Banana Pudding Poke Cake
Banana Pudding Poke Cake is an easy dessert 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. But everyone loves cake! So the idea of the banana poke cake was born. All the banana pudding flavors you love – in cake form. This cake is on a different level of delicious! It is so good and will not disappoint!
This cake is my family’s favorite. I make it for most holidays…and always for my grandsons birthday, at his request. I often make it if I need to bring a dish to an event. I get so many compliments and requests for the recipe. Love it! My go to!
– Linda
Frequently Asked Questions:
Yes but they will turn brown as soon as you slice into the cake; so if you plan on serving this over the course of a couple of days, just keep in mind those bananas will turn brown and this cake won’t be as pretty. If you are serving it all the on the same day then you can do that. It all depends on your preference.
Yes! The sky is the limit with poke cakes! Since creating this specific banana poke cake recipe in 2012, I have added about thirty five 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. I have list of all my poke cake recipes here.
Yes. As long as it is covered well to protect against freezer burn. You can freeze it for up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator and not on the counter.
Yes. When I first shared this recipe in 2012, cake mix sizes were 18.5 ounces, then went down to 15.25 ounces and some are now down to 13.25 ounces. I have tried it with every size and it all still works. Duncan Hines (as of writing this post) is still at 15.25 ounces. Betty Crock and others have gone down to the 13.25 ounces. Duncan Hines is my personal favorite brand but they all work.
Leftovers should be stored covered, in the refrigerator, for up to 3 days.
Ingredients Needed: (See Recipe Card Below For The Full Recipe)
- yellow cake mix – you could use any flavor of cake you think would go well with the banana pudding. Since sharing this recipe, Dolly Parton has come out with a line of cake mixes and one is a banana flavor (paid affiliate link) so you could really go all out with all banana by using that cake mix. Or you can make a homemade yellow cake.
- ingredients needed to make cake – you are going to use the amounts of eggs, oil and water that are on the back of the cake mix box.
- instant banana pudding – DO NOT GET COOK & SERVE PUDDING OR IT WON’T SET UP. Cook and serve requires heat before it will set up. I’ve had this recipe on my site for over 12 years and this issue still comes up so I am trying to make it as obvious as possible. You have to be very careful when looking at the packaging because the word “Instant” can be small on the box. If it is not instant, it will not set up and you’ll end up with a wet mess. Or, you can make my homemade vanilla pudding recipe and instead of adding the vanilla extract, use banana extract.
- milk – I prefer to use a while milk. I definitely would not use a skim milk. I have never made pudding with milk alternatives so I am not familiar with how those set up.
- whipped topping (Cool Whip) – if you want to make your own homemade whipped cream, you can. Just remember that homemade whipped cream is not as stable as whipped topping so if you aren’t planning to eat it the same day you make it, the homemade whipped cream will start to break down and lose it’s stability.
- Nilla wafers – normally I am totally fine with the store brand of things but not with the wafers. I have never found a store brand or other brand of wafers that taste as good as the name brand (and I try a lot pretty often) so I think this should be name brand if you can afford it.
How To Make Banana Pudding Poke Cake
Prepare cake mix according to package directions for a 9×13-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 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. Sprinkle 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.
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Originally published: June 2012
Updated photos and republished: March 2024
Banana Pudding Poke Cake
Ingredients
- 15.25 ounce box yellow cake mix
- ingredients needed to make cake: eggs, oil and water (use the amounts given on the back of the box)
- 2 (3.4 ounce) packages instant banana pudding
- 4 cups cold milk (I prefer whole or 2% milk – do not use skim)
- 8 ounce tub frozen whipped topping, thawed (Cool Whip)
- 20 vanilla wafers, crushed
Instructions
- Prepare 15.25 ounce box yellow cake mix with ingredients needed to make cake: eggs, oil and water according to package directions for a 9×13-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 2 (3.4 ounce) packages instant banana pudding with 4 cups cold milk. Stir quickly until all the lumps are gone but before the mixture starts getting 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 refrigerator to set and cool (about 2 hours.)
- Once the cake has completely cooled, spread on 8 ounce tub frozen whipped topping, thawed.
- Sprinkle 20 vanilla wafers, crushed onto the top of the cake before serving. Keep refrigerated.
Video
Notes
- Please refer to my FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
- You can spread the crushed wafers immediately before serving each slice 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.
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 and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Oh me, oh my…this is quite the cake!! My father would go gaga over this as would everyone else. Thank you for ANOTHER awesome recipe Brandie!!
Like the two comments before mine, I made this for my family Thanksgiving feast. Needless to say, it didnt not last long and was eaten up before all the chocolate desserts. Between the layer of pudding and whipped topping, I put a layer of bananas. Other than that, I followed the recipe as written and it was magically delicious!! Thanks for posting.
I made this for the first time at Thanksgiving.Let me just say it was so good I almost slapped my momma..(hehe) My husband called today from work and asked if I would make it for his job tomorrow..It is baking as I type. His favorite cake is the pineapple delight that I make which is almost just like a poke cake but this is closing in almost as a tie. Thanks for sharing the recipe. Merry Christmas from Our House to Yours.
I made this cake for Thanksgiving. It was a big hit. Everyone loved it. The only problem was they ate it all and now I have to make another. It was very good and I will make it again many times. Thank you for sharing the recipe. And girl, everybody on the internet is copying you now. Look what you started – ha! We saw it here first though!
I made this today for Thanksgiving. And all i have to say is that i'm so glad i found this on pinterest because it was DEE-LISH-OUS!!!! A++++ lol
I'm making this tonight for Thanksgiving everyone is so excited about it!
I wish I had seen this one before the red velvet poke cake- I am making it for Thanksgiving but I would have enjoyed the banana pudding one more. Thanks for the ideas and keep them coming!
Thanks for this recipe!!! I love banana pudding but only the day it is made…don't like how the bananas turn black…LOL
This will be great (and easy)and like you I love "Poke Cakes".
Thanks Again 🙂
Donna
OMG This cake looks amazing! Thanksgiving is next week and I have been looking for something to serve for dessert instead of the traditional apple and pumpkin pies that everyone eats but gets tired of. I think this will be a BIG HIT! I can't wait to make it! And eat it! LOL
Yummy! Just finished a slice and will be making this again soon!
My son loves banana pudding but can't eat raw bananas. I made the cake and put some mashed ripe bananas into the cake mix (along with the oil) and we got a nice banana flavor in the cake. We are thrilled with the results. Thanks for all your great recipes.
I recently made this since my husband loves banana creme pie. He was nice enough to buy the ingredients for me and he bought banana creme pudding instead of just banana. We thought we had a disaster on our hands because the pudding didn't seem to "sink" into the cake like it should. Plus we also let the pudding set too long. But, it was still very tasty, and even better the next day like you said! And my husband thinks he's spoiled. 🙂
Thanks for the recipe! I've tried a few from your site and it's always delicious. 🙂
Absolutely the BEST cake EVER !!!!!My family LOVED it … i made one yesterday and was sent back to the store today to grab the ingredients to make another one !!!! thank you soooo much <3
The large bowl of yellow bananas sits tauntingly on the kitchen bench, teasing and tempting all that pass it by, but they know these bananas aren’t for eating. LOL
There is a strawberry version, my moms been making it for years, also a pineapple one to. Same as above but u pour the frozen strawberries in the holes, the ones that come in the carton, then add the pudding, then the whip cream, for the pineapple one get crushed pineapple in juice pour in holes and then add ur pudding and cool whip. It's awesome! I'm goin to try this one to:).happy eating!
l make this with cherry chip cake mix..poke holes…make cherry jello with half the water…chill intil just starting to thicken and pour into holes…1 package vanilla pudding and 1 package dream whip made according to package direction in the same bowl…spread over top and chill..refreshing in the summer
I got everything to make this recipe, but I thought it called for (1) package of pudding mix… I made this for the first time with 1 package of pudding instead of 2, and it worked great! Since I didn't have tons of pudding to spare, I poured it gently into all my holes I poked in the cake. Had enough to fill all the holes, and a nice thin layer on top! So if you can only use one package, it works just the same! I loved it, it wasn't too pudding! I thought this ratio worked very well. Plus, I added bananas on top after it cooled, a layer of whip cream, and then the nilla wafers.. I think if I had 2 packages of pudding, I wouldn't have been able to close the lid on the container lol! Thanks for the great recipe, I will be making it again!
I made this last night for this weekend because the kids are out of school. I left the crushed vanilla wafer layer off because we were worried about them holding up in the fridge. I served it tonight with some sliced banana and a few vanilla wafers on the side and the boys loved it! Thanks for the recipe!
So I am needing to make this cake for a family event and I was wondering if anyone had tried making in two days in advance. Does it still taste good on day two?
Just made this for a party it is so good!
Made this for a party and it was freaking amazing! It's the best cake I ever had! Everyone at the party loved it too. I added sliced bananas on top. Amazing! Thanks for a new favorite recipe!
I made this cake to celebrate someone's birthday at work. I had every intention of posting a pic of it however by the time I got my camera they had already torn into it. Needless to say the cake had a life span of about 45 minutes as folks went back for multiples. I'm definitely making this again.
I help the ladies at my church make quilts. We always take a break and have some sort of snack. We take turns bringing in baked goods. So I am always on the lookout for easy and delicious recipes! This one is super yummy! I can't wait to try different flavored cake mixes and puddings too! Thanks soo much!
I made this for a family dinner today and it was fabulous. My daughter loved it because her favorite part of banana pudding is the Nilla wafers so I put a layer of the minis between the pudding and Cool Whip. Can't wait to try the Red Velvet poke cake! Thanks for sharing.
OMG!!!!! This cake is sooooo YUMMY!!!! I need to poke my hole bigger next but other than that it was GREAT!!!!! Thanks 🙂
I found this recipe on Pinterest (where else – LOL) and decided to try it. I made it last week and took it to work for a birthday. It was a big hit. So easy, and so yummy. Thanks for the idea. Now to see what other "poke" cakes I can dream up!
Made this today,first time ever making a poke cake and it was so amazing! Think I may have to make another tomorrow. I ended up using 1 box banana and the other coconut puddings,my mistake when buying them. Also I added sliced bananas over the pudding then the cool whip,then sprinkled the top with the crushed vanilla wafers AND toasted some coconut. OMG!!! Everyone loved it! Thank you for sharing the recipes 🙂
Just made this today. My husband and I love it. The part I hated most about my regular recipe was that the bananas and wafers getting soggy. This is perfect especially when their added as needed. Thanks!!
I featured you on my blog tonight. Hope you enjoy it and get lots of traffic from it. Wonderful recipe and pictures. http://www.richestoragsbydori.blogspot.com/2012/08/banana-pudding-poke-cake.html
You could use French Vanilla but you'll lose that Banana flavor that makes this a banana pudding poke cake. Unless, maybe you were going to add sliced bananas on it??
Can I use French vanilla jello pudding?
This sounds so delicious. I'll try it right tomorrow morning. It's going to be my first poke cake since we don't really have them in Germany. I'll let you know how it worked out for me 😉
Made this cake for my boyfriends birthday! Him and his family loved it! Great recipe. Thanks!!
I have my cake in the oven baking. I cant wait i'm taking it to work tomorrow hope they love it. When i mix my pudding im gonna sub some of the milk for a can of eagle brand. Hope its not over kill but anything with eagle brand is awesome, right?
Made this yesterday for my DH since we absolutely LOVE Banana Puddin, we're in the south who doesn't?!?! LOL The only variation was I added some vanilla extract to the pudding itself & sliced banana's ontop of the pudding. You are right the crunch def adds to it. This was SOOOOOOOOO delicious all the guys in the house ate it up in less than 24hours. I was told this is def a must-do REPEAT!! Thank you soo much for making the guys in our house happy!! 😀
I made this last week and it was AMAZING!!! This morning I made a variation using strawberry cake,cheesecake flavored pudding and graham crackers. Its cooling in the fridge and I can WAIT!!! Thanks for a fast, easy, affordable go to dessert!!!
I bet that was yummy!
I made one yesterday with pistachio pudding cause I didn't have vanilla. It came out very delish.I sure yours is going yo very delish!!!
I make all these poke hole cakes now for bbq events pot lucks you name it they are always a hit! Thanks a whole bunch!
Just made this for my sons 22nd Birthday today!I have not tried it but he loves banana pudding so i am sure he will love it!
I just made this last night for my son's 1st birthday and it was a huge hit! I featured it today on my blog about my Pinterest discoveries. Thanks for introducing me to the concept of poke cakes!
365ishpins.blogspot.com
Brandie ~ I have never seen a Poke Cake before coming across your chocolate Oreo Poke cake on Pinterest. I decided to use Rainbow Chip cake mix (since I had it in the cupboard) and banana cream pudding! Then I found this recipe and I'm going to add the Cool Whip and crumbled Nilla Wafers. I'm bringing it to my new mother-in-law's house for a family picnic she is having.
It looks great and I'm sure it tastes even better!! Thanks!!
Can't wait for more recipes!
Oh my goodness! Had a house full of young people today and made this cake. It received 12 out of 14 thumbs up! Now, I just have to figure out how to make it less fattening! LOL! Thanks for sharing!
This recipe is amazing! So simple and delicious…I brought it to a house party and it was a huge hit! I will definitely be making it again and can't wait to try the other variations of this!
all i can say is wow, once a month we have a family sunday,
( only way to see everyone, all so busy)I made the banana poke cake,used sf on everything i could(no one could tell,a couple of them say they can always taste the diff.)after a big meal not to many want dessert,so i always have cakes left, but not this time. after a couple tried then saying how good it was, then others had to try.I didn't get but a little bite,ooohh so good.gonna make the coconut one next month..think i need to make 2 huh?
Made this yesterday and Oh Boy! Couldn't be easier to make and it was a definite hit! And yes, it is better the next day. I doubt seriously it will last until day three, but one can hope!
I'm going to try the Boston Cream Poke cake next. My nephew in law loves Boston Cream Pies and this should be just up his alley!
Thanks so much for sharing these wonderful recipes with us! You're the best!
Thank you for sharing your recipes. I made two last night. This banana cream poke cake and the raviolis. My husband and i loved them both!!! I can't wait for my daycare kids to have the rest of the cake tomorrow for snack… This will guarantee that I don't eat it all myself. *grin*
Keep the great ideas coming!!
Thanks for the recipe. Trying it tonight for a small dinner party.
My daughter -in-law makes a cake similar to this only she pours jello over top to soak in holes,and then cool whip as a frosting.She made a strawberry one with the jello,and fresh strawberries for garnish.yummy
I'm making this Sunday for my brothers birthday dinner! Hope to knock the socks off everyone in the family!
Especially because I am breaking family strawberry cake tradition for this recipe! 🙂
This is a wonderful recipe. I made if for a birthday party and it was a winner! Thank you!
I found sugar free banana and banana cream pudding at Walmart:))
Just wanted to pass that on !
Had to make this sugar-free for the hubby, so the banana-flavored pudding was unavailable in that option. What I decided to do was to buy the vanilla sugar-free pudding, and then add the bananas to the cake mix instead of the eggs. (Because I forgot to buy the eggs, dontcha know. LOL) And it was fantastic!! So if there are any of you out there who have to roll sugar-free, you can use the sugar-free cake mix with 2 medium bananas in place of the eggs, and sugar-free vanilla pudding for a delicious dessert!! 😉