Ingredients :
Vanilla Pudding
14 oz. sweetened condensed milk
1 cup of cold water (240g)
1 3.4 oz package instant vanilla pudding
Banana Layer Cake Recipe:
1 1/2 cups mashed bananas – about 3 large bananas (375g)
2 teaspoons of lemon juice (8g)
3 cups all-purpose flour (390g)
1 teaspoon of baking powder (4g)
1 teaspoon of baking soda (6g)
1 teaspoon of salt (6g)
3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (170g)
1 cup of granulated sugar (200g)
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar (150g)
3 large eggs, room temperature (155g)
1 and 1/2 cups sour cream, room temperature (380g)
2 tablespoons of canola oil (30g)
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract (8g)
Vanilla Buttercream Frosting:
2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature (454g)
1 tablespoon of vanilla extract (12g)
1/2 teaspoon of fine salt (3g)
7 cups powdered sugar (875g)
2 tablespoons of heavy cream or whipped cream (30g)
Additional Ingredients
1 1/2 cups chopped vanilla wafers
2 large bananas, sliced
8 oz. container of whipped topping
yellow sprinkle mix (optional)
Instructions :
Vanilla Pudding
Make the vanilla pudding first, as it needs a few hours to set.
Pour the sweetened condensed milk and cold water into a large bowl. Whisk together until combined.
Add the vanilla pudding mixture and whisk until smooth.
Cover with saran wrap and place in the refrigerator to set for a few hours or overnight. This recipe makes about 3 cups of pudding, and you’ll only need about 1 cup to fill the cake. I recommend using leftover pudding to make mini banana pudding cups.
Banana Cake Layers:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and line 3 7- or 8-inch round cake pans and set aside.
Use a fork or blender to mash the bananas with the lemon juice. This will prevent them from browning. Put aside.
Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Put aside.
Using a hand or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar at high speed (about 2 minutes). The mixture should become clearer. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
Beat in eggs one at a time, on medium speed until combined.
Add half of the dry ingredients and mix until incorporated on low speed.
Beat in the sour cream, mashed bananas, canola oil, and vanilla extract on medium-low speed, then beat in the remaining dry ingredients until combined. The batter will be thick, but that’s exactly how it should be!
Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake for 26 to 28 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Remove the cakes from the oven and place them on a rack. Let the layers cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then invert them onto a rack to finish cooling.
Level with a serrated knife once they have cooled completely and set aside. If you’re making them ahead of time, level the layers, wrap them, and freeze them.
Vanilla Buttercream Frosting:
As the cake layers cool, prepare the vanilla buttercream.
Beat 2 cups butter at medium speed for 30 seconds with a paddle or hand mixer, until smooth.
Mix 1 tablespoon vanilla and 1/2 teaspoon salt on low speed.
Slowly mix in 7 cups of powdered sugar on low speed. Halfway through mixing, add 2 tablespoons of heavy cream to make mixing the frosting easier.
Beat on low until ingredients are completely incorporated and desired consistency is reached. If the frosting seems too thick, add more heavy cream (1 tablespoon at a time). If the frosting is too thin, add more powdered sugar (1/4 cup at a time).
Place half of the buttercream in a large piping pipe with a large round tip then set aside.
Cover remaining frosting with plastic wrap to prevent crusting.
Assembling this Banana Pudding Cake:
Stack and frost the banana cake layers on a greaseproof cake board, using a little frosting to help stick the first cake layer to the board.
Spread an even layer of vanilla buttercream over the first cake layer. Pipe a thick ring (I like to make two passes) around the cake layer to act as a dam of frosting to hold the banana pudding in place.
Carefully spread 1/2 cup vanilla pudding inside the frosting ring. Place a layer of banana slices on top of the pudding, then sprinkle 3/4 cup chopped vanilla wafers over the banana slices. Spread about 1 cup of whipped topping over the wafers, then chill the cake in the freezer for 10 minutes. This will help hold the cake layers in place and prevent the cake layers from sliding around when you assemble the next layer.
Add the next cake layer and repeat the process.
Spread a thin layer of vanilla buttercream around the cake using a large offset spatula and smooth using a bench scraper. This crumb coat will keep all those pesky crumbs in place and make sure our second layer of frosting turns out perfect.
Color your leftover buttercream yellow with gel food coloring and spread an even layer around the cake. Smooth it out using a bench scraper or icing comb, then decorate as you wish! I added a mixture of yellow sprinkles around the base of the cake and put a few dollops of buttercream and swirls in a ring on top of the cake.
