BANANA PUDDING CAKE RECIPE

All the wonderful flavor of banana pudding in cake form! We love this amazing recipe!

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE BANANA CAKE

2 cups (400g) granulated sugar

3 cups (342g) cake flour

1 tablespoon baking powder (12g)

1/2 tsp baking soda (3g)

1/2 teaspoon (3g) salt

12 tablespoons (170g) unsalted butter, softened

1 1 /2 cup mashed bananas (about 3 bananas)

2 teaspoons lemon juice

2 teaspoons (8g) vanilla extract

3 large eggs

1 1/2 cups (363g) buttermilk

FOR THE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

2 sticks ,1 cup, (226g) unsalted butter, slightly softened

2 (8oz) packages cream cheese (total weight 452g) I use full fat cream cheese. Using reduced fat or the spreadable cream cheese will cause the frosting to be too soft. Soften very slightly.

1/2 teaspoon salt (2g) optional – it will cut the sweetness, popcorn salt is best to use because it is fine and dissolves faster

2 teaspoons (8 g) vanilla extract

6 to 6 1/2 cups (690g to 747g) powdered sugar

FOR THE VANILLA CREAM FILLING

1 small box instant Vanilla pudding (3.9 oz/96g) We used Jello- Brand

2 c. (464g) heavy cream or whipping cream (stir in a little more if recipe is too thick)

FOR THE SWEETENED WHIPPED CREAM (TOP OF CAKE)

1 cup (240g) heavy cream

1/4 (29g) cup powdered sugar

1 (4g) teaspoon vanilla

VANILLA WAFERS AND SLICED BANANAS FOR FILLING

1 box Vanilla Wafers (we used about 20 coarsely crushed cookies in filling, plus additional for crumb border and cookies around the top. Adjust to your liking)

Thinly sliced bananas (we used two in the filling- adjust to your liking)

INSTRUCTIONS

For the Banana Cake (Makes 8 cups of batter)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, Grease/spray & flour three 8 inch pans and line with parchment circles
In the mixing bowl, add the dry ingredients, sugar, flour, baking soda, baking powder, & salt. Turn on the mixer and blend for 30 seconds to incorporate ingredients
Add the softened butter to the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl
In a separate bowl, slice and mash the bananas, add lemon juice, eggs, 2 teaspoons vanilla and buttermilk. Lightly mix these ingredients with a fork to blend
Slowly add the banana/buttermilk mixture to the dry ingredients beating on medium speed for 1 minute, scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl and beat another minute.
Pour batter into the prepared pans and bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until the cake springs back to the touch and a toothpick comes out clean.
Cool the cakes 10 minutes on the rack and then turn out.

For the Vanilla Cream Filling

Combine the pudding mix and heavy cream in a mixing bowl. I prefer to mix with a hand held mixer, but a whisk is just fine too. If using a mixer, start on low speed until well combined. Then, switch to high speed and whip the pudding until thick and fluffy. If mousse is too thick, mix in small amounts of heavy cream to reach desired consistency.