You will love this 5 ingredient recipe for banana pudding poke cake!
Banana pudding is spread over a yellow cake, topped with sweet whipped cream, and sprinkled with crushed vanilla wafers!
It’s light and refreshing and ready in 4 steps!
What’s a Poke Cake?
A poke cake is a simple dessert where a pudding or sauce is poured over a cake that has holes poked into it. It is usually topped with a whipped topping and a garnish. Poke cakes can be made with a variety of flavor combinations. A couple tasty options are this lemon burst poke cake or this grasshopper poke cake.
A Light and Creamy Dessert!
- Banana poke cake is a copycat recipe for a popular, old-fashioned Southern dessert without the extra steps!
- Poke cakes are light and creamy and always a fan favorite at picnics and BBQs!
- Everything in this delish dish is ready-made! Just mix, bake, top, chill, and serve!
Ingredients and Variations
Cake Mix – No need for the name brands! Choose yellow, white, spice, or even chocolate cake for this recipe!
Pudding – Whole milk makes the pudding extra rich and creamy! Be sure to look for instant pudding mix and not the kind that needs to be cooked first.
Topping – Use Cool Whip brand topping or canned whipped cream.
Variations – Sliced bananas can be layered between the pudding and whipped cream if desired. Crushed walnuts, sliced almonds, toasted coconut, mini chocolate chips, or even homemade banana granola can be added to the topping for some flavorful crunch!
How to Make Banana Pudding Poke Cake
- Bake cake per box directions. Poke holes over the top and set aside.
- Whisk pudding and milk (per recipe below) until blended and pour evenly over the cake.
- Chill cake for two hours and top with whipped topping and crushed Nilla wafer cookies before serving.
Poke Cake Tips
- Make sure the cake is completely chilled before adding the pudding layer.
- Assemble entire banana pudding poke cake up to a day in advance and the flavors will just get better!
- Add crushed Nilla wafers just before serving so they stay crunchy.
Leftovers
Keep leftover poke cake covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Other Easy Dessert Recipes!
Have you tried this Banana Pudding Poke Cake Recipe? Leave a comment and rating below!
Banana Pudding Poke Cake
Ingredients
- 1 box yellow cake mix
- Ingredients called for on cake mix box (oil, eggs, water)
- 2 packages instant banana pudding mix (3.4 oz each)
- 4 cups milk
- 8 ounces whipped topping (such as Cool Whip), thawed
- 15 Nilla Wafers crushed
Instructions
- Prepare cake in a 9×13 pan as directed on package.
- Remove from oven and let cool 15 minutes. Poke holes over the whole cake using a wooden spoon handle. Be sure to poke the holes all the way to the bottom of the pan.
- In a large bowl whisk together the banana pudding and milk. Keep whisking for 2 minutes or until the pudding has started to thicken. Pour over the cake and smooth with a spatula to fill the holes.
- Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or until ready to serve.
- Before serving, spread the thawed whip topping over the pudding and sprinkle with crushed Nilla wafer.
Video
Notes
- Bake the boxed cake a day before hand and chill until ready for the pudding layer. If making on the same day, be sure cake is well chilled before adding the pudding.
- For crunchy Nilla wafers, add to whipped topping just before serving.
- Best served chilled!
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
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What kind of oil do we use vegetable oil or olive oil? I’m making this for my 2 year olds birthday cake.
We used vegetable oil in this recipe.
Two boxes of cake mix is definitely a typo… I made two boxes which would not even fit into the pan specified and made more cake than the pudding and whip cream would cover… once we cut away half the cake it was a tasty and easy dessert.
Yes, this recipe uses one cake mix Katie. I’m glad you enjoyed it!
IN THE VIDEO OF THE BANANA PUDDING CAKE IT SHOWS ADDING BUTTER BUT BUTTER IS NOT LISTED IN THE INGREDIENTS.
DO YOU ADD BUTTER OR NOT AND HOW MUCH.
The butter is used to make the cake as instructed on your cake mix box. Each mix may have different instructions. Enjoy Barbara!
This recipe is just so simple, I will pass it along, thanks for the posting.
Can you send me some other recipes that you use a cake mix and add ingredients to the mix and stir it all together and bake they were on Face book and I thought I saved them but now I can’t find them
Thanks very much
Cindy, I just made the cake tonight. I used the small boxes and a small tub of the cool whip was plenty It is very good.
What size boxes of pudding do you use?