Banana Pudding Layer Cake

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Banana pudding layer cake is everything you want in a cake and then some. It’s super moist and scrumptious with plenty of frosting on the outside and banana pudding between the layers! You will LOVE this cake.

There is something about banana pudding desserts that just brings back comforting childhood memories. Holiday gatherings. Summer barbecues. Birthdays. Pot lucks. Banana pudding desserts have been a part of every special event that we can think of. If more than a few family members and friends were gathered together something like this banana pudding layer cake was on the menu. 

Delicious Banana Pudding Layer Cake

Anything with pudding and cake is a winner with our family.  We are not ashamed to say we probably like cake more than we should and probably make cakes, especially easy ones like poke cakes, way too often.

After all, they usually just require a cake mix, some holes and pudding, and a whipped topping, and you have yourself a yummilicious cake! But with this cake, we needed things to be a bit fancier and prettier and well more party-like!  

This banana pudding layer cake is such a simple cake. It is made with a cake mix but you can certainly use your favorite homemade cake mix if you like.

That being said, everybody knows we like to keep things easy, and sometimes when you’re doing some fancy shmanchy decorating and making layer cakes, fillings, and frostings, using a cake mix just comes in handy.   

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Banana Pudding Layer Cake Ingredients

There are several ingredients that go into this cake, but that doesn’t make it a difficult recipe. In fact, the ingredient list actually belies how incredibly simple it is to make this delicious banana pudding layer cake. That’s because almost every part of this recipe simply comes down to mixing.

Cake Ingredients

• French Vanilla Cake Mix
• Eggs
• Water
• Oil
• Toasted Coconut
• Caramel Sauce
• Nills Wafer

Pudding Ingredients

• Instant Banana Pudding
• Whole Milk
• Sweetened Condensed Milk
• Cream Cheese
• Cool Whip

Vanilla Frosting Ingredients

• Unsalted Butter
• Powdered Sugar
• Vanilla Extract
• Heavy Whipping Cream

As you can see, each part of this banana pudding layer cake has a few ingredients, however, putting it all together is mostly a matter of mixing and then doing the traditional cake operations of stacking the layers and frosting the finished product.

Making Banana Pudding Layer Cake

Making this banana pudding layer cake is a simple procedure. There are a few steps, but none of them are outside of the realm of traditional cake making, and in fact, it’s much easier than many cakes because it uses cake and pudding mixes.

Cake

Making the cake itself is extremely straightforward. Simply follow the directions on the cake box, and divide the batter into three pans before baking. Then, let the cake cool completely.

Pudding

Again, this is so simple. Just beat the pudding and milk for about 5 minutes. Mix the sweetened condensed milk into the pudding until smooth, and then add the cream cheese, again mixing until smooth. Finally, fold in the Cool Whip until smooth.

Frosting

It doesn’t get easier than making the frosting for this cake. Just mix all the ingredients together until creamy and stiff peaks form. That’s it!

Building the Banana Pudding Layer Cake

The final steps of building this banana pudding layer cake are basically where all the actual work happens. Don’t worry, though. You are literally just stacking and frosting. There’s no cause for alarm!

You can find all the steps for building this cake in the recipe that you’ll find at the end of this post. The long and short of it, however, is basically placing a layer, frosting the layer, repeating that twice more, and then frosting the entire cake. It really is super simple to do.

Banana Pudding Layer Cake Variations

There are very few ingredients in the cake, pudding, and frosting compared to many other cakes of its type. In fact, you’ll find that using cake and pudding mix drastically cuts down on the amount of work involved in creating it. 

All of the above are huge pluses for this cake, but I think this cake really shines when you look at how versatile it is. There are a few variations that you can do with this cake to change up the flavor a bit and keep things fresh – because believe me, you’ll be making this cake a lot after you try it.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Using cream cheese frosting in place of buttercream frosting gives this cake a nice, tangy yet sweet flavor that pairs incredibly well with the banana in the cake.

Banana Slices

For a little extra texture and banana goodness, try adding sliced banana between the layers of your banana pudding layer cake. Banana slices add a nice texture and an even bigger kick of banana flavor whenever you bite into them.

Diced Bananas

Following the same thinking as using sliced bananas between the layers of this cake, adding diced bananas to the pudding itself adds a nice kick of banana and a bit of a different texture to the pudding mix between the cake layers.

Serving Banana Pudding Layer Cake

With a cake this good, there’s no fancy serving method required. All you need is a plate and a life. Cut a nice, big piece of this cake for family and friends and watch them devour it. That’s really all there is to it.

Storing Banana Pudding Layer Cake

This banana pudding layer cake will last for up to 3 days in the refrigerator in an air-tight container. You CAN freeze this cake for up to 2 weeks. However, it’s a dicey proposition that we wouldn’t recommend. Thawing the cake must be done slowly, or the entire thing will turn to mush because of the pudding. It’s much better to simply devour the whole thing in a few days. Bummer…

Banana Pudding Layer Cake FAQ

Q: This cake seems to have a lot of steps. Are you sure it’s easy?
A: Yes! It’s so easy. All of the steps involved in this caked are in two categories – mixing and building. It really is a simple recipe.

Q: Can I use any pudding mix or cake mix brand?
A: Yes to both of these. Any cake and pudding mix will work as long as they’re the correct flavors.

Q: I’m no cake Picasso. Does my cake have to be that fancy?
A: You don’t have to get extra fancy if you don’t want to, however, the “fancy” work on top of this cake is really just using a piping tip and sort of “smushing” the frosting out to make those mounds.

Q: Are there any fun twists I can put on this cake?
A: There certainly are! Try adding sliced banana to pudding layers between the cake. You can also try adding diced banana to the pudding mixture itself. Both add an extra kick of banana and a little extra texture.

Q: How long can I store this cake?
A: This cake will last for up to 3 days in the fridge in an air-tight container. You CAN freeze the cake for up to 2 weeks, but it’s not recommended. Defrosting it is tricky, and if you don’t do it right, your cake will be absolutely mushy and gross.

Once You Go Banana Pudding Layer Cake, You Never Go Back (Or Something)

I’m thinking that once you try this banana pudding layer cake you will be making it often. It has become a go-to for us. Make it as is or change up a few of the ingredients to suit your tastes. That is how we come up with most recipes by changing things up.  When it comes to baking we always follow the recipes as they are at first but then we pretty much make them our own. That’s what cooking and baking is all about! 

OTHER DESSERT RECIPES YOU MIGHT LIKE:

Banana Pudding Poke Cake

Rainbow Sprinkle Cookies

Peanut Butter Pie

Homemade Carrot Cake Truffles

Mini Lemon Meringue Pies