If you think of banana pudding you think of Vanilla wafers, fresh bananas and a smooth vanilla cream! This cheesecake has all these flavors packed into one delicious dessert!
Banana pudding cheesecake combines the classic flavors of banana pudding and creamy cheesecake. With a buttery vanilla wafer crust, a rich cream cheese filling, and layers of fresh bananas and whipped cream, this dessert is sure to impress any crowd. Whether you're looking for a special treat for a celebration or simply craving a decadent dessert, banana pudding cheesecake is the perfect indulgence.
Packed with banana flavor without being overwhelming!
Mashed bananas give this cake structure and a great flavor. They are a key ingredient in banana pudding cheesecake, adding a sweet and creamy texture to the dessert. Using ripe bananas is crucial for this recipe as they are naturally sweeter and easier to mash.
Not only do the mashed bananas add a delicious flavor to the cheesecake, but they also provide additional nutritional benefits. Bananas are a great source of potassium, vitamin C, and fiber, making this dessert a slightly healthier option than some other indulgent treats. Overall, mashed bananas are a crucial component in the beloved banana pudding cheesecake recipe, adding both flavor and texture to this decadent dessert.
These are the cake pans that I always use in my recipe videos and the bake even strips for flat cake tops!
A 8 inch cake pan is the traditional choice to make most cake recipes. It creates tall cake layers without making a huge cake! Having issues with cake domes? Bake even strips help to get flat cake tops by cooling the sides of the cake while baking so that the center bakes evenly with the outside.
Want a real New York Style baked cheesecake? Check out my recipe here
Banana Pudding Cheesecake
Ingredients
For the vanilla wafer crust:
2 1/4 cups (300 g) vanilla wafer, as crumbs
6 tbsp (85 g) butter, melted
2 tbsp (25 g) sugar
For the cheesecake batter:
32 oz (910 g) cream cheese, softened
4 tbsp flour
3.4 oz (96 g) package instant vanilla pudding
3/4 cup (150 g) sugar
1/2 cup (120 g) sour cream, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup (225 g) mashed bananas
For the whipped cream:
1 1/2 cups (360 ml) cold heavy cream
1/2 cup (65 g) powdered sugar
2 medium barely ripe bananas for decoration
8 to 10 vanilla wafers for decoration
Check out my Banana Foster Cheesecake recipe tutorial with a lot of helpful tips!
INSTRUCTIONS
Step 1:
Preheat oven to 350 °F. To make the cookie crust use a food processor and pulse vanilla wafer cookies until fine crumbs form. Add melted butter and sugar and mix until combined. Line a 8 or 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper and grease it with baking oil. Fill the mixture in the baking pan and press it down. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack. Reduce oven temperature to 320 °F.
Step 2:
While the crust is baking make the cheesecake batter. Use a large mixing bowl and add softened cream cheese, flour, instant pudding powder, sugar and vanilla extract. Mix it on the lowest setting of an electric mixer until it is smooth. This should take about 4 minutes. Add sour cream and mashed bananas. Mix in eggs until combined. Strain it with a metal strainer to remove any big banana parts for a smoother look (optional). Fill it on top of the cooled crust and smooth it out.
Step 3:
Wrap springform pan with multiple layers of heavy duty aluminum foil or a silicone baking pan and then place it into a bigger baking dish. Fill the bigger dish with about an inch of hot water and bake the cheesecake for 120 minutes. Then turn off the oven without opening the oven door. Let it cool inside the oven for about 10 minutes. Then take the cheesecake and cut around its edges to avoid cracks. Let it sit at the counter for about 30 minutes. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Step 4:
Remove cooled cheesecake from its baking pan and place it on a serving plate. Decorate it with a layer of cut bananas. I like to add some lemon juice to the banana slices to prevent browning. Garnish the cake with some whipped cream swirls, more banana slices and vanilla wafer!
Enjoy!
**Pro Tips**
To soften cream cheese very nicely fill hot water in a big heat safe bowl place the cream cheese packages into the bowl and let them soften for about 10 minutes. It will cream very nicely without mixing in too much air.
Use barely ripe bananas for decoration. Mixing them with fresh lemon juice prevents banana slices from browning too quickly.
