The Most Bananas Banana Pudding Cake

No exaggeration whatsoever. This truly is THE BEST Banana Pudding Cake ! Why? It’s made with homemade banana cake , topped with a layer of (actually banana flavored!) homemade banana pudding with fresh bananas, Nilla wafers, cake crumbs, and whipped cream!

Every component is made from scratch , with the best flavor imaginable, without using any boxed cake or boxed instant pudding.

• Recipe highlights
• What sets this recipe apart
• Ingredients you’ll need for this dessert
• How to make banana pudding cake (step by step overview)
• Timeline for making this dessert
• Storage tips
• All my best recipe tips
• Recipe variations
• Commonly asked questions

If you like banana cake and banana pudding, AND you’re ready to upgrade your banana pudding cake to the absolute max, THIS is the recipe for you!

It combines both desserts to make the most bananas banana pudding layer cake! It’s not sickly sweet, and the banana flavor is front and center through ALL the layers – as a proper banana pudding cake should be.

Recipe highlights

• Unapologetically banana flavored, throughout . Seriously, if you don’t like bananas, this is not the recipe for you. The cake AND the pudding layer have deliciously robust banana flavor.
• The whole dessert is made from scratch . Unlike other banana pudding or banana pudding cake recipes online, where boxed cake mixes and instant pudding mixes are used to assemble this dessert. The cake layer and the pudding layer are ALL made from scratch.
• So yes, this recipe takes a little more time than the easy versions, but the final flavor is exponentially better .
• While it’s all made from scratch, the recipe is still SO EASY. And beginner-friendly . The cake comes together fast, and the banana flavored pudding is super easy to make too.
• My better than magnolia banana pudding layer is way more delicious than cream cheese frosting for a banana cake. It’s not too sweet, and it’s soft and creamy.
• This dessert takes the humble banana sheet cake and turns it into a show-stopping, impressive dessert perfect for any celebratory event!

What sets this recipe apart

• You’ll find that most, if not all, banana pudding cake recipes online use boxed vanilla cake and instant vanilla pudding to make this dessert.
• In these recipes, the ONLY banana flavor comes from sliced bananas in the pudding. That’s it. The instant vanilla pudding is made with condensed milk, which also makes that version of the dessert cloyingly sweet.
• I wanted to create an actual banana pudding + banana cake dessert combo that complemented each other perfectly, with just the right amount of sweetness to highlight the banana flavor .
• My from scratch banana cake layer in this dessert is the same one I use for my banana sheet cake and banana layer cake . The banana pudding layer is my absolute favorite homemade banana pudding . Which is actually made with a banana-infused pastry cream , which makes it infinitely better than the Magnolia bakery banana pudding even.

Ingredients you’ll need for this dessert

Banana cake

• Overripe bananas
• Sugar (you can use both brown and white, or just one)
• Oil (plus butter, if you like)
• Eggs
• Sour cream / buttermilk
• Vinegar
• Vanilla and salt
• Flour
• Spices – cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg
• Baking soda

Banana pudding

• Milk
• Bananas – to flavor the banana AND to add to the pudding
• Eggs
• Cornstarch
• Vanilla and salt
• Ground cloves
• Butter
• Gelatin powder
• Heavy cream
• Nilla wafers
• ClearJel – optional

How to make banana pudding cake (step by step overview)

Banana Cake

Step 1 – Mash the overripe bananas

Mash the overripe bananas and set aside (image 1) . This will be added in last, but it can also be mixed with the wet ingredients.

Step 2 – Mix the wet ingredients

Place the oil and sugars together and whisk well to break any sugar lumps. Then add the eggs, buttermilk / sour cream, vanilla, vinegar, and salt. Mix well (image 2) .

Step 3 – Add the dry ingredients and bananas

Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and spices (image 3) . Add this to the wet ingredients and gently fold it in (image 4) . When the flour is about 75 – 80% mixed in, add the banana and fold it in (image 5) .

It’s ABSOLUTELY crucial not to mix the batter vigorously or too much after adding the flour. Doing so will lead to a rubbery and dry cake.

Step 4 – Bake

Scrape the batter into the prepared cake pan and evenly spread it (image 6) . Bake in the preheated oven for about 50 – 60 minutes, until the cake is baked through (image 7) .

Step 5 – Cool the trim cake (cut excess cake)

Once the cake is baked, let it cool down slightly. Then transfer the cake onto a wire rack and let it cool completely (image7) . I like to cover it with a clean paper towel as it cools.

When the cake has completely cooled down, it’s ready to be used! However, there is an optional step that you can do IF you like!

OPTIONAL STEP – Trim the top of the cake so that the cake layer is about 1 inch tall evenly throughout (image 8) . Some of the extra cake can be chopped into smaller chunks and added to the banana pudding later.

Banana pudding

Step 6 – Make the banana flavored milk

Easy option – Place a banana in a jug and add enough milk to make 2 cups (about 70 – 100 g banana and 140 – 170 g milk). Blend together to get a really smooth banana milk. This is easy and fast, but the custard is not going to be super smooth.

Overnight option – Slice bananas and place in a pot with the milk. Heat on low-medium heat, while stirring occasionally to bring the milk to a simmer (image 9) . Remove the pot from the heat the let it cool down slightly. Then place the lid and let the milk sit in the fridge for about 8 hours. Strain and use 2 cups of the milk for the recipe.

Step 7 – Make the banana flavored custard

Bloom the gelatin with water and set it aside to hydrate.

Whisk together the eggs, cornstarch, salt, and sugar until you have a pale smooth paste with no lumps or visible egg parts (images 10 – 11) . Add the banana milk and whisk it in. Make sure there is no egg mixture stuck on the bottom of the pot by whisking along the edges of the pot as well.

Cook over medium heat while continuously whisking. The mixture will start to thicken and then start to boil. Keep whisking for 60 – 90 seconds AFTER the custard comes to a boil to ensure that the custard is cooked through (image 12) .

Add the butter and gelatin and whisk it in (image 13) . The residual heat should melt the butter and gelatin. Strain into a bowl (image 14) , cover with plastic wrap, with the plastic wrap touching the whole surface of the custard. Refrigerate until chilled (image 15) .

Step 8 – Make whipped cream

Once the pudding is chilled, make the whipped cream. We’ll be whipping A LOT of heavy cream here, as we need some for the pudding and the rest for the topping.

Place the chilled heavy cream in a mixing bowl (image 16) . Whisk the chilled heavy cream on medium speed until it becomes frothy. Whisk together sugar and instant clearjel (if using), and stream it into the heavy cream (images 17 – 18) .

Keep whisking until the heavy cream reaches soft peaks. Then switch to whisking the cream manually to reach stiff peaks. This will ensure that you do not over-whisk the heavy cream (image 19) .

Divide the heavy cream and keep the larger portion aside to use for the topping.

Step 9 – Make the banana flavored pudding (banana flavored diplomat cream)

Take the chilled and set banana pastry cream and use a whisk to break it apart and make it smooth and creamy. Fold in the smaller portion of whipped cream with the pastry cream to make the banana pudding (images 20 – 21) .

Add crushed nilla wafers and chopped cake and fold them in (images 22 – 23) .

Assembling the banana layer cake

Step 10 – Assembling

Place the cake back in the cake pan. Spread half of the banana pudding on top of the cake. Add a layer of sliced bananas (image 24) , and some more nilla wafers (optional). Spread the remaining banana pudding on top of the bananas, making sure that all the banana slices are completely covered (image 25) .

Spread the whipped cream on top (image 26) . Add crushed nilla wafers on top.

Cover the cake loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Step 11 – Chill and serve

Once the banana pudding cake is set and chilled, you can serve it!

Carefully remove the cake from the cake pan (you will need to slide it out, as the cake is heavy!) onto a serving tray, OR you can serve it in the cake pan itself.

Use a clean, sharp knife to cut slices and serve.

Timeline for making this dessert

This recipe does require some planning.

• Day 1 – Make banana milk (infuse overnight).
• Day 2 – Make the banana custard and the banana cake in the morning. Make the banana pudding once the custard is chilled. Assemble the cake and chill overnight.
• Day 3 – Serve!

You can shorten the time by blending banana with the milk to make banana milk for the custard. But for a smoother custard, the banana must infuse the milk overnight.

You can also break up day 2 above into two separate days by letting the custard and the cake cool down overnight. But I like to do it all on the same day.

Storage tips

This cake will last in the fridge for about 5 days . Ideally, keep the cake in an airtight container. I also haven’t tried to freeze this, since the cake has disappeared within a few days every time I made it.

Plus, the banana slices become mushy when frozen and thawed , and I personally don’t like the texture of thawed bananas. So I wouldn’t freeze this cake IF I add fresh banana slices into the pudding.

All my best recipe tips

• The first tip is to plan ahead.
• You will also need quite a few bananas! You’ll need 3 – 4 bananas for the cake, another 3 for the banana custard, and at least 2 more to layer with the pudding.
• The banana cake will be baked through when a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out with just a few crumbs attached . If your cake overbakes, remove it from the oven and cover the cake pan loosely with plastic wrap as soon as the cake pan isn’t too hot. The condensation will help prevent the cake from drying out too much.
• To save on time and food wastage, blend a banana with milk to make banana milk. The custard may have a darker color and will not be as smooth this way, but it’ll still taste AMAZING. For a smoother custard with a lighter color – heat the milk with bananas and let the milk infuse overnight.
• If you’re really pressed for time, you can use instant vanilla pudding for the banana pudding. But use banana milk to make the pudding, instead of just condensed milk and milk.
• However, the gelatin does play a crucial role because it helps keep the pudding layer firm and sliceable. Without the gelatin, the pudding layer might have a more runny texture.
• You can choose to ONLY add nilla wafers to the pudding. You can also add some of the crushed cake too , if you trimmed the edges and sides of the cake. This is optional.

• When laying banana slices in the pudding layer, make sure to cover them completely with the top pudding layer. When the banana slices are completely covered, it reduces oxidation and discoloring of the banana.
• Stabilizing the whipped cream will prevent the whipped cream topping from melting and disintegrating. You can use gelatin OR clearjel to stabilize the whipped cream. Gelatin is easier to source, but maybe trickier to use, while clearjel is harder to source but easier to use.
• The cake CAN be served in the same pan it was baked in. However, the cake can also be CAREFULLY lifted out of the pan and served on a tray as well. The cake slices will easily hold their shape, thanks to the gelatin!
• For clean slices, use a sharp, clean and warm knife. You have to be able to cut through the banana slices in the cake easily. I like to warm the knife blade with hot water and wipe it clean after every cut to get neat slices.
• I also like to slice off the edges of the cake AFTER the banana pudding layer has set, to get clean edges. But this is optional.

Recipe variations

• Instead of making banana cake from scratch, you can use boxed cake for convenience. However, the flavor will be different, as the vanilla boxed cake won’t contain any banana.
• Yes, in a pinch you CAN use instant vanilla pudding. If you use vanilla pudding, you can add banana flavor by whisking the pudding mixture with 2 cups of banana milk + 1/3 cup sugar (instead of condensed milk and water). You can also use banana instant pudding as well. However, since the pudding doesn’t contain gelatin, the pudding layer will be runnier than in this recipe.
• Substitute about 75 g of flour with cocoa powder to make a chocolate banana cake for the banana pudding layer cake.
• Add coffee to the cake to add more depth of flavor.
• Banana pudding poke cake – Easy to make this into a banana pudding poke cake! When the cake has cooled down, use a thick wooden spoon handle to poke holes in the cake 2 inches apart. Once you make the banana pudding layer, add a layer of banana pudding on the cake and spread it out on the surface while pushing the pudding into the holes. Since the pudding is thick, it won’t easily flow into the cake holes. Then proceed with the recipe.
• If you want to add more flavor, you can ABSOLUTELY add a drizzle of salted caramel sauce and create ripples through the banana pudding. The deep caramel flavor makes this dessert taste even more decadent!
• I like to top my cake with nilla wafers , but you can also sprinkle chopped nuts, banana slices, or caramel sauce.

Commonly asked questions

Can I make this ahead of time?

You can make this up to 2 days ahead of time . Make sure the cake is covered tightly with plastic wrap or inside a container with an airtight lid. This will prevent the cake from drying out and becoming stale.

How do I prevent bananas from browning?

If the bananas are covered well and completely with the pudding layer on top, they won’t brown too fast. Another method to slow down the oxidation of bananas (enzymatic browning) is to toss the slices with an acid such as lemon juice or white vinegar. But this will add a slight tang that can have an impact on the final taste IF you overdo it!

What’s the best way to serve this banana pudding cake?

I find that this cake really doesn’t need to be served with anything else, because it has so much going on! However, you CAN serve it with other options if you like. A raspberry sauce can go well with this dessert because bananas and berries work well together. You can also add a drizzle of salted caramel sauce on the side. Or maybe serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream .

Why is my banana pudding layer runny?

This recipe contains just enough gelatin to create a stable banana pudding layer that will absolutely hold its shape as you cut it. If you used instant vanilla pudding, or changed the amounts of the ingredients disproportionately, OR used a different strength gelatin (I use 225 – 250), this will affect how much the pudding layer sets. Lower bloom strength gelatin will lead to runnier banana pudding layers.

Recipe

Banana Pudding Layer Cake

Ingredients

Banana sheet cake

• 375 g all purpose flour 3 cups, measured by spoon and level method
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 400 g mashed overripe bananas 3 – 4 bananas
• 150 g vegetable oil about ¾ cup
• ½ tsp sea salt
• 150 g brown sugar ¾ cup
• 100 g granulated sugar ½ cup
• 3 large eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp white vinegar
• 180 mL buttermilk or sour cream ¾ cup, OR 1 tbsp white wine vinegar + 180 mL milk (or plant-based milk)
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp ground cloves
• ¼ tsp nutmeg

Banana milk (see recipe notes for easy option)

• 600 mL milk 2½ cups, full-fat milk preferably
• 200 g bananas about 2 bananas, see recipe notes

Banana pastry cream

• 9 g gelatin powder 2 ½ tsp
• 45 mL room temperature water 3 tbsp
• 500 mL banana milk 2 cups, see above
• 2 egg yolks from large eggs
• 1 large egg
• 40 g cornstarch about 4 US tablespoons
• 100 g white sugar ½ cup, see recipe notes
• ½ tsp fine sea salt
• 15 mL vanilla extract 1 tbsp
• 57 g butter ½ stick / ¼ cup

Stabilized whipped cream (for the pudding and topping)

• 720 mL heavy cream 3 cups
• 3 tsp ClearJel
• 60 g white sugar ⅓ cup
• 3 tbsp instant vanilla pudding instead of the clearjel and white sugar

To assemble

• 200 g Nilla wafers about 7 oz, use less if you’re adding chopped cake
• 3 - 4 ripe bananas just ripe and firm bananas are best

To decorate (optional)

• Extra whipped cream
• Nilla wafers
• Sliced bananas
• Salted caramel sauce

Instructions

Banana sheet cake

• Make the banana sheet cake according to the banana sheet cake recipe here, in a 9 x 13 inch cake pan. 375 g all purpose flour, 1 tsp baking soda, 400 g mashed overripe bananas, 150 g vegetable oil, ½ tsp sea salt, 150 g brown sugar, 100 g granulated sugar, 3 large eggs, 2 tsp vanilla extract, 1 tbsp white vinegar, 180 mL buttermilk or sour cream, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, ¼ tsp ground cloves, ¼ tsp nutmeg
• When the cake has cooled down, trim the top so the cake is even and level. You can also trim off more if you like, so that the cake is about 1 inch tall throughout.
• Cut cake remnants into smaller pieces so that they can be added to the banana pudding later along with Nilla wafers.

Banana milk

• Place the milk in a saucepan. Slice the bananas into the milk. Heat the milk and banana mix over medium heat, stirring occasionally to prevent the milk from burning. Heat until the milk starts to steam or simmer. Do not let it come to a full boil. 600 mL milk, 200 g bananas
• Remove the milk from the heat and let it cool down slightly. Transfer to the fridge and let the bananas infuse the milk for at least 4 hours, or up to 12 hours.
• Strain the banana milk mixture without pressing the banana pieces through the sieve. You only want the milk portion. To make sure you get all the milk, allow the strainer to sit over the milk for awhile to drain all of the milk. You should get at least 2 cups / 480 mL of milk. If not, just top it with some extra milk to get 2 cups.

Banana pastry cream

• Place the water in a bowl. Sprinkle the gelatin over the water and mix to saturate the gelatin well. Set aside to bloom the gelatin, for at least 10 minutes. 9 g gelatin powder, 45 mL room temperature water
• Place the egg, egg yolks, sugar, salt, cornstarch, and vanilla in a medium-sized pot. Whisk well until you have a smooth, pale mixture with no egg lumps. 2 egg yolks, 1 large egg, 40 g cornstarch, 100 g white sugar, ½ tsp fine sea salt, 15 mL vanilla extract
• Add the 2 cups banana milk into the same pot, and whisk to combine all the ingredients really well. Make sure there’s no unmixed egg mixture on the bottom of the pot. 500 mL banana milk
• Heat the mixture over medium heat, while whisking frequently. As the milk gets warm, whisk the custard constantly while being careful to reach the edges of the pot as well. This is so that the egg mixture won’t overcook and set along edge of the pot.
• As the custard heats up, lower the heat of the stove to medium low or low to be able to control the consistency of the custard without letting it curdle. If the custard is thickening up too quickly and unevenly or curdling, remove the pot from the heat and whisk vigorously to evenly mix the custard.
• Make sure to whisk constantly to prevent curdling, but stop for a few seconds at a time to check if the mixture is coming to a boil.
• When the mixture comes to a boil (bubbles break the surface), lower the heat of the stove and whisk continuously for a further minute (or just over), to ensure that the banana custard is thickening evenly throughout.
• Remove the custard base from the heat and add the butter and bloomed gelatin. Whisk them in until the butter is emulsified and the gelatin is dissolved. The residual heat is more than enough for this. I also like to use a stick blender to make sure the custard is smooth. 57 g butter
• Place the custard in a bowl (or shallow dish) and cover it with plastic wrap. Make sure to press the plastic wrap onto the surface of the custard and cover the whole surface to prevent a skin from forming on top.
• Allow the custard to chill in the fridge. A large, shallow dish will chill the pastry cream faster. This can take 4 hours (depending on the dish), or up to 8 hours.
• Once the custard is chilled, remove it from the fridge and whisk it until smooth. Now the custard is ready to be mixed with the whipped cream.

Banana diplomat cream (pudding base)

• When the custard is chilled, make the stabilized whipped cream.
• Place the chilled whipping cream (heavy cream) in a chilled metal bowl (of your mixer). 720 mL heavy cream
• In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar and clearjel (or place the instant pudding powder in the bowl). 3 tsp ClearJel, 60 g white sugar
• Whisk the heavy cream on medium to medium high speed until the cream starts to froth. Then, stream in the sugar - clearjel mixture while whisking.
• Whisk the heavy cream on high for a few seconds to ensure that the sugar has mixed in well. Then lower the speed to medium high and whisk the cream until it’s just starting to form stiff peaks (peaks with a floppy tip).
• Then stop the mixer and stir the cream with the whisk attachment (or regular whisk), to get it to smooth stiff peaks. This will prevent any chances of overwhisking the heavy cream and making it grainy.
• ALTERNATIVELY , whisk in about ¼ cup of heavy cream with the instant vanilla pudding powder until mixed well into a smooth paste. Add this paste to the rest of the whipped cream and whisk to combine well. Then start whisking the heavy cream on medium high until the heavy cream just starts to form stiff peaks. 3 tbsp instant vanilla pudding
• Separate the whipped cream into two portions. Place half of the whipped cream in a separate bowl for the topping. Keep it in the fridge until needed.
• Fold in about ⅓ of the whipped cream into the banana flavored custard. Once well-mixed, either fold the rest of the whipped cream into the custard, or fold the custard into the remaining whipped cream in the mixer bowl. Either way is fine. Now the pudding base is ready.
• Fold in roughly broken nilla wafers (or substitute half with some chopped cake pieces). 200 g Nilla wafers

To assemble the banana pudding cake

• Place the cake in the pan that you baked it in. This helps to keep the shape of the pudding while it sets.
• Optional - Spread salted caramel sauce on the surface of the cake.
• Place half of the banana pudding layer on the cake and spread it evenly.
• Place a layer of sliced bananas on top of this, followed by the remaining banana pudding. Make sure to spread the banana pudding to completely cover the banana slices. 3 - 4 ripe bananas
• Place the whipped cream that was set aside earlier over the banana pudding layer, and spread it evenly on top as the topping.
• Cover loosely and refrigerate for a few hours until the pudding layer sets.

To decorate

• Top the pudding with extra whipped cream decorations and crushed nilla wafers. You can also place sliced bananas just before serving, or a drizzle of salted caramel sauce. Extra whipped cream, Nilla wafers, Sliced bananas, Salted caramel sauce

Notes

Note about banana milk

Note about sugar

Note about Nilla wafers

To chill the pastry cream faster

Nutrition

Recipe from The Flavor Bender by Dini Kodippili

Banana Pudding Layer Cake https://www.theflavorbender.com/banana-pudding-layer-cake/