Banana Pudding Cake
This banana pudding cake recipe is a delicious dream that will leave you with visions of your next slice! Each bite of rich banana pudding layer cake is filled with tender cake, heavenly banana flavor, and sweet and creamy frosting. It's a banana lover's dream!
There are so many reasons to love this amazing Banana Pudding Cake from scratch. Here are just a few:
- All of the favorite flavors of Banana Pudding: Vanilla wafers, vanilla cream (pudding) filling, sliced bananas, and whipped cream.
- Ultra moist banana cake layers
- Makes a wonderful birthday cake recipe, potluck cake, or dessert for family and friends
INGREDIENTS
For the cakes (3 - 8” inch):
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 3 cups cake flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 12 tablespoons of softened unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 cups of mashed bananas (about 3 large)
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups of full fat buttermilk
For the cream cheese frosting:
- 2 sticks of unsalted butter slightly softened
- 2 (8 oz.) packages of full fat Philadelphia cream cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt - if you like to cut some of the sweetness (popcorn salt is really best)
- 6-6 1/2 cups of powdered sugar
For the vanilla cream filling:
- 1 small box (3.6 oz) of jello brand instant vanilla pudding
- 2 cups of heavy cream
For the sweetened whipped cream topping on top of the cake:
- 1 cup of heavy cream
- 1/4 cup of powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Vanilla wafers and sliced bananas for filling and decorations :
- I used 1/2 box of vanilla wafers
- I used 1 large banana sliced thin but feel free to use more or less to your liking
Banana Pudding Cake Directions :
For the cakes:
Start by preheating the oven to 350°. You’ll want to grease three 8” cake pans and I like to line the bottom of mine with parchment paper -makes taking them out way easier.
Then combine together all of your dry ingredients in a large bowl. I usually pour in my sugar and cake flour first then mix together well with a fork. Then add your other dry ingredients and mix together with a fork.
Now add the softened butter to the mixer and blend on low speed with a hand mixer until the dry ingredients are moistened. If you don’t have a hand mixer you can also get in there with clean hands and mix the butter into the dry ingredients until it feels moist, looks similar to corn meal, and you can make clumps with your hands.
In a separate bowl mash the bananas like you would for banana bread and then mix all of the wet ingredients in lightly with a fork. Then slowly add this mixture to the dry ingredients and beat on medium speed for 1 minute.
Then scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl for 1 minute. If you don’t have a hand mixer you can do this part by hand as well but it may need to be mixed a little longer to get the batter smoother.
When putting the batter into pans I like to take a measuring cup to measure out the portions that go into each pan to ensure my cakes are even. But if you’re better at eyeballing it than me feel free to just pour it in.
Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until you can stick a toothpick in the center and it come out clean.
Now please, please, please do not skip the steps below you will thank me later.
Let the pans cool on a rack for 10 minutes before removing the cakes. After ten minutes turn the cakes out and remove parchment paper. Cut the tops to even the cakes out with a serrated knife.
Cool completely then double wrap in plastic wrap and set them in the freezer overnight. It sounds bizarre I know, but it’s a trick I’ve learned to make scratch made cakes super moist. Let them thaw out for a few hours in the fridge the day you’re ready to assemble the cake.
For the icing:
Cut the butter into slices and beat on low speed in a large bowl. Then cut the cream cheese and mix with the butter until well combined and smooth. Add the vanilla and combine. Then add your powdered sugar slowly.
Be sure to stop and scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl from time to time to incorporate everything. Beat until it’s just fluffy and then stop. If you over mix it then it will become way too soft and hard to work with.
It also does best while it’s still slightly chilled.
For the vanilla pudding filling:
Put your instant vanilla pudding into a bowl and add your heavy cream. I like to mix by hand with a whisk until it is thickened and fluffy. You could also use a hand mixer if you like.
For the sweetened whipped topping:
Add your powdered sugar and vanilla into a bowl and mix. Then add your heavy cream and mix with a whisk by hand or by mixer. I personally like to mix mine by hand because I know I won’t overdo it that way.
It will cramp your arm this way but hey it’s made from love so who cares? You want to mix it just until it will form peaks and then STOP. If you keep mixing you will get a sweetened butter.
Vanilla wafers and banana:
Crush the vanilla wafers however you like - I like mine as a fine powder so I put them in the food processor and set aside in a bowl. Slice the bananas pretty thin. Use 1-2 depending on your taste buds and how much banana you like personally.
Assembling the banana pudding cake:
Pipe one medium size dot of icing onto a cake stand and smear it. Then place one cake on top - this keeps the cake in place. Take the cream cheese frosting and pipe a circle about 1/2 inch from the edge of the cake. Then in the middle of the circle add half of your vanilla pudding filling.
Then add your sliced bananas and top with your crushed nilla wafers. If the pudding rises above the cream cheese frosting then trace another circle over top of it. The cream cheese frosting helps to keep the softer elements inside the cake and prevent them from wanting to “squish” out.
Add your second cake on top and give it a firm press to help prevent air pockets from forming. Do the same thing with the second cake as you did with the first. Then add the 3rd cake on top and firmly press again. Now what I do is add what’s called a “crumb coat” of icing.
Pipe a very thin layer around the cake and smooth out to your liking. Then I throw it back into the fridge and let it sit for a few hours so it can settle and firm back up. You’ll also want to refrigerate the icing too if you do this.
Just take the icing out ahead of time to let it soften up some. Once your ready to fully decorate the cake, take it out of the fridge and pipe another layer of icing around the sides and top.
Smooth it out as best you can and if you see any dark spots add a bit more icing there because that is cake you see and you want it to be pretty even. Take the crushed nilla wafers and add a little border and the bottom of the cake.
I like to gently press them into the sides of the bottom too. Then you can pipe the rest of the cream cheese frosting into whatever design you like on the top.
Remember that sweetened whipped cream? We’re going to add it onto the top too. Again you can do this in a design if you want but I just filled the middle of mine with it and then sprinkled the rest of my crushed nilla wafers on top.
To really put the finishing touches on I stuck whole nilla wafers into the icing on the top standing them up. Be sure to use the prettiest ones you have left in the box.
The banana pudding cake is served best if you allow it to soften some out of the fridge. But remember this has cream cheese in the icing so if you’re not going to eat it, store it in the refrigerator for later.
