Easy Gluten Free Banana Pudding Cake
Banana pudding has always been one of my favorite desserts. And with this simple recipe for gluten free banana pudding cake, you can have all the flavors of your favorite pudding with cake! All you need is seven simple ingredients to make it! It’s a super simple gluten free dessert that’s perfect for any get-together.
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I love easy desserts that come together with just a few ingredients and a few minutes of my time. This simple banana pudding poke cake is one of these super easy recipes! Grab your favorite gluten free cake mix to make the cake, then add the toppings and you’re done!
And once you whip up this dessert, it’s perfect for any get-together. Whether you’re looking for a dessert idea for your next cookout or a simple recipe to take to a holiday dinner, everyone will love it.
How to Make Banana Pudding Cake
Banana pudding cake is a quick and easy recipe that’s perfect for any occasion. My favorite part about this simple dessert is that you only need seven ingredients:
- Gluten free yellow cake. The first step to making this simple dessert is preparing a gluten free yellow cake. You can make your favorite recipe from scratch or use a cake mix. Scroll down to see which cake mix is my favorite!
- Instant banana pudding. Instant banana pudding is the best option for this poke cake. But if you can’t find banana flavored pudding where you live, you can also use instant vanilla pudding.
- Milk. To make the pudding, you’ll need to whip it with milk until it’s smooth and creamy.
- Bananas. You can’t have banana pudding without bananas! You’ll need two or three sliced bananas, depending on how big your bananas are, for your cake.
- Cool Whip. Give your cake a real banana pudding flavor with the help of a Cool Whip topping.
- Gluten free vanilla wafers. To give this cake the flavor of banana pudding, I topped it with crushed Kinnikinnick Gluten Free Vanilla Wafers. If you don’t have those on hand, you can also make your own with this recipe for gluten free Nilla wafers from Gluten Free on a Shoestring. I’ve made them before and they’re delicious!
What is the best gluten free yellow cake mix?
Cake mix is a great way to cut down on the baking time of this easy dessert. And since there are a few different brands that offer yellow cake mix, you’re probably wondering which is the best. I’ve tried several different variations and I have found that Pillsbury Gluten Free Cake Mix has the best flavor and texture. Aldi’s Live GFree Yellow Baking Mix is another great option.
Here are a few other brands of yellow cake mix you could use for this simple recipe:
- Krusteauz Gluten Free Yellow Cake Mix
- Betty Crocker Gluten Free Yellow Cake Mix
- King Arthur Flour Gluten Free Yellow Cake Mix
- Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Yellow Cake Mix
Gluten Free Banana Pudding Cake Recipe
Once you have all your ingredients gathered, you can start baking. The first step is to prepare your gluten free yellow cake according to the package instructions. Prepare the cake in a 9×13 cake pan to ensure there’s enough room for the pudding and cool whip toppings to add on top.
Allow the cake to cool completely after it’s finished baking, then use a wooden spoon handle to poke several holes all over the cake. As you’re poking the holes, make sure to poke all the way down to the bottom of the pan to ensure the pudding soaks into the cake.
Prepare the instant banan pudding by whisking together the pudding mix and milk until combined. Immediately pour the pudding over the top of the cake, making sure th pudding goes down into the holes you just poked.
You’ll need to work quickly during this step because once the pudding thickens and sets it will be harder to pour. It’s a good idea to immediately pour the pudding mixture right after all the pudding has dissolved in the milk.
After your cake is fully covered with pudding, give the pudding a few minutes to set. This usually takes around five minutes, then transfer the cake to the refrigerator to chill for at least one hour.
Just before your ready to serve your gluten free banana pudding cake, remove it from the refrigerator and finish decorating. Start by creating a single layer of sliced bananas. As you place the bananas on top of the pudding, press them into the pudding slightly. This is especially important if you’re using vanilla pudding instead of banana-flavored pudding. Pressing the bananas into the pudding will help give your pudding a banana flavor.
Top the cake with a layer of Cool Whip. Spread the whipped topping evenly over the banana layer, making sure to completely cover the bananas. This will keep the bananas from browning when you serve your cake.
Grab a few gluten free vanilla wafers and crush them using a rolling pin. Sprinkle the crushed cookies over the top of the cake to decorate it.
Banana Pudding Poke Cake Variations
This easy poke cake recipe is perfect for a quick dessert. And since it’s so simple, you can easily make adjustments to the recipe to suit your needs.
This cake doesn’t have to be gluten free! Since each element of this recipe is a separate layer, there’s no reason you can’t adjust it to suit your needs. If you don’t need a gluten free recipe, simply use a regular yellow cake and vanilla wafer crumbs on top.
Use vanilla pudding if you can’t find banana pudding. I know banana pudding isn’t available in some locations, so if you can’t find that flavor simply use vanilla pudding instead. Follow the instructions as written and just swap a package of vanilla pudding for the banana pudding.
Make sure the bananas are fully covered. If you’re wondering how do you keep bananas from turning brown in banana pudding, the key is to keep air from coming in contact with the sliced bananas. The best way to do this is to make sure all your banana slices are fully covered by the whipped topping.
Gluten Free Banana Pudding Cake
Use yellow cake mix and instant pudding to make this quick and easy recipe for gluten free banana pudding cake.
Ingredients
- 1 box gluten free yellow cake mix, prepared in a 9x13 pan according to package instructions
- 1 5-ounce package instant banana pudding
- 2 ½ cups cold milk
- 2 to 3 bananas, sliced
- 1 8-ounce package whipped topping
- 5 gluten free vanilla wafers, crushed
Instructions
- Allow the cake to cool completely, then use the handle of a wooden spoon to poke holes in the gluten free cake.
- Whisk together the banana pudding and milk until combined. Immediately pour the mixture over the top of the cake.
- Chill the cake in the refrigerator for at least one hour, then top with banana slices. Spread the whipped topping over the top of the cake and garnish with crushed gluten free vanilla wafers.
- Keep chilled until ready to serve.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 302Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 5mgSodium: 383mgCarbohydrates: 54gFiber: 1gSugar: 30gProtein: 4g
More Easy Dinner Recipes:
Peanut Butter Banana Oat Pancakes
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Emily is a midwestern mom of two boys. She loves all things DIY — from home renovations to kids birthday party planning. Whether she’s making a new farmhouse craft for her home or helping her kids with a cool activity, you can bet she’s in the middle of some kind of DIY project (or three) right now!
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