Banana pudding cake is a from-scratch poke cake with all the ingredients of a classic banana pudding. It’s an amazing, flavorful addition to your Easter baking!
I’ve been seeing lots of blog posts about poke cakes lately. In case you don’t know (you probably do), a poke cake is a cake that has holes poked it in that are then filled with pudding (or sometimes gelatin). I mean, can you imagine (again, you probably can)? When you pour pudding into a cake you get a super-moist (⬅️I apologize for using that word) pudding cake. And when there are bananas in the cake, what do you get? A banana pudding cake. It’s a good thing.
Another thing that you may or may not know is that when I bake, it’s from scratch. I don’t have anything against baking from a mix…if you bake me some Duncan Hines chocolate chunk brownies(⬅️affiliate link) or a Betty Crocker Rainbow Chip cake(⬅️affiliate link), I will be forever in your debt (someone please bake me a Rainbow Chip cake???). I just think that baking is somewhat of a lost art, and a lot of times when I’m searching for baking recipes online they call for mixes (and here I shall reference my endless search for a pumpkin angel food cake that isn’t made from a mix that resulted in me writing said recipe myself). I figure that there are people (few and far between as they may be) who are looking for recipes from scratch. Right?
When I decided to combine banana pudding and a poke cake into a banana pudding cake, I wanted to have all the elements of a classic banana pudding right there in the pan (because you guys know that I am all about sheet cakes): bananas, pudding, vanilla wafers, whipped cream. So here you go…it’s all here. All the trappings of banana pudding baked into a cake.
Have you ever had a poke cake? What are your plans for Easter baking? Comment below and let me know!
Find other great recipes at Meal Plan Monday on Southern Plate!
Mary
Yield: about 20 servings
4 hr, 25 Prep Time:
4 hr, 25 Total Time:
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Ingredients
- 6 ounces (half of a regular-sized box) vanilla wafers, plus more for serving
- 2 cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon table salt
- 16 tablespoons (2 sticks or 1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing pan. 2/3 cup (130 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (190 grams) brown sugar (dark or light is fine)
- 4 large eggs
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 2 medium ripe bananas, mashed or just broken into small pieces
- sliced bananas, for serving (optional)
- 3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1/4 cup banana liqueur or additional 1/4 cup milk
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 cups (16 ounces) heavy cream
- 3 tablespoons corn syrup
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 pan with butter and set aside.
- Place the vanilla wafers into a food processor and process until finely ground. In a medium bowl, whisk the vanilla wafer "flour" with the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Place the butter and sugars into the bowl of a stand mixer (or use a large bowl with an electric hand mixer). Beat on medium speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally, until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating until completely combined after each addition. Add the bananas and mix until they are well incorporate. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture and beat until completely incorporated, then follow with half of the buttermilk. Continue alternating the flour and buttermilk until all has been incorporated.
- Spread the cake batter into the prepared cake. Bake until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 40-45 minutes.
- While the cake is baking, make the pudding: Combine 3/4 cup sugar, cornstarch, and kosher salt in a medium saucepan. Add the eggs and egg yolk and whisk until well combined. Slowly whisk in the milk until well combined. Cook over medium-low heat until thickened and about 175 degrees. Remove from heat and whisk in the butter, one piece at a time. Add liqueur or extra milk and whisk to combine.
- While the cake is still warm, use a straw or skewer to poke many holes in the cake. Pour the pudding over the cake. Allow to cool completely.
- When the cake has cooled completely, whip the heavy cream and the corn syrup until soft peaks form. Spread over top of the cake. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve topped with crumbled vanilla wafers or sliced bananas.
Notes
Prep time includes inactive prep to allow the cake to cool.
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