One of the easiest desserts to make this banana cream poke cake is creamy, delicious, and loaded with banana flavor! If you like banana cream pie you’ll love this cake.
You might also like our old-fashioned banana cream pie, our banana cream pie cookies, or our chocolate brownie trifle.
Watch our step by step video!
If you’re looking for a delicious and comforting dessert to share with friends I have 3 go-to recipes: my brownie trifle, my Texas sheet cake, and banana cream poke cake. You simply can’t go wrong with any of these. All 3 desserts are just as delicious, if not more delicious, on day 2 which makes them perfect to share and keep the leftovers for yourself!
Banana Cream Poke Cake
If you like banana cream pie and banana cream pudding you’ll love this cake. It starts with a yellow cake that is smothered in banana cream followed by sliced bananas and whipped cream. Why is it called a poke cake? BEFORE you spread the cooled cake with pudding you poked the entire thing with the end of a wooden spoon. The pudding seeps into the holes and sets up as it chills. You can make SO MANY VERSIONS of poke cake—once you start you’ll be addicted to making them!
You can make this with our without sliced bananas, but I think it’s better with a layer of fresh bananas on top of the pudding layer. You don’t have to worry about them turning brown because they are smothered with whipped cream which keeps them yellow even on days 2 and 3. If you add banana slices to the top of the cake make sure to do that right before serving as they will turn brown after an hour or two.
Banana Cream Poke Cake Ingredients
- 1 box yellow cake mix
- eggs, oil, and water (according to the cake mix package)
- 2 (3.4 oz) boxes of instant banana pudding mix
- 3 cups milk
- 2 bananas
- 8 oz. whipped cream
- 2/3 cup crushed Nilla wafers
How To Make Banana Pudding Poke Cake
Bake the cake according to package instructions in a 9×13 baking dish.
Allow the cake to cool for 5 minutes. Poke cake with holes using the end of a serving spoon or wooden spoon. Make sure that the holes go all the way through the cake and touch the bottom of the pan.
Beat pudding mix and milk until smooth. Pour the pudding over the warm cake, spread it evenly, then chill the cake for 1-2 hours in the refrigerator.
Slice the bananas and layer them on top of the banana pudding.
Spread the entire cake with whipped cream then sprinkle with crushed Nilla wafers.
Keep cake chilled until ready to serve. Store leftovers in the refrigerator (cover the baking pan with plastic).
Note: if you’d like to add banana slices on top of the cake as a garnish, wait until you are ready to serve the cake to do that.
This cake makes 12 generous slices of banana pudding cake.
Banana Pudding Poke Cake
Banana Cream Poke Cake
Ingredients
- 1 box yellow cake mix
- eggs oil, and water (according to the cake mix package)
- 2 3.4 oz boxes of instant banana pudding mix
- 3 cups milk
- 2 bananas
- 8 oz. whipped cream
- 2/3 cup crushed Nilla wafers
Instructions
- Preheat oven. Spray a baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.Prepare the cake mix according to package instructions and pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. Bake according to the instructions.
- Allow the cake to cool for 5 minutes. Poke cake with holes using the end of a serving spoon or wooden spoon. Make sure that the holes to all the way through the cake and touch the bottom of the pan.
- Beat the pudding mix and milk until smooth with a whisk or electric mixer. Pour the pudding over the warm cake and spread evenly. Chill the cake for 1-2 hours in the refrigerator.
- Slice the bananas and layer them on top of the banana pudding.
- Spread the entire cake with whipped cream then sprinkle with crushed Nilla wafers.
- Keep cake chilled until ready to serve. Store leftovers in the refrigerator (cover baking pan with plastic).
Notes
Nutrition
More poke cake variations:
- chocolate pudding + chocolate cake
- cheesecake pudding + red velvet cake
- lemon pudding + lemon cake
- vanilla pudding + yellow cake
- butterscotch pudding + devil’s food cake
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