Southern Banana Pudding Poke Cake

Estimated reading time: 7 minutes

Looking for a cake version of your favorite pudding? The flavors of banana cream pudding come together in this easy and delicious Southern Banana Pudding poke cake!

Old Fashioned Banana Pudding Poke Cake

One of my favorite puddings, contains bananas, whipped topping, and crushed wafers. So when I thought, let’s make a cake. How could I not include my favorite things?

Although, I am one for making any dessert semi-homemade and that is what I did by using our favorite yellow box cake mix (from Aldi).

The real stars of the show is the vanilla pudding and sliced bananas, so no one will know that you took a shortcut with the cake.

I always think of Sandra Lee when I say semi-homemade.

Expect this cake to taste super moist and delicious. It is one of the prettiest poke cakes I have seen.

And to serve this cake you just keep it in its glass 9×13 baking pan.

Easy enough. You will also be creating it all in your favorite 9×13 pan. going from batter to baking to layering all in the same pan.

You may also want to try out our recipe for No-Bake Chocolate Eclair Cake Recipe, or this amazing Cookies and Cream Poke cake, both made in a casserole dish.

What is a Poke Cake?

No more dry, crumbly cakes for you! These no-fuss cakes are one of the oldest baking hacks in the book creating a very delicious and moist cake.

A poke cake is exactly what it sounds like: After baking your cake, you poke holes in it and then pour on some kind of topping or filling that adds flavor and moisture. 

In my opinion, they are the best types of cakes, a no-fuss dessert created in your 9×13 pan.

Traditionally, poke cakes are topped with whipped cream instead of traditional cake frosting, so they’re usually refrigerated until right before serving. This makes them the perfect dessert for warm summer days.

Ingredients Needed

• 1 box of yellow cake mix
• 1/2 cup of oil
• 1 cup of water
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups of banana pudding – already prepared from your favorite brand or store-bought ready-made
• 8 oz of cool whipping cream
• 3 bananas – Sliced into 1/4 in cuts
• 2 cups of vanilla wafer crumbs –Place in a zipper bag and crush using a rolling pin. Leave some of the pieces big. 

How to Make Your Southern Pudding Banana Poke Cake

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Next, prepare your cake by mixing together your yellow cake mix, eggs, water, and oil.

Next, add batter to your glass 9 x 13 pan. Spreading the batter evenly across. Bake the cake for 35 minutes at 350 degrees.

When done, let sit for 15 minutes on the counter and then another 15 minutes in the refrigerator until cool.

Quick tip, make sure the cake is cool before poking holes, otherwise, you will make a mess of your cake.

Using a wooden spoon handle, poke holes in the cake.

Be sure to poke right down to the bottom of the cake.

This will only take you a minute to complete.

If you are letting kids help you be aware, they love poking holes in anything, and too many holes could make or break this cake. Meaning it will fall apart.

Spread banana pudding across all the holes to fill.

Take care to get it into the holes as much as possible. I like to use the back of my wooden spoon to push as much of the pudding into the holes.

Let your cake sit for at least 10 minutes in the fridge. Allowing your pudding to settle in.

Next spread the cool whipping across the cake, fully coating it.

Layout banana slices across the top. And quick note, it doesn’t have to be perfect like mine. I only try my best to make it look pretty for pictures.

Spread crushed wafers onto the top of the cake. 

You can do this part immediately before serving the cake if you like. 

This will ensure the wafers are crunchy when you serve them. Or add after you make them and stick the cake in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to solidify. 

Cut into 12 slices.

Additional Tips for Creating Your Poke Cake

• Make sure the holes aren’t too close together or too far apart—if they’re too close together, your cake could be too moist; if they’re too far apart, there may not be enough filling throughout the cake.
• Don’t let the pudding set before pouring it onto the cake. Whisk the pudding well for a minute or two then start pouring straight into the holes of the cake.
• Please don’t consider creating this cake as a layered cake. Because of the bananas and pudding, your cake layers will just slide apart creating a big mess.
• This cake will stay fresh for 7 days in your fridge. You can even consider freezing it for up to 3 months.

Southern Banana Pudding Poke Cake Recipe

This Southern Banana Pudding Poke Cake is an easy recipe that combines yellow cake with bananas and vanilla pudding. You’ll definitely want a second slice of this dessert!

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