Banana Split Cheesecake

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This Banana Split Cheesecake is a banana cheesecake topped with chocolate, vanilla and strawberry whipped cream “ice cream” scoops! It’s then topped with whipped cream swirls, sliced bananas, pineapple, nuts and chocolate sauce! It’s truly like eating a banana split in cheesecake form! SO darn fun!

Delicious Banana Split Cheesecake

This recipe could not have been more fun to make and it was even more fun to serve it to people! If you haven’t seem them before, I have a couple variations of a banana cheesecake – my Banana Cream Cheesecake and my Banana Pudding Cheesecake. I LOVE banana cheesecake. So this addition to the list came naturally. But this one is really neat because not only does it taste amazing, but the presentation totally makes people ohhh and ahhh. One person thought I’d actually put scoops of ice cream on the cheesecake and another thought I’d just made it look like ice cream with coloring in it, but was shocked to realize upon eating it that the scoops were actually flavored as well. I love the fun reactions!

And while the cheesecake has a beautiful presentation that may seem intimidating, it’s really not hard to make. It’s basically a banana cheesecake that’s not unlike the others with whipped cream on top. The whipped cream just happens to be flavored with three flavors, then frozen in a container and scooped out with an ice cream scoop to look like ice cream. I know it’s not “simple” necessarily, but it’s also not some crazy technique. If you can scoop out a pretty scoop of ice cream and pipe some whipped cream on top, then you can decorate this cheesecake.

Ingredients Needed

The list of ingredients is a little long, but not complicated. Most are things you probably have and the rest should be available in a grocery store. I usually find banana extract and freeze dried strawberries in our grocery store, but I also often see them in Target and Walmart.

• Vanilla Wafers: I use these vanilla wafers. Grind them into crumbs for the crust. I love the flavor of these for the crust, but you could also use graham cracker crumbs.
• Butter: Melted in the crust. You could use salted or unsalted.
• Sugar: It’s in the crust and the cheesecake for sweetness and flavor.
• Cream Cheese: The base of the cheesecake. It needs to be room temperature or warmer so that you don’t end up with a chunky cheesecake.
• Flour: This helps give the cheesecake a creamier texture and helps to prevent any cracks.
• Sour Cream: Adds flavor and creaminess.
• Banana Extract: Helps amplify the banana flavor of the cheesecake. You can often find it in your grocery store, but also in Walmart and on Amazon.
• Bananas: You’ll need a couple bananas for in the cheesecake and then more for decorating. I’d recommend ones that are nice and yellow, not brown. I prefer the color those give the cheesecake filling and when decorating it.
• Eggs: Large eggs.
• Heavy Whipping Cream: Forms the base of the whipped cream. You want to be sure to use heavy whipping cream or heavy cream, not just regular whipping cream. The higher fat content gives you a firmer whipped cream.
• Powdered Sugar: This adds sweetness to the whipped cream, but most importantly it helps to stabilize it so that your “ice cream” scoops don’t actually melt like ice cream.
• Cocoa Powder: For the chocolate whipped cream.
• Vanilla Extract: For the vanilla whipped cream.
• Freeze Dried Strawberries: For the strawberry whipped cream. You could use fresh strawberries, but that does require more work. Feel free to check out my strawberry whipped cream recipe for help with that. You can find them in several places, including Target and Amazon.
• Pineapple, Cherries, Strawberries, Nuts, Chocolate Sauce: Technically these could be optional. You could use all of them or just the ones you like and you could even add others. These are for decorating the top and making it look like a banana split. Feel free to add your favorite toppings, just as you would a banana split.

How to Make a Banana Split Cheesecake

So let’s break this Banana Split Cheesecake down into parts. There’s the crust, the cheesecake filling and then the topping. The topping consists of frozen whipped cream that you’ll want to make ahead and freeze, and then fresh whipped cream for the swirls on top. Here’s what to do:

Crust

1. Prep Oven and Pan: Preheat oven to 325°F (163°C). Line a 9-inch (23cm) springform pan with parchment paper in the bottom and grease the sides.
2. Make Crust: Combine the crust ingredients in a small bowl. Press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the springform pan.
3. Bake Crust: Bake the crust for 10 minutes, then set aside to cool.
4. Prep Pan for Water Bath: Cover the outsides of the pan with aluminum foil so that water from the water bath cannot get in (see how I prepare my pan for a water bath), then set prepared pan aside.

Banana Cheesecake Filling

1. Set Temperature: Reduce oven temperature to 300°F (148°C).
2. Make Cheesecake Filling: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar and flour on low speed until well completely combined and smooth. Be sure to use low speed to reduce the amount of air added to the batter, which can cause cracks. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
3. Add the sour cream and banana extract and mix on low speed until well combined.
4.  Add the pureed bananas and mix on low speed until combined.
5. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing slowly to combine after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to make sure everything is well combined.
6. Pour the cheesecake batter into the crust.
7. Set up Water Bath: Place the springform pan inside another larger pan. Fill the outside pan with enough warm water to go about halfway up the sides of the springform pan. The water should not go above the top edge of the aluminum foil on the springform pan.
8. Bake: Bake for 1 hour 10 minutes. The center should be set, but still jiggly.
9. Being Cooling: Turn off the oven and leave the door closed for 30 minutes. The cheesecake will continue to cook, but slowly begin to cool as well.
10.  Crack the door of the oven for 30 minutes to allow the cheesecake to continue to cool slowly. This process helps prevent cracking.
11. Refrigerate Until Firm: Remove the cheesecake from the oven and water bath wrapping and refrigerate until firm, 5-6 hours or overnight.

Topping

Because the whipped cream for the scoops needs to be frozen, you’ll want to make that ahead. Since the cheesecake takes a while to cool and firm up in the fridge, I recommend making your whipped cream during that time and letting it freeze.

1. Make the Whipped Creams: They are all quite similar, but use different flavorings. Make each one and place them in individual containers. To do that, add all of the ingredients (one flavor at a time) to a large mixer bowl and whip on high speed until stiff peaks form. You’ll want to be able to get nice scoops out later, so I recommend a container that’s a little bit deep and has enough space for scooping. Also note that you’ll have a little whipped cream left over after making the scoops. I personally feel it’s better to have more so that you can achieve nicer scoops, but if you really don’t like having things leftover, you can reduce each of the whipped creams by a third.
2. Soften Whipped Creams: When the cheesecake is ready, grab your whipped creams. If they are completely frozen and firm (which they should be), let them sit on the counter for about 15-20 minutes to soften just a bit so that they are a little easier to scoop.
3. Get Cheesecake Ready: Remove the cheesecake from the springform pan and place on a serving plate.
4. Add Ice Cream “Scoops”: Use an ice cream scoop to get scoops of “ice cream” and place them around the top of the cheesecake, alternating the colors/flavors as desired. I started with one scoop in the middle of the cheesecake and then added another 7 scoops around the outside of that one. You’ll have plenty of “ice cream”, so feel free to pile it as high as you like.
5. Make Whipped Cream: Make the vanilla whipped cream for the swirls on top. I make this separately, rather than using what’s left of the frozen vanilla whipped cream because you can’t really re-whip whipped cream. Once thawed, it won’t pipe properly, so you’ll need to make fresh whipped cream.
6. Pipe Whipped Cream and Decorate: Pipe the whipped cream on top of the scoops and then add your favorite banana split toppings for decorations. Serve the cheesecake immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve. The scoops last well, so you can keep this cheesecake for 4-5 days without a problem. If it’s going to sit a while before serving though, you might want to add the final toppings, especially the sliced banana, just before serving so they look fresh and aren’t browned.

Tips for the Best Banana Split Cheesecake

• A Good Scooper: Using a good ice cream scoop can help give those nice looking scoops. I use one that has a spring in it and think that gives the best looking scoops.
• Let it Soften: Be sure to let your frozen whipped cream soften just a bit before scooping to make it easier to get well formed scoops.
• Add Final Toppings Later: Add your final toppings, such as the sliced banana, right before serving so things look fresh and the banana doesn’t brown.
• Yellow Bananas: Use nice, yellow bananas in the cheesecake filling for a nice color that isn’t too brown.

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More Great Banana Split Themed Recipes

Banana Split Layer Cake
Banana Split Icebox Cake
Banana Split Ice Cream Cake Loaf