If banana pudding was on the table when you were growing up, banana pudding cake will feel familiar before you take the first bite. The original was the kind of dessert families copied onto recipe cards, passed along and made again for Sunday dinners, reunions and holidays.
Here, banana cream runs through the yellow cake from top to bottom instead of sitting in a layer over it. Fresh bananas, whipped topping and vanilla wafer crumbs finish the top, putting every familiar part into the same forkful.
Take The Cake Out Before The Toothpick Comes Out Clean
Pudding travels through the holes in this cake making it incredibly moist, but it cannot make up for cake that has already baked dry between them.
I tested this with a 13.25-ounce Betty Crocker yellow cake mix in a straight-sided metal 9×13-inch pan.
Start checking the cake at 23 minutes. The top should be lightly golden, and a toothpick should come out with a few moist crumbs but no wet batter. Mine reached that point at 24 minutes, but the toothpick is a better guide than the clock.
Have the wooden spoon and pudding ingredients ready before the cake comes out. The next steps need to happen while it is still warm.
Poke First, Then Mix The Pudding
Let the cake rest for only 2 to 3 minutes before poking it. Once the top cools, it becomes more likely to crumble around the holes.
Use the handle of a wooden spoon and push it all the way to the bottom of the pan each time. Holes that stop near the surface leave a layer of plain cake underneath. This is the same technique I use for turtle poke cake, where the filling also needs a clear path through the cake.
Poke every hole before you begin mixing the pudding. Instant pudding starts setting as soon as it meets the milk, so the cake needs to be ready when the pudding reaches the right consistency.
Whisk one 5.1-ounce box of instant banana cream pudding with 4 cups of cold whole milk for 2 to 4 minutes. Stop as soon as it begins to thicken but still pours freely from the whisk.
Do not substitute two 3.4-ounce boxes for the one large box. I tested both amounts with the same 4 cups of milk. The two small boxes thickened faster in the bowl and produced a much firmer layer after chilling.
The 5.1-ounce box gave me enough time to pour the pudding without rushing, and its softer consistency allowed it to settle farther into the holes.
Pour the pudding across the entire cake, spreading any excess over the surface. Tap the pan gently against the counter a few times to release air pockets and help the pudding settle.
Cover the pan and refrigerate it before adding anything else.
Two Hours Is Enough To Slice It
I checked this cake after 2 hours, 4 hours and an overnight chill.
- After 2 hours, the pudding had set enough for the cake to cut into clean squares and hold its shape on a plate.
- At 4 hours, the filling was firmer.
- Overnight produced the firmest slices, although the pudding still had a softer consistency closer to pastry cream than thick prepared pudding.
- Even after an overnight chill, the bottom of the cake was not wet and the slices still held together.
Choose the 2-hour chill when you are making and serving the cake on the same day. If you want to prepare it ahead, leave the covered cake in the refrigerator overnight and add the fresh toppings the following day.
Add The Bananas On The Day You Serve It
Wait until the cake has chilled before slicing the bananas that go onto it. This spares them unnecessary hours in the refrigerator where they’d go brown.
Slice 2 to 3 bananas between ⅛ and ¼ inch thick. Arrange them in a single layer over the entire cake so every square gets banana in each forkful.
Spoon the thawed Cool Whip directly from the tub and spread it over the bananas with a small offset spatula. I do not stir it first.
Applied this way, the topping remained even after the assembled cake spent another night in the refrigerator.
Finish with 6 to 8 finely crushed vanilla wafers. Adding the crumbs last keeps their texture intact until the cake is served.
Once assembled, the cake keeps covered in the refrigerator for up to three days. The cake softens as it sits, while the bananas darken and the wafer crumbs lose some of their crispness.
You can find more delicious poke cake ideas on my poke cake recipes page. Some of my favorites include:
Banana Pudding Cake
Ingredients
- 13.25 ounces boxed yellow cake mix, made according to package directions (Betty Crocker Super Moist brand used – 1 cup water, ¼ cup vegetable oil, and 3 large eggs)
- 5.1 ounces boxed instant banana cream pudding mix (Jell-O brand used)
- 4 cups whole milk, cold
- 2 to 3 bananas, peeled and sliced into ⅛ to ¼-inch thick slices
- 8 ounces container whipped topping, thawed (Cool Whip brand used)
- 6 to 8 vanilla wafer cookies, finely crushed (garnish)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly spray a metal straight-sided 9×13 baking pan with baker’s spray and set aside.
- Prepare the yellow cake mix according to the package directions (with the water, oil and eggs) and bake for 23-25 minutes or until lightly golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- Remove the baked cake from the oven, allow it to cool for 2-3 minutes, then poke holes all over the cake using the handle of a wooden spoon. Be sure to poke the holes all to the bottom of the cake, not just on the surface. Set aside while preparing the banana cream pudding mix.
- Whisk together the instant banana cream pudding mix and the cold whole milk for 2-4 minutes or just until it starts to thicken. It should still be a pourable consistency. It will continue to thicken and set as it chills.
- Pour the pudding into the poked holes and over the entire surface of the cake, spreading any excess pudding evenly across the top.
- Cover the cake with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours (up to overnight) to allow the pudding to chill and set. The longer it chills, the firmer the pudding will set.
- When ready to serve, remove the chilled cake from the refrigerator and top with a single layer of banana slices, being sure to cover the entire surface of the cake.
- Spread the thawed whipped topping evenly over the banana slices and garnish with the crushed vanilla wafer cookies. Slice and serve.
Notes
- Do not allow the cake to cool too much before poking the holes, as it will crumble more easily once it has cooled.
- You can gently tap the pan on the counter after pouring the pudding over the cake to remove any air pockets. This will help the pudding settle completely into the holes.
Nutrition
Comments
Kelly Morriss says
I make this for Christmas Day. There were 4 of us and the whole can was gone that night. Everyone loved the cake. It is delicious and tasted just like banana pudding. I will be making this cake often.