Love the rich, sweet, comforting taste of banana pudding? This banana pudding poke cake recipe turns the retro dessert into a delicious mashup treat. You still get that creamy texture and deep banana pudding flavor, but with an extra cake layer. Even better: Shortcut ingredients like a boxed cake mix, instant pudding and whipped topping layer in a snap without skimping on taste.

Poke cakes are a fun twist on dessert. They start with cake—in this case, a dense yellow cake—that you poke holes into while warm. When you pour the cold, creamy pudding on top, it fills the holes, creating stripes throughout the cake (and the opportunity to get extra pudding in every bite). To make this a poke banana pudding cake, we layer whipped topping, sliced bananas and crunchy vanilla wafers on top. Serve it chilled at a summer potluck, backyard party or any time you want comfort food on a plate.

Ingredients for Banana Pudding Poke Cake

• Yellow cake mix: A box of cake mix makes a quick and easy base for this cake. Our favorite brands of yellow cake are as flavorful as homemade.
• Eggs: Always bring eggs to room temperature before baking so they mix thoroughly. If you’re short on time, place fridge-cold eggs in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes.
• Canola oil: A neutral cooking oil, like canola, is essential for a cake like this.
• Milk: We use 2% milk for the pudding, but you can use whole, skim or even unsweetened nondairy milk if you prefer.
• Instant banana cream pudding mix: We love baking with a boxed pudding mix because it’s foolproof for a creamy, thick dessert every time.
• Frozen whipped topping: Thawed whipped topping is as airy and light as whipped cream, but it is sturdier, so it remains fluffy even after mixing and chilling.
• Vanilla wafers: Crushed wafer cookies add crunch to the soft, moist cake.
• Banana: For a tantalizing garnish, scatter slices of ripe, sweet banana over the top of the cake. Ripen bananas quickly using a bag or other easy methods.

Taste of Home