Banana Pudding Poke Cake (+ Video)

This easy Banana Pudding Poke Cake recipe uses cake mix, banana pudding, and whipped cream to make a phenomenal flavor combo! So simple to make and perfect for summer.

piece of banana pudding poke cake on a plate, surrounded by bananas.

I love making poke cakes with cake mix - they're so simple to make and absolutely delicious! Today, we're going to make banana pudding into a rich, moist cake that's to die for.

💛 Why You'll Love This Recipe

I can't think of a better summer party dessert. This recipe is absolutely summer in a pan.
It has an amazing flavor and texture combo. You get that rich, creamy element mixed with the lightness of the cake. This one is similar to tres leches with box cake, just jacked up a bit with bright banana flavor and fun toppings.
So simple. If you can make a boxed cake mix, you can make this cake!

🍌 Ingredients & Variations

ingredients for banana pudding poke cake on a counter.

Boxed banana cake mix - You'll never know this is a boxed cake mix, I promise. It's summer as of this publish date, so banana cake mix is pretty readily available at most grocery stores. However, if you can't find it, a yellow cake mix works just fine.
Milk - Make sure to use whole milk to keep this recipe nice and creamy! You'll also need to use cold milk when making the instant pudding mix.
Butter - Using room-temperature butter will make it much easier to mix your cake batter.
Eggs - Go with large eggs for this recipe. My secret to making a boxed cake mix taste homemade is to add an egg to the box's directions.
Instant banana pudding mix - it's important that you use Instant mix rather than regular pudding mix for this recipe; instant pudding allows the cake to set up quickly. If you'd like to cut some of the sugar, use a sugar-free pudding mix instead.
Cool Whip - Of course, off-brand whipped topping is totally ok too. You could even make your own whipped cream by whipping 1 cup of heavy cream and ½ cup of powdered sugar.
Bananas - don't cut the banana slices for the top of the cake until the last minute. You'll want to avoid browning as much as possible. Or, if you want a cake that's a little more shelf-stable, use dried banana chips instead of fresh bananas.
Vanilla wafers - You can either crush these or leave them whole, up to you!

Flavor Variations

You're not just limited to banana poke cake. For example, use chocolate cake mix, chocolate pudding, and chocolate shavings on top for a Chocolate Poke Cake.
You can also mix flavors in this cake! I have a Strawberry Banana Pudding Cake that's similar to this one. It combines strawberries and bananas in one delicious cake recipe.

Looking for more fun & fruity recipes? Check out my Easy Dump Cake with Pineapple and Caramel Apple Dump Cake recipes!

🍰 How to Make Banana Pudding Poke Cake

Step 1: Prepare banana cake.

spreading banana cake batter in a pyrex dish.

poking holes in a banana cake with a wooden spoon handle.

Mix boxed banana cake mix, 1 cup milk, eggs, and room temperature butter and pour batter into a prepared 9x13" glass baking dish. Bake in the oven according to package directions. Allow the cake to cool for 30 minutes.

Once the cake is cool, using the handle of a wooden spoon, poke holes every 1-2 inches in the cake. You want to go all the way down to the bottom...get in there good!

Step 2: Soak cake in banana pudding mixture.

Whisk together the pudding mix and milk. Stir well to get any lumps out of the mix. Just after mixing, pour this pudding mixture over the cake. Use the wooden spoon to spread the pudding mix into the cake. You want very little pooling on top.

Chill the cake, covered, in the fridge for a few hours (I chilled mine overnight). This gives the cake time to cool and the pudding time to set.

Step 3: Top and serve.

baking dish of banana pudding poke cake and a slice on a plate, with serving utensil.

Once cooled, "frost" the cake with the Cool Whip. Sprinkle the crushed vanilla wafers over the top of the whipped cream. Just prior to serving, slice the bananas and spread them over the top (you don't want to do it too early, or the bananas will brown).

🎥 How-To Recipe Video

💡 Helpful Tips For Success

Don't top the poke cake with bananas until just before you're ready to serve. They brown quickly!
If you must put bananas on the cake more than an hour or so before serving, toss the banana slices in a little bit of lemon juice. That will buy you some time (but will give the banana slices a noticeable tangy flavor). I wouldn't top the cake with banana slices at all until you're within 24 hours of serving.
This cake should be stored in the refrigerator for 3-4 days after preparing. I'd recommend not slicing the cake until you're ready to serve it.
I do not recommend freezing this cake. The texture is just never right after coming out of the freezer.
Make sure to spray your baking pan with cooking spray before pouring your cake batter.

🙋🏻 Recipe FAQs

With this kind of cake, you'll be poking holes in the cake to allow the creamy pudding mixture to blend into the cake, making an irresistible dessert...hence "poke cake!"

You can make a poke cake up to 24 hours before serving. Any longer than this, and you risk the cake drying out.

This typically means your pudding mixture was too thin. Unfortunately, there's not much you can do for this cake, but use ½ cup less milk in your pudding mixture next time you make a poke cake.

More Great Cake Recipes

Let me know how your banana pudding poke cake turns out! I'd love to see pictures on 📸 social media (tag me @lambertslately) or read your ⭐️ review in the comments.

Banana Pudding Poke Cake (+ Video)

💛 Why You'll Love This Recipe