Banana Pudding  Cake 

Banana Pudding  Cake 

The Best Banana Pudding  Cake with Amaretto Liqueur is made from scratch and consists of banana pudding, amaretto (almond) liqueur, cream cheese and Nilla wafers. All the classic banana pudding ingredients in a completely homemade  cake recipe.

I combined two traditionally southern and ever-popular desserts into one cake! Yes! Southern pound cake and banana pudding collided together and the result was something wonderful!This southern pound cake has classic ingredients. It is buttery, has a fine crumb and a crispy surface. It is flavored with banana pudding in both the cake and frosting. Additionally, both are flavored with Amaretto (almond) liqueur. Finally, I finished it off with Nilla wafer crumbs  for flavor, texture and decoration.I also decorated the top of the cake with mint leaves and banana slices. I recommend waiting to decorate with banana slices until just before serving. They tend to  brown quickly.

 Ingredients: 

 FOR THE CAKE 

3 cups all-purpose flour, sifted and measured

5.1-ounce box banana cream instant pudding mix, do not make  pudding

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon baking powder

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

1  ⅔ cups mashed bananas, about 2 small bananas

2 tablespoons amaretto liqueur with almond, banana or vanilla extract

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1  ½ cups unsalted butter  (see post for subs)

1 tablespoon banana extract

3 cups granulated sugar

6 large eggs, at room temperature

 FOR FROSTING 

½ cup heavy whipping cream

¾ cup sifted and measured powdered sugar

2 tablespoons amaretto liqueur or almond, banana or vanilla liqueur extract

6 crushed vanilla wafers

Mint leaves and banana slices for decoration

 PREPARATION : 

See post above for substitutions and recommendations

FOR THE CAKE

Preheat the oven to 325°F.(If you haven’t calibrated your oven recently, I recommend calibrating it once a year. For more information, see: How to Calibrate Your Oven.)

A 10-inch tube pan or 10-inch capacity bundt pan line with firm vegetables. Shortening and sugar or Wilton nonstick spray.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the whipped cream until stiff. Pour it into another bowl and set aside to add to the mixture later.In the same bowl of an electric mixer (bowl 1 electric mixer), beat butter and cream cheese until fluffy. Add the granulated sugar and beat on medium speed until the mixture is fluffy. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides. Mix again.

Take out 2 tablespoons of the instant pudding mix and reserve it for the frosting.Mix the remaining instant pudding, flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda in another bowl (Bowl 2). Whisk to combine. Put aside.

In  another bowl (bowl 3), beat the eggs and add the banana extract and banana puree. Slowly mix this into the butter and cream cheese mixture.(bowl 1)Now slowly add the flour mixture (bowl 2) to the butter and cream cheese mixture (bowl 1).

Stop the mixer, scrape the sides and mix again.

Add the whipped cream by hand using a large spatula. (This is the whipped cream  you mixed first.) This will create a lot of mixture.Take your time and stir gently until the whipped cream is well mixed.

Pour into the prepared pan and smooth the top.

Bake at 325°F for 1 hour 30 to 45 minutes. Do not open the door during the first hour of cooking. Try using a wooden toothpick. The cake is ready and no crumbs or dry crumbs remain on the toothpick when it is inserted into the center of the cake.(You can also test with a thermometer; the internal temperature of the cake will be 200°F when fully baked.)

Let the cake  cool on a  rack for 30 minutes before turning it out onto a baking sheet to cool completely. Wait until the cake has cooled completely  before icing or frosting it.

 FOR THE Icing 

Mix together ½ cup heavy cream, ¾ cup powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons amaretto, and the 2 tablespoons reserved instant pudding mix. Beat until  sugar dissolves and  mixture is smooth.If necessary you can add more cream.

Pour over the cooled cake and let the glaze  drip down the edges.

For this cake, I recommend waiting to decorate until it’s ready to serve. Garnish with crushed vanilla wafers, banana slices and mint.

I recommend removing the banana slices from the top before storing if you have decorated the cake with them.Store in an airtight cake container in the refrigerator. It will last 5 to 7 days in the refrigerator. For freezing, see instructions above.

Have fun!