baking pan and place it on a serving plate. Decorate it with a layer of chocolate ganache and spread it out. If you want to you can let it drip down the sides. Add sprinkles and pieces of nuts if desired. Let it set and then prepare the whipped cream and slice bananas. I like to add some lemon juice to the banana slices to prevent browning. Garnish the cake with whipped cream swirls alternating with banana slices and a maraschino cherry on each swirl.
Enjoy!
**Pro Tips**
To soften cream cheese very quickly fill hot water in a big heat safe bowl place the cream cheese packages into the bowl and let them soften for about 10 minutes. It will cream easily without mixing in too much air.
Use barely ripe bananas for decoration. Mixing them with fresh lemon juice prevents banana slices from browning too quickly.
Strain mashed bananas with a metal strainer to remove any big banana parts for a smoother look before adding them to the cheesecake batter (optional).
To get smooth sides use a spatula to smooth the cheesecake after removing the cheesecake pan. I like to use a bit of water.
