Fluffy vanilla cake and banana pudding meet to create an irresistible banana pudding poke cake that will be a favorite at your next barbecue or party! It’s a luscious dessert everyone will adore.
During the summer, a banana pudding makes a perfect light, sweet treat after dinner, but I love to turn it into a cake to feed a larger crowd, especially at a party when everyone wants something a bit more substantial than pudding.
This banana pudding poke cake is perfect because of how easy it is to make, and you can make most of it in advance.
Poke cakes are great because they allow you to incorporate more than just a regular frosting into your cake.
You can fill the cake with different kinds of fillings for infinite flavor combinations like with a regular layer cake. Once I discovered them, I felt as though my whole world opened to new possibilities.
We start off with my favorite vanilla pudding recipe. You can make this a few days ahead of time, and you will have extra which is never a bad thing in my opinion!
It’s great for making a single serving of banana pudding on the side. You can use vanilla beans as called for in the recipe, but for this banana pudding poke cake, I prefer to stick with just vanilla extract.
Next is my go-to vanilla sheet cake recipe. I do cut back the sugar a little since there is plenty of sweetness in the other components of the recipe.
It is fluffy and holds up well to the infusion of pudding, bananas, and whipped cream. You can make the cake in advance, just allow it to cool down to room temperature before covering.
Do not poke any holes into the cake until you are ready to fill it.
The finished banana cream pie poke cake is actually best when left to rest in the refrigerator for a few hours after you add the pudding and whipped cream.
It allows the cake to really infuse with the pudding and banana flavors, much like a traditional banana cream pie.
Are you tired of the dinner routine?
Stuck in a rut or looking for fun new recipes to try?
Our Facebook group is growing every day! If you haven’t joined yet, we invite you to come check it out and join the fun.
You can ask for recipe ideas, talk about cooking techniques, or get help figuring out the right new pan set for you. If you’ve already joined, invite a friend along!
Banana Pudding Poke Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups Whole Milk divided
- 2 tablespoons Cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon Salt
- 2/3 cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 large Egg room temperature
- 2 large Egg Yolk room temperature
- 3/4 cup Heavy Cream
- 2 tablespoons Unsalted Butter
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Pure Vanilla Extract
- 2 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 1 cup Unsalted Butter room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups Granulated Sugar
- 3 large Egg room temperature
- 1 tablespoon Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1 1/4 cups Buttermilk room temperature
- Banana Slices
- 1 1/2 cups Heavy Cream
- 2 tablespoons Powdered Sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
- Vanilla Wafers
Instructions
- In a saucepan, add all but ¼ cup of the milk. Take the remaining milk and mix it well with the cornstarch. Add the mixture to the milk. Heat on medium, stirring frequently and scraping the bottom and sides of the pan.
- Add the salt, sugar, egg, and yolk to a bowl and beat well until it is pale and ribbony.
- Once the milk mixture is hot and nearly boiling, drizzle one cup of the milk into the egg mixture while stirring the egg mixture.
- Repeat with another cup of the hot milk.
- Transfer the egg mixture and the heavy cream into the saucepan and stir it in well.
- Continue to cook, stirring frequently until the mixture is visibly thickened.
- Remove from heat and stir in the butter and extract.
- Pour into a container and place plastic wrap directly touching the pudding. Chill until cooled – at least 5 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9 x 13 baking pan. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix and set aside.
- In a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. About 4 minutes.
- Add in the eggs and beat well.
- Stir in one third of the flour mixture, then half the buttermilk and 1 1/2 tablespoons of vanilla. Add in half the remaining flour and the remaining milk. Stir until just combined. Mix in the remaining flour.
- Pour into the baking pan and spread evenly. Bake for about 30 – 40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted.
- Remove and allow to cool completely.
- Poke holes on the top of the cake using the bottom of a wooden spoon. Pour over half the pudding over the cake, ensuring it gets into the holes. Smooth the pudding over the cake, adding more as needed to get a nice even layer.
- Top with sliced bananas.
- Whip the heavy cream with the powdered sugar, salt, and extract. Spread the whipped cream over the bananas.
- Top with cookie wafers and banana slices.