Anyway. When I saw this recipe on Pinterest, I was SO excited about it. Banana Pudding (with the Nilla wafers) was one of my favorite desserts when I was a kid. My dad's mom used to make it all the time, and I LOVED it. She has some great recipes. Once I finish all of my Pinterest ones, I'm going to have to start posting some of hers.
Back to the point, I saw this and was floored. Banana pudding? Cake? What?? Heaven! I couldn't wait to try it. We were celebrating Thanksgiving at the club house at my grandparents' condo, and I figured this would be a great time to make it, since she inspired my love for the premise.
Let me say, I wish I hadn't...
I give this recipe 1 out of 5 stars.
Here's the original recipe:
- 1 box yellow cake mix + the ingredients to make said cake
- 2 3.4oz packages of instant banana pudding (I used one of the big ones instead)
- 4 C milk (I used organic 2%)
- 1 8oz frozen whipped topping (I know, I know. I really need to figure out what to replace this with...)
- 20 Nilla Wafers, crushed
First, you prepare the box cake mix for a regular 9x13 cake. Once it is finished, let it cool for just a few minutes, then, using a wooden spoon's handle, poke holes into the cake, all the way to the bottom.
Like this.
You want the holes to be big enough that the pudding can really get down in there and isn't just sitting on the top of the cake.
In a large bowl, whisk together the pudding mix and milk. Let set for about two minutes. You want the pudding to be thick, but still easily pourable. Then pour the pudding over the cake. I used a spoon to lightly press as much of the pudding into the holes as I could. Put the cake into the fridge so it can set and cool. Once it is all the way cooled, spread the whipped topping over the pudding, then cover with the crushed Nilla Wafers. It says on the OP's site to wait until right before serving to put them on so that they keep their crunch. I would have to agree, even though one of my favorite parts of the original banana pudding recipe is the soft Nilla Wafers. This cake definitely needs some texture.
Ok. I wonder if I had made my own banana pudding instead of using the instant if I would have liked this. I must say, I HATE that fake banana flavor. I used to work at Steak N Shake, and I couldn't stand their banana milkshakes because I hate that kind of flavoring. So, it absolutely ruined the whole thing for me. It is VERY overpowering in this recipe. My grandpa loved it and asked me to make it for every function--not gonna happen... lol I think if I were ever to attempt this again, I would make my cake and pudding from scratch. I don't think a box cake holds up well enough for this recipe. It almost would be better with a pound cake, or something more dense. Maybe it was just the brand I used, I don't know. Needless to say, the fact that I hated it totally broke my little heart. Haha.
