Banana Pudding Poke Cake is a homemade yellow cake, banana flavored pudding, banana slices, and fresh, lightly sweetened whipped cream. It is a moist and delicious cake recipe full of banana flavor that has Grumpy's stamp of approval.
This dessert recipe is a smaller batch recipe. Great for when you want dessert but don't want a big cake sitting around tempting you in the following days. It is made in a 9x9 square cake pan and makes 12 servings.
Banana Pudding Poke Cake and a baby
Grumpy loves poke cake, his favorite is this Jello Poke Cake. It is something he remembers eating in his childhood. So, I like to try and make a poke cake every once in a while to celebrate a special occasion. And, we had a special occasion to celebrate!
We were having a family dinner to celebrate the great news that we are going to become grandparents in August 2020. The news was a cause for celebration and a special dessert. I had been craving bananas lately and had recently tried Magnolia's Banana Pudding on a trip to NYC, so I made this Banana Pudding Poke Cake for our family dinner.
What is a poke cake recipe?
The poke cake became popular in the 1970s. I remember my Mom making this cake. I was a layer cake that had holes poked in it using a fork. Hot jello was poured over the cake, refrigerated, then covered with Cool Whip before serving.
The poke cake also could be made with pudding, however, instead of poking the holes with a fork, you would poke the holes with the handle of a wooden spoon. Your choice of pudding would be poured over the top of the cake, and then covered with cool whip. It really was a great recipe idea and a super convenient way to make dessert the whole family loved.
What you need to make this recipe
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases from affiliate links.
Many poke cake recipes call for a yellow cake mix. I very rarely buy cake mixes and prefer the texture of a homemade cake over that of a cake mix. So, for this recipe, I made a homemade yellow cake.
Bananas: You want the bananas to be ripe, but not overripe. Save the overripe bananas for Banana Bread.
Pudding Mix: I used this banana flavored pudding mix.
Heavy Whipping Cream: To make the cream topping for the cake.
Square Baking Pan: I prefer a ceramic cake pan. The size should be 8x8 or 9x9.
4-Cup Glass Measure: I use this 4 cup measure to mix the wet ingredients together.
Hand Mixer and whisk.
Tips for the Best Banana Pudding Poke Cake
- Fluff up the flour by stirring it with a spoon.
- Don't pack the flour in the measuring cup. Lightly scoop the flour in and scrape the top to level it off.
- Don't tap the top of the measuring cup to pack the flour in.
- Whisk all of the wet ingredients together before adding it to the flour mixture.
- Use a wooden spoon with a thick rounded handle to poke the holes in the cake. Keep a paper towel close by to wipe off any cake that sticks to the spoon.
- Make sure the poke holes go all the way to the bottom of the cake.
- Spread the pudding over top of the cake pressing down with a spoon to fill the poke holes
Variations to this recipe
- Make a chocolate cake. Reduce the flour by ½ cup and add ½ cup of cocoa powder.
- Substitute banana extract for the vanilla extract.
- Substitute chocolate or vanilla pudding for the banana pudding.
- Arrange fresh bananas and nilla wafers or crushed vanilla wafers over top of the whipped cream for garnish.
Other cream filled cake recipes you may like:
Grumpy loves this Pistachio Poke Cake recipe. He is a big fan of pistachio pudding and this lower sugar recipe made specifically by his request.
This Minty Boston Cream Crepe Cake is a taste of chocolate-covered pudding filled heaven. A decadent cream-filled cake.
I am a fan of Almond Joy, and I love everything about this Almond Joy Poke Cake!
This Skinny Tres Leches Poke Cake is perfect for a Cinco de Mayo celebration.
A Chocolate Zucchini Cake with Spiced Cream is perfect for the chocolate lover. It is elegant and celebration-worthy.
Eggnog Tres Leches Poke Cake is a perfect recipe to offer up during the holidays.
When I'm looking to make a cake in a hurry, this No Bake Boston Cream Pie never fails to put a smile on Grumpy's face.
*If you made this Banana Pudding Poke Cake, please give it a star rating*
Banana Pudding Poke Cake
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Ingredients
FOR THE CAKE:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup buttermilk
- ⅓ cup sour cream
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract
FOR THE PUDDING
- 1 package Instant Banana Pudding Mix
- 2 cups milk
FOR THE WHIPPED TOPPING
- 2 cups heavy cream
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
OTHER INGREDIENTS
- 2 bananas sliced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a 4 cup glass measure, whisk together the egg, buttermilk, sour cream, olive oil, and vanilla extract until thoroughly combined.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
- Pour the cake mixture into a 9x9 square baking dish that has been coated with cooking spray.
- Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the cake.
- Let the cake cool completely.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the milk and the pudding mix for 2 minutes. Let the pudding sit for 3 minutes, or until it has thickened.
- Poke holes over the top of the cooled cake with the thick end of a wooden spoon.
- Pour the pudding over top of the cake and spread it evenly over the top. Arrange banana slices over top of the pudding.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Mix with a hand mixer until the cream has become stable and spread over the top of the banana cake.
- Refrigerate 6 hours or overnight.
Leave a comment