Julie Clark
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Banana Split Cake
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An easy, layered cake recipe that is perfect for summer! This banana split cake with creamy pudding, bananas and crushed pineapple will be the hit of your picnic.
When you have ripe bananas you can make banana bread or banana cream pie, but what about a Banana Split Cake? Think of a semi-homemade cake that starts with a box cake mix, baking in a 11×15″ so is perfect for serving a crowd.
This Banana Split Cake recipe comes in several layers. Make the cake, then the pudding cream cheese layer, then top with fruit and Cool Whip. For a traditional banana split flavor, drizzle some hot fudge sauce and top with maraschino cherries. It’s stored in the fridge so is a cool and refreshing icebox cake for summer. Serve alongside a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Tips for Making Banana Split Cake
This banana split cake has many layers, but as you’ll see, it is very easy to make:
- Cake Layer. We used a cake mix as the base for this recipe. It makes the recipe easy and honestly…with all of the toppings, you’ll never know this is not from scratch. Notice we use a 11×15 baking dish. All of the layers will be too much if you use a traditional 9×13 cake pan.
- Cream Cheese Filling. We used a combination of cream cheese, banana pudding and cheesecake pudding to add a depth of flavor. You could also use coconut cream pudding. Yum!
- Bananas & Pineapple. Use ripe, but not overly ripe bananas for this recipe. You don’t want them too brown.
- Cool Whip. If you’d like to make homemade whipped cream you can totally do that.
- Toppings. We topped this banana split cake with cherries, nuts and a drizzling of chocolate syrup. It looks so pretty, right??
Storage Instructions
Once you make this amazing banana split cake, store it in the fridge covered with plastic wrap or a lid. The cream cheese mixture, whipped cream and fruit all require this cake to be refrigerated. The cake leftovers will last in the fridge for 2-3 days.
The cake also freezes well. Double wrap any leftovers and store in the freezer for up to 6 weeks. Thaw the banana split cake in the fridge before serving.
Banana Split Cake
An easy, layered cake recipe that is perfect for summer! This banana split cake with creamy pudding, bananas and crushed pineapple will be the hit of your picnic.
Servings 24
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 18 minutes
Chill Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 43 minutes
Ingredients
- 20 ounces crushed pineapple 1 can, completely drained
- 1 box yellow cake mix dry mix only
- 1 cup pineapple juice
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 12 ounces cream cheese softened
- 3.5 ounces instant cheesecake pudding 1 small box
- 5.1 ounces instant banana cream pudding 1 large box
- 2 cups 2% milk
- 4-5 ripe bananas thinly sliced
- 16 ounces frozen whipped topping thawed
- 16 ounces maraschino cherries drained and dried
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
- ¼ cup chocolate syrup
Instructions
- Prepare: Drain the crushed pineapple, reserving the juice for the cake batter. Spray an 11×15-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Preheat the oven to 350º F. 20 ounces crushed pineapple
- Make the cake: In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the dry cake mix, pineapple juice (if you didn’t get exactly 1 cup of pineapple juice from draining the pineapple, add water to make 1 cup), eggs and oil. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. 1 box yellow cake mix, 1 cup pineapple juice, 3 large eggs, ½ cup vegetable oil
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 15-18 minutes or until the center of the cake springs back when you touch it. Allow the cake to cool completely on a wire rack.
- Make the pudding filling: In a small bowl, use a hand mixer to cream the cream cheese until it is smooth. In another medium bowl, whisk together the pudding mixes and milk until smooth. Add the pudding mix into the cream cheese ½ cup at a time, mixing with the hand mixer between each addition. Continue until you've added in all of the pudding. 12 ounces cream cheese, 3.5 ounces instant cheesecake pudding, 5.1 ounces instant banana cream pudding, 2 cups 2% milk
- Assemble the cake: Spread the pudding mixture over the cooled cake. Place sliced bananas all over the top of the pudding layer. Sprinkle the drained crushed pineapple over the bananas. Spread the whipped topping over the pineapple. 4-5 ripe bananas, 16 ounces frozen whipped topping
- Top with drained and dried maraschino cherries, nuts and chocolate sauce, or decorate as desired. Cover the cake and store in the refrigerator. It is best to let this cake set for at least 4 hours before serving, if not overnight. This allows the layers to settle. 16 ounces maraschino cherries, ½ cup chopped walnuts, ¼ cup chocolate syrup
Notes
- You MUST use a pan larger than 9×13″ for this cake recipe. There are a lot of toppings and they will not all fit into a 9×13-inch baking pan.
- We’ve added sliced strawberries and chopped peanuts to this cake also and both are delicious.
- Store with scoops of ice cream. For even more texture, sprinkle graham cracker crumbs over the top layer of Cool Whip.
- The calories shown are based on the cake being cut into 24 pieces, with 1 serving being 1 slice of cake. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information.**
Nutrition
Calories: 347kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 42mg | Sodium: 384mg | Potassium: 221mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 37g | Vitamin A: 311IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 126mg | Iron: 1mg
