Banana Pudding Poke Cake — Soft, Creamy & Made for Sharing

There’s a dessert I bring to every potluck, every backyard barbecue, every “just bring something sweet” situation — and it disappears before I even find a spot to sit. This banana pudding poke cake is that dessert.

A golden sponge cake poked all over with holes, then flooded with creamy banana pudding that sinks into every tunnel and firms up into the most luscious, custardy columns. Topped with fresh banana slices, cool whipped cream, and a heavy handful of crushed Nilla Wafers — it’s comforting, cold, and impossibly easy. If you’re already a fan of our classic banana pudding, this is your next obsession.

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Why You’ll Love This Recipe

There are a lot of banana desserts on this blog. But this one has a very specific superpower — it only gets better the longer it sits in your fridge. Here’s why it keeps making the rounds in my kitchen.

• It never dries out. This poke cake with pudding and Cool Whip keeps every single bite impossibly moist — even on day three. That’s the whole magic of the poke technique.
• One pan, zero fuss. Everything bakes and assembles in a single 9×13 dish. No layers to stack, no piping bags, no stress.
• An easy banana poke cake with pudding anyone can make. If you can stir a box of cake mix and pour a pitcher of Jell-O pudding, you can nail this recipe on the first try.
• Make-ahead magic. This banana pudding cake 9×13 tastes noticeably better the next day — the pudding columns firm up beautifully and the flavors deepen overnight.
• Feeds a crowd. One pan yields up to 15 generous squares. Done and done.

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Ingredients & Notes

A short list of simple things — most of them already in your pantry. Here’s what to know before you start so nothing catches you off guard mid-recipe.

Yellow cake mix (15.25 oz / 432g box). Among all the pudding cake recipes with cake mix I’ve tested, this approach delivers the most reliably tender, golden crumb — no guesswork, no fuss. Recipes with yellow cake mix and pudding work so well because the two complement each other perfectly: the cake provides the structure, the pudding provides the moisture and the flavor. White cake mix works equally well for a lighter base. A from-scratch option is in the recipe card below.

Instant banana cream pudding mix (2 packages, 3.4 oz / 96g each). This is what turns an ordinary sponge into a Jell-O pudding poke cake. Jell-O Banana Cream Instant Pudding is the one I reach for — the flavor is bold enough to perfume every tunnel all the way through the sponge. Can’t find banana flavor? A vanilla instant pudding works beautifully. If you love the combination of banana and vanilla cream, our classic banana pudding goes deep on that classic flavor and is worth exploring alongside.

Whole milk (4 cups / 960ml, cold). Must be cold — it activates the pudding at exactly the right speed, giving you time to pour before it sets. Skim milk works in a pinch but the filling will be thinner.

Ripe but firm bananas (2–3). What makes this banana pudding poke cake with bananas so irresistible is the contrast — creamy pudding columns hidden inside the cake, then fresh golden banana slices peeking through the Cool Whip on top. For the topping, choose bananas that are golden yellow with just a few brown freckles: sweet and naturally flavorful, but firm enough to hold their shape when sliced. Save the very dark, blackened ones for muffins — they’d turn mushy here.

Cool Whip (8 oz / 225g, thawed). Take it out of the freezer the night before and let it thaw in the fridge. Want to make your own? Whip 1 cup (240ml) cold heavy cream with 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar to soft peaks.

Crushed Nilla Wafers (about 1 cup / 100g, plus whole ones for decoration). A banana pudding cake with vanilla wafers is a classic combination for a reason — that sandy, buttery crunch against the smooth Cool Whip is everything. Crush them in a zip-lock bag with a rolling pin, not too fine. You want varied, golden rubble, not powder.

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How to Make Banana Pudding Poke Cake

The whole process takes about 40 active minutes. The rest is the fridge doing the work. Read through once before you start — the timing between the baking, the poking, and the pudding pour matters more than anything else in this recipe.

• Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly grease a 9×13-inch (23×33 cm) baking dish with butter or nonstick spray.
• Make the cake batter following the instructions on the box mix — typically water, vegetable oil, and whole eggs. Pour into the prepared dish and smooth the top with a spatula.
• Bake for 26 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the surface is golden. Set the dish on a wire rack and let the cake cool for exactly 10 minutes — warm, not hot. This is important for absorption.

• Poke the holes. Using the round handle of a wooden spoon (about ½ inch / 1.2 cm in diameter), press firmly all over the surface of the warm cake. Space holes about 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart and push down about ¾ of the way through the cake — deep, but not piercing the bottom of the dish.

Work methodically in rows across the pan — you want full coverage so every slice gets pudding tunnels.

• Whisk the pudding in a large bowl or pitcher with a pour spout: combine both packets of instant banana cream pudding mix with 4 cups of cold milk. Whisk steadily for 90 seconds to 2 minutes. It should thicken slightly but remain pourable — that is your exact window.

• Pour immediately. The moment the pudding is blended, pour it slowly and evenly over the warm, poked cake. Use a silicone spatula to nudge the pudding into every hole. Don’t let the pudding sit in the bowl — if it rests more than 3 minutes, it will begin to gel and won’t penetrate the sponge.
• Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, ideally 3. Cover the dish loosely with plastic wrap. This is when the magic happens — the pudding columns firm up inside the cake and the whole thing transforms from a wet sponge into a silky, custardy poke cake.

• Layer the bananas. Once chilled, remove the dish from the fridge. Arrange sliced banana rounds in a single, even layer across the entire surface of the cake.

• Spread the Cool Whip gently over the banana layer in a smooth, even layer using an offset spatula or the back of a large spoon. Go edge to edge.

• Top with Nilla Wafers. Sprinkle the crushed wafers generously over the Cool Whip, then tuck whole Nilla Wafers along the edges and press a few into the surface for decoration.
• Slice and serve cold. Use a sharp knife and wipe the blade clean between each cut. As you lift the first square, you’ll see the creamy golden pudding columns inside the sponge — that’s the moment everyone at the table will reach for their fork.

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Lily’s Tips

A few things I learned the hard way so you don’t have to — especially the part about the pudding.

• Pour while warm, not hot. The warm pudding poured into the warm cake creates the best absorption. If either cools too much, the pudding sets on the surface rather than sinking down into the tunnels.
• Wipe your poke tool often. Every five or six holes, wipe the wooden spoon handle on a damp kitchen towel. Moist crumbs stick to the wood and can tear chunks from the sponge as you work.
• Add Nilla Wafers at the last moment. If you’re making this the night before — and you should — wait until 30 to 60 minutes before serving to add the crushed wafers. That way they stay sandy and golden instead of going soft. The whole biscuits along the edge can go on the night before and soften gently, which is actually lovely.
• Day two is better than day one. The pudding tunnels deepen in flavor and the whole cake settles into a more custardy, unified texture after a full overnight rest.
• “Brown-spotted bananas contain up to 80% more natural sugar than yellow ones.” That’s exactly why I use properly ripe, freckled bananas for the top layer — they bring a natural sweetness that plays beautifully against the cool whipped cream.
• “The riper your bananas, the less sugar you’ll need — nature does the sweetening for you.”

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Variations

The base recipe is perfect as written, but it’s also one of the most forgiving canvases in my kitchen. Here are five directions worth taking it.

Caramel Swirl Poke Cake. After poking the holes but before the pudding, drizzle ⅓ cup of warm salted caramel sauce across the surface and let it sink in slightly. Then pour the banana pudding soak over the top. The result is a caramel-banana-vanilla combination that is honestly unfair.

Chocolate Base Poke Cake. Use a devil’s food or dark chocolate cake mix for the base. The cross-section — deep brown sponge with golden banana pudding columns — is dramatic and beautiful on a buffet table.

Coconut Banana Poke Cake. Replace 1 cup (240ml) of the whole milk in the pudding with full-fat coconut milk. It adds a subtle tropical note that pairs perfectly with the banana cream filling.

From-Scratch Génoise. The from-scratch sponge option is in the recipe card below — it uses simple pantry staples and bakes in the same 26–30 minute window as the box mix version.

Something more formal. If you love the banana-and-cream flavor combination but want a dessert that’ll turn heads at a birthday dinner, our full banana layer cake with cream cheese frosting delivers the same cozy banana notes in a more elegant format.

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How to Store

Good news — this is one of those rare desserts that actually belongs in the fridge and genuinely improves with time. Here’s how to keep it at its best.

Counter: Not recommended — the pudding filling needs to stay cold.

Fridge: Up to 4 days in the baking dish, tightly covered with plastic wrap or foil. Unlike most cakes, this one doesn’t dry out — the pudding tunnels keep it moist and the flavor actually deepens with every day. Add fresh crushed Nilla Wafers right before each serving if the topping has softened.

Freezer: Freeze the base cake only (before the pudding soak and toppings) for up to 2 months. Wrap the fully cooled unfilled sponge in plastic wrap and then foil. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then poke and fill as normal from Step 4.

Meal prep tip: This is the ultimate refrigerator cake with pudding — the ideal prep-ahead dessert. Make everything through Step 10 the night before, then hold the crushed Nilla Wafers until 30 minutes before serving. If you love make-ahead banana desserts that deepen in flavor overnight, our old-fashioned banana bread pudding belongs in your rotation too.

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Love, Lily 🍌

Whatever brought you here — a backyard barbecue, a potluck, a slow Saturday with nowhere to be — I hope this cake makes someone at your table genuinely happy. It always does at mine.

And if you loved this, try these banana pudding cupcakes for an individual-serving spin on the same flavor, or go all-in with our no-bake banana pudding cheesecake for your next dinner party.

Love, Lily 🍌