Southern Banana Pudding Cake (Printable Version)
Moist banana cake layered with vanilla pudding, whipped cream, and crunchy vanilla wafers. A classic Southern dessert that feeds a crowd.
# Ingredient List:
→ Cake Layers
01 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1½ teaspoons baking powder
03 - ½ teaspoon baking soda
04 - ½ teaspoon salt
05 - ½ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
06 - 1 cup granulated sugar
07 - 2 large eggs
08 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
09 - ½ cup buttermilk
10 - 3 large ripe bananas, mashed (about 1½ cups)
→ Pudding Filling
11 - 1 package (3.4 oz) instant vanilla pudding mix
12 - 2 cups cold whole milk
13 - 1 cup heavy whipping cream, whipped
→ Assembly & Topping
14 - 2 large bananas, sliced into rounds
15 - 1½ cups vanilla wafer cookies, roughly crushed
16 - 1 cup heavy whipping cream, whipped (or prepared whipped topping)
# How to Make:
01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans, tapping out any excess flour.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
03 - In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar together using an electric mixer on medium speed until pale, light, and fluffy — about 3 to 4 minutes.
04 - Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla extract until evenly distributed.
05 - Fold the mashed bananas into the batter. Then alternate adding the flour mixture and the buttermilk in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour. Stir gently until just combined — do not overmix.
06 - Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans, smoothing the tops with a spatula. Bake for 28 to 32 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of each layer comes out clean.
07 - Let the cake layers cool in their pans for 10 minutes, then invert onto wire racks to cool completely before assembling.
08 - Whisk the instant vanilla pudding mix and cold milk together in a bowl for 2 minutes until smooth. Allow it to thicken for 5 minutes, then gently fold in the whipped cream. Refrigerate until ready to use.
09 - Place one cooled cake layer on a serving platter. Spread half of the pudding filling evenly over the top. Arrange a layer of sliced bananas and sprinkle with a portion of the crushed vanilla wafers.
10 - Position the second cake layer on top. Spread the remaining pudding filling over the surface. Finish with whipped cream, the remaining banana slices, and crushed vanilla wafers for garnish.
11 - Refrigerate the assembled cake for at least 2 hours to allow the flavors to meld and the layers to set before slicing and serving.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- It gives you the nostalgic comfort of banana pudding but in cake form, which means you get to look fancy with almost no extra effort.
- The pudding filling stays incredibly moist even after two days in the fridge, making this the best make ahead dessert for potlucks.
02 -
- Warm cakes will melt your pudding filling into a soupy mess so patience during cooling is nonnegotiable.
- Tossing the sliced bananas in a tiny bit of lemon juice before layering prevents that unappetizing brown color from creeping in.
03 -
- Freeze your bananas when they hit peak ripeness and thaw them for this recipe because frozen bananas mash easier and actually taste sweeter.
- Crushing the wafers by hand inside a zip bag gives you better control over the texture than a food processor ever will.