A simple layer cake recipe that captures all of the flavors, textures, and nostalgia of classic Southern banana pudding.
PREP: 15 minutes : COOK: 20 minutes to 25 minutes
SERVES: 8 to 10
This cake is everything I love about the quintessential Southern dessert, reimagined into a simple layer cake fit for a celebration. The moist layers of banana cake are layered with crushed Nilla Wafers and sliced banana, and it all gets coated in a light whipped cream frosting. While it certainly looks impressive, the banana pudding base is incredibly easy to make. The perfect banana pudding cake recipe comes together within an hour and stays moist for several days, thanks to a few clever ingredients.
3 Clever Ingredients That Make This Cake So Good
A few shortcut ingredients make this cake incredibly easy to pull off. The first is vanilla cake mix. This cuts down the ingredient list significantly, and means you can tackle this dessert in less than an hour.
The second is banana cream pudding mix. It gets added straight to the cake batter and is a trick home bakers have sworn by for years to keep their cakes super moist. It also gives this cake its signature banana cream pudding flavor and cheery yellow color. If unavailable, you can use vanilla pudding mix in a pinch, although the flavor will be a bit less banana-y.
Lastly, cream cheese gets added to the whipped cream frosting to help stabilize it. This prevents the frosting from deflating or melting and gives it a fluffy texture. Taste-wise, you might not know it’s there, but it helps the cake last for multiple days in the fridge. Equally as delicious is this banana pudding cheesecake recipe.
INGREDIENTS
Please continue to the next page (>) for the full list of ingredients and complete cooking instructions. Enjoy this meal!
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