This Banana Pudding Poke Cake has all the flavors of banana cream pie, just in cake form. With layers of banana cake, pudding, cream, bananas, and vanilla wafers, it’s sure to be a hit!
Poke cakes are one of our favorite dessert recipes! When we want a fruity version, we’ll make this banana one, a Lemon Lime, or Strawberry Shortcake version. But for a chocolatey version, we always make the Oreo Pudding Poke Cake!
one unforgettable dessert
I have a delicious recipe to share with you today – Banana Pudding Poke Cake!! It combines Banana cream pie and poke cake – two of my favorite desserts, making it one unforgettable dessert!
The secret to a good poke cake is to make holes large enough for the pudding to be able to sink into the cake. I like to use the handle of a plastic spoon. It works perfectly.
How to make Banana Poke Cake:
CAKE. Combine all cake ingredients in a mixing bowl. Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes. Pour batter into a greased 9×13″ cake pan. Bake cake in a preheated oven at 350° for 30-35 minutes or till a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
POKE. Cool cake completely, then use a round spoon handle to poke holes all over the cake about an inch apart.
PUDDING. Combine pudding mix and milk and whisk for 2 minutes. Quickly pour over the cake. Get as much pudding into the holes as you can. Cover cake and chill for at least 30 minutes. Note: You can use banana or vanilla pudding. I actually prefer vanilla because it’s more like my traditional banana cream pie recipe.
TOPPING. Place vanilla wafers in a bag and crush with a rolling pin. Set aside. Whip cream till soft peaks form. Add powdered sugar and vanilla and beat till well mixed.
SERVE. To serve, cut cake into slices. Top with sliced bananas, whipped cream, and crushed vanilla wafers. Refrigerate any leftovers.
Tip: If you know you will be serving the entire cake all at one time, you can just layer on the bananas, whipped cream, and vanilla wafers. But I prefer to cut the cake into slices and top each piece individually. That way I know the bananas won’t brown, and the wafer crumbs will stay crunchy.
Additional Tips and Tricks
- Use ripe bananas with a few spots.
- Make sure to chill your cake for several hours.
- Add texture with chopped pecans, walnuts or sliced almonds
- For clean cut slices: wipe off the knife after each cut.
What can I use instead of Nilla Wafers? You can use vanilla flavored shortbread cookies or lady fingers instead of Nilla Wafers. You can also try graham crackers or animals crackers.
Can I freeze Banana Pudding Poke Cake? Yes, but do not add the cookies or whipped cream until you’re ready to serve. Wait until the cake has cooled and the pudding has set. Decide if you want to freeze the whole cake or cut it into pieces. Flash freeze to further set the pudding.
After a couple hours in the freezer, remove and wrap the cake with plastic wrap then again with aluminum foil. Label and store for up to 3 months.
How to store leftover poke cake: Cover and refrigerate leftovers for 3-5 days. Keep in mind the bananas will brown and the wafers will become soft, but it will still all taste delicious.
Every bite of this cake is filled with flavor and texture. Just look at all those fantastic layers! We hope you enjoy this creamy, delicious banana recipe!!
If you love bananas, check out these other banana recipes:
Banana Pudding Poke Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 box yellow cake mix
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 3 overripe bananas, mashed
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 3 eggs
Topping
- 1 5.1 ounce box vanilla or banana instant pudding mix
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cup vanilla wafers, crushed
- 3 ripe bananas, sliced
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Combine all cake ingredients in a mixing bowl. Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes.
- Pour batter into a greased 9x13" cake pan.
- Bake cake in a preheated oven at 350° for 30-35 minutes or till a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Cool cake completely, then use a round spoon handle to poke holes all over the cake about an inch apart.
- Combine pudding mix and milk and whisk for 2 minutes. Quickly pour over the cake. Get as much pudding into the holes as you can. Cover cake and chill for at least 30 minutes.
- Place vanilla wafers in a bag and crush with a rolling pin. Set aside.
- Whip cream till soft peaks form. Add powdered sugar and vanilla and beat till well mixed.
- To serve, cut cake into slices. Top with sliced bananas, whipped cream, and crushed vanilla wafers. Refrigerate any leftovers.
I’m going to make my cake fRom scratch vs using a box cAke , SHOULD i Omit the water, ADDITIONAL baking soda and baking powder, sInce i will be using these INGREDIENTS in my homemade cake batter?
I am thinking so. I have never used it with a cake from scratch, but if it has those ingredients, I am assuming you would just leave those out.
If using cool whip, do you still add powder sugar & vanilla?
You wouldn’t need to 🙂 Hope you like it!!
Delicious recipe. I would Use cool whip the Next time i Make it. Whipped cream is good if you want to serve it immEdiately, but i prefer having the whole cAke finished and reAdy to eat as desired. The cool whip protects the bananas from turning brown too. AT leaSt For a Couple days. In my house a couple days is plenty. Lol.
That would be great! I am glad you like it! Thank you for letting me know!
OUTStanding!! Added a lot of crushed wafers in the whipped cream. Added a bit of banana extract. So easy and yummy. You must try it!!
That sounds delicious! Thanks for the ideas! Glad you liked it!
I made this and its absolutely delish! Except my pudding never set. Its watery at botttom of The cake and kinda soggy. Any tips!?
It isn’t liquidey when pouring, did you stick in the fridge? I haven’t had it watery before, so not sure what happened.
Maybe it wasnt the instant pudding. Ive done that before
Mine came out the same way….liquidy
It was pretty easy to make , I will be trying this again soon!
Glad to hear! Thank you for trying it!
15.1 oz ????? – 16 oz = 1 lb. of pudding mix – type o ??????
It is 1 5.1 ounce box (or close to that), just one of that size 🙂
Excited to try it.
I hope you like it!
Easy to make but for these ingredients make sure you use the 9 x 13 pan. I used a smaller pan and made a mess. Otherwise it’s easy peezy a delicious
Thank you for trying it 🙂
Made this to take to a family dinner for Christmas. I used vanilla pudding since banana pudding is way too sweet. It turned out perfect and everyone loved it.
Great option! Thank you for trying it. Glad it was a hit!
I made this for my family tonight tonight and it was a hit! I am going to definitely add it to my saved recipes and make it for our next Church potluck!
Yay!! That makes me so happy! Thank you!
I have made this about a half dozen times and it has become my Son’s absolute favorite and it’s the cake I make for my neighbor when he does some chores around the house for me! I do use Cool Whip for the topping since I usually don’t have much luck making homemade whipped cream. Thank you so much for this fantastic recipe!!!
You are so welcome! This makes me so happy to hear! I’m so glad you liked it as much as we do! 🙂
3/4 cup water is listed in the ingredients, why isn’t it included in the video? Is this a mistake?
Yes you are correct. The water was not included in the video and it is a mistake. Thanks so much for bringing that to our attention! We will resolve that soon. Thanks!
what do you do with the mashed bananas? is that considered part of the cake ingredients?
Yes! It will be mixed in with all the other cake ingredients.
Fabulous!! One of our favorite family desserts now. Thank you!
You’re welcome!! So glad you all enjoyed the cake!
I make this for all special occasions, lol. Every single person I’ve made this for has been blown away by how delicious this cake is. It is my favorite cake to make, and I HIGHLY recommend this cake to all banana lovers!
Thank you!! I’m so glad that the cake is a hit. Thanks for passing on the kind words!