This Banana Pudding Layer Cake turns the classic dessert into a beautiful centerpiece. Layers of tender banana cake, fluffy cream cheese pudding, and fresh bananas are wrapped in light buttercream and finished with vanilla wafers. It’s a showy and unique way to serve a favorite Southern dessert to a crowd.
Is it cake? Is it banana bread? Is it banana pudding? Yes. It’s all of those! This stunning banana pudding layer cake will make all your banana dreams come true. The cake is moist and has a hint of banana flavor, the filling is luscious and creamy, and the frosting is light and so tasty.
It looks complicated, and I wouldn’t say this is an easy recipe, but the steps are easy to follow, even for a beginner baker, and it is so worth it. Give this one a try for your next dinner party.
Testing results for banana pudding layer cake
- We made this cake with vanilla pudding mix, but you can switch up the flavors a bit if you like. Either a lemon pudding mix or a banana pudding mix would be good.
- Our cakes started to get weepy and too moist after a couple of days. This cake is best served within a day of making it. If you want to make it ahead, we suggest not assembling it or slicing the bananas until the day you want to serve it.
I hope you make this recipe. I think you’ll love it!
Southerners love banana desserts, none more so than classic, homemade Southern banana pudding and our iteration of cream cheese banana pudding, a version with a graham cracker crust and a layer of cream cheese filling. We also love our banana bread, banana cake with cream cheese frosting, chocolate chip banana bread, and a family favorite — caramelized banana ice cream.
Ingredient notes
Here are a few things to know about the ingredients in this recipe.
➡️➡️➡️ The full ingredient amounts and instructions are listed below on the printable recipe card. Scroll below the recipe card for frequently asked questions and tips for success.
Mashed bananas: The mashed bananas go in the cake batter and should be overripe but not fully black. Similar to what you would use with banana bread.
Bananas for the filling and garnish: These bananas should be ripe but still firm with barely any brown spots.
Pin this now to save it for laterHow to make banana pudding cake
- Mix the banana cake batter and bake for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the filling: beat cream cheese with instant pudding mix and then heavy cream, until light and fluffy.
- Spread filling on one cooled cake layer.
- Make the frosting by creaming the butter and adding Cool Whip.
- Top with the second cake layer and spread frosting over the top and sides.
- Garnish with sliced bananas, vanilla wafers, and mint leaves.
If you make this recipe, please leave a comment and ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below!
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Banana Pudding Layer Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups cake flour
- 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 2 cups mashed ripe bananas
For the Filling:
- 8 ounces Philadelphia cream cheese
- 1 3.4 ounce box vanilla instant pudding mix
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream
- 2 bananas, thinly sliced
For the Frosting:
- 1 cup butter, at room temperature
- 8 ounces frozen whipped topping, room temperature
- 5 cups powdered sugar
Garnish:
- Banana slices
- Vanilla Wafers
- Mint
Instructions
Cake Preparation
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease two 9-inch round cake pans with baking spray and set them aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the eggs, oil, buttermilk, and vanilla extract. Mix on medium-low until everything is nicely blended.
- With the mixer on low, gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Pause occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl and ensure everything is mixed thoroughly.
- Once the batter is mostly combined, fold in the mashed bananas and mix just until everything is smooth.
- Evenly pour the batter into the prepared pans and place them in the oven.
- Bake for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean.
- Let the cakes cool in their pans for about 10 minutes, then gently turn them out onto wire racks to finish cooling completely.
Filling
- Clean and dry your mixer bowl. Then, beat the cream cheese together with the instant pudding mix on low speed until the mixture is smooth. Scrape the bowl as needed.
- Slowly pour in the heavy cream while mixing, then increase the speed to medium. Beat until the mixture becomes thick and fluffy—this should take about 3 minutes.
- Once the cakes are completely cool, place one layer on your serving platter. Spread the pudding mixture evenly over the top.
- Layer thinly sliced bananas over the pudding for added texture and flavor.
Frosting
- Rinse and dry the mixer bowl again. Add the softened butter and beat it on medium speed until it’s light and creamy.
- Next, add the whipped topping and continue mixing until fully combined.
- Gradually sift in the powdered sugar, mixing until the frosting is smooth and spreadable. Scrape down the bowl occasionally for an even texture.
- Once the filling is set, frost the top and sides of the cake with the whipped buttercream mixture.
- (Optional) For a beautiful finishing touch, decorate the cake with banana slices, vanilla wafers (whole or crushed), and fresh mint leaves if you like.
Notes
- For the mashed bananas, use very overripe bananas, but not black.
- Use ripe but firm bananas without too many brown spots for the sliced bananas in the filling and garnish.
- For the bananas used for garnish, brush them with a bit of lemon juice to prevent them from turning brown.
- The cake is fine without any garnish, but if serving guests, you can make it pretty with crushed vanilla wafers, whole vanilla wafers, or a combination. Sliced bananas look lovely as well.
Nutrition
Questions and tips
Storage
This banana pudding cake needs to be stored covered in the refrigerator. It will keep for up to five days, but the bananas will start weeping and breaking down after a day or so. We like to take the cake out for about 20 minutes before serving and then put it back in the fridge.
You can use any frosting you like on this banana pudding cake. A cream cheese frosting would be delicious, as would our easy homemade buttercream frosting.
