Banana Pudding Poke Cake is an easy recipe made with cake mix poked with banana pudding, topped with Cool Whip and crushed Nilla Wafers!
AN EASY BANANA PUDDING INSPIRED CAKE
The inspiration for this Banana Pudding Poke Cake actually started out at work. My co-worker, Heather, loves Banana Pudding. But my other co-worker, Amanda does not like bananas - at all. She likes the flavor of bananas but not the texture. So the idea of the banana pudding poke cake was born. All the banana pudding flavors you love - in cake form.

CAN YOU ADD SLICED BANANAS TO THIS CAKE?
This is made without slices of bananas, however, you could certainly add those on there if you like. My husband and I decided we would just add some freshly sliced bananas right on top of our individual pieces of cake which turned out to be a delicious idea. If I had put them on the cake while I was making it, they would have turned brown within a day. It also makes the cake really pretty if you serve the individual slices with a bit of sliced banana and a Nilla Wafer on top.

CAN YOU USE OTHER FLAVORS OF CAKE AND PUDDING?
Absolutely! Since creating this recipe, I have added about twenty other poke cake combinations. Some of the most popular ones are: BOSTON CREAM POKE CAKE, RED VELVET POKE CAKE, OREO PUDDING POKE CAKE and LEMON BLUEBERRY POKE CAKE.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST)
- yellow cake mix
- ingredients needed to make cake (eggs, oil & water)
- instant banana pudding (DO NOT GET COOK & SERVE PUDDING OR IT WON'T SET UP)
- milk
- whipped topping (Cool Whip)
- Nilla wafers

HOW TO MAKE BANANA PUDDING POKE CAKE:
Prepare cake mix according to package directions for a 9x13 cake. Once cake comes out of the oven, allow it to cool for just a couple of minutes. Then, with a wooden spoon handle or some other similarly-sized object, begin poking holes in the cake.

You want the holes to be fairly big so that the pudding has plenty of room to get down in there. Be sure to poke right down to the bottom of the cake.

In a bowl, whisk together instant pudding with 4 cups milk. Stir until all the lumps are gone. Let pudding sit for about 1-2 minutes so it has just slightly begun to thicken but not fully set, it should still be easily pourable.

Pour pudding over cake. Taking care to get it into the holes as much as possible.

Spread it all out and using the back of the spoon gently push pudding down into the holes.

Put the pudding into the fridge to set and cool. Once your cake has completely cooled, spread on whipped topping.

If you haven't done so already, crush your vanilla wafers. I just place mine in a ziploc bag and crush them with a rolling pin. Leave some of the pieces big. It's nice to have a bit of a crunch when you eat the cake.

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 it.

I think this cake gets more delicious over time. To me, it's even better the next day so it's a great dessert to make ahead of time. Serve with freshly sliced bananas. Keep refrigerated.

CRAVING MORE POKE CAKE/BANANA RECIPES? CHECK THESE OUT!

Best Banana Pudding Poke Cake (+Video)
Ingredients
- 15.25 ounce box yellow cake mix
- ingredients needed to make cake: eggs, oil & water
- 2 (3.4 ounce) packages instant banana pudding
- 4 cups milk
- 8 ounce tub frozen whipped topping (COOL WHIP) thawed
- 20 vanilla wafers crushed
Instructions
- Prepare cake mix according to package directions for a 9x13-inch cake.
- Once cake comes out of the oven, allow it to cool for just a couple of minutes.
- Then, with a wooden spoon handle, begin poking holes in the cake. You want the holes to be big enough so that the pudding has plenty of room to get down in there. Be sure to poke right down to the bottom of the cake.
- In a bowl, whisk together instant pudding mix with 4 cups milk. Stir quickly until all the lumps are gone. but before the mixture starts eating too thick to pour.
- Pour pudding over cake. Taking care to pour it right into the holes as much as possible.
- Spread it all out and using the back of the spoon, gently push pudding down into the holes.
- Put the cake into the fridge to set and cool (about 2 hours.)
- Once the cake has completely cooled, spread on whipped topping.
- Crush the vanilla wafers. Spread crushed wafers onto the top of the cake before serving. Keep refrigerated.
Video
Notes
- You can spread the crushed wafers immediately before serving the cake if you like. This will ensure the wafers are crunchy when you serve it.
- A layer of freshly sliced bananas can be put on in between the pudding and the whipped topping layers. Note: when you slice the cake, the bananas will start turning brown so try to serve it all the same day it is made. Alternatively, you could add freshly sliced bananas to each individual serving to avoid the bananas turning brown if you are not serving this all up on the same day.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Originally published: June 2012
Updated and republished: May 2019
dorothy sanchez
can u make this cake the night before
Brandie @ The Country Cook
Yes! In fact, I think it tastes better when you make it the night before 🙂
dorothy sanchez
Thank u very much loved the cake
Brandie @ The Country Cook
So happy to hear that Dorothy!!
Patty
I love this! I'm using this site from now on. the visuals are so beneficial for me. i hope i dont lose you.
Brandie @ The Country Cook
I am so happy you find it all helpful Patty! Thank you for taking the time to let me know!!
Mandora
Can you substitute the whipped creme with anything if you’re not really a whipped creme lover? ????
Brandie @ The Country Cook
Mandora - hmmmm....I am not sure. Is there a substitute that you've used in the past? Perhaps you could make a meringue topping?
Jill
This recipe is a keeper! I made a few tweaks - added a layer of fresh bananas on top of the pudding layer and I did homemade whipped cream instead of Cool Whip. It was a hit!
Brandie @ The Country Cook
Love it! Thanks so much for coming back to comment Jill!
Gail
OMG!!!! Delicious. So quick and easy. I am going to make this again and again.
Brandie @ The Country Cook
Yay! That is so awesome to hear. Thank you Gail!
Debby
I made this for my 81-year-old Dad and he loved it! His wife passed away10 years ago and he loved her banana pudding. He said this was even better because it was a cake too! Like others, I added a layer of bananas on top of the pudding before the Cool Whip layer,otherwise followed the recipe. I love making several types of poke cakes and will definitely make this one again.
Tess
OMG this is so YUMMY!! My Hubby & I loved this banana pudding poke cake!! The best....:) Thanks for all your recipes;love your website. 🙂
Brandie @ The Country Cook
Yes! Love hearing that Tess! I really appreciate you coming back to let me know how it turned out for you!!
linda
I love your recipes, but every time I try to print one off, the recipe is blocked out in parts by advertisements. very frustrating!
A
Can you use cook and serve pudding? Thank you !!!
Stacy
Hi Brandie! I absolutely love your poke cakes! They are always a hit, and the banana one is perfect for summer get-together. I am a butterscotch fan, and I was wondering if you have a recipe for that flavor. Thanks for all the great recipes!
Brandie @ The Country Cook
Hi Stacy! Oh wow - thank you so much!! Ya know, I don't have a butterscotch one - YET! I'll have to play with that one. Great idea!
Stacy
Great!! I’m sure you’ll come up with something delicious! Would be a good fall recipe! Thanks!! ????
Alli
This cake is simply amazing. So easy!! I’m addicted to anything banana and this is one of the recipes I can make over and over again and love each and every time.
Chris
Thanks for recipe ???? some good stuff ????
Brandie @ The Country Cook
Thanks so much Chris!!
Toby
I want to make 100 mini servings of this recipe. My plan is to make the mini cakes, freeze them, layering the pudding and whipped cream one day prior to serving. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to keep the cakes from being to dry since I am not pouring the pudding over warm cake?
Brittney
Can all of these ingredients be substituted for sugar free? Im looking for a sugar free poke cake recipe. This one seems perfect and I'd imagine it would all work the same, yes?
Brandie @ The Country Cook
Hi Brittney! I don't see why not! 🙂
Anonymous
My boyfriend loves this cake!
I add a box of banana pudding mix to the cake batter. I then make a batch of pudding to pour in the holes.
I sometimes add the ban as between the pudding and cool whip, they stay put for two days!
Great recipe!
Brandie (The Country Cook)
It is certainly a winner no matter how you make it! Glad you and your boyfriend love it.
Anonymous
I just made one with pistachio pudding. Going to put fresh whip cream on top later and have a piece. Will let you know how it taste.
Thank you so much for the website.
Brandie (The Country Cook)
Love the different spin on it, hope it turned out delicious!
Anonymous
I'm making one now. I'm going to make it with pistachio pudding cause I don't have vanilla. Will let you know how it comes out. Thank you.
Brandie @ The Country Cook
The stuff dreams are made of! Nanner puddin is one of my favorites and I can't wait to make this one. You know I love a good poke cake!
Edward Wellner
Made this and it was delicious! Made a couple alterations. Replced the oil in the cake with naners and used banana milk in the pudding. YUM!
Brandie (The Country Cook)
Great changes Edward!
Krystal Dunn
Has anyone tried cook and serve pudding in place of the instant? I was thinking about trying it to see if the warmth of cooking the pudding would create an even more moist cake and fill the poke holes better before refrigerating to cool. ....?any thoughts?
Anonymous
I have made this two times already, and I am making this right now to take to my moms for thanksgiving. Everyone loves it, but I go a step further and add banana slices on top of the pudding. Its just like eating the real thing, but the cake part just makes it awesome!
Mary
I have made this so many times since you first shared it. Always a hit!
karen nava
Thank you for such a fun and amazingly yummy recipe!