Slow Cooker Banana Pudding Cake Recipe

Banana pudding is a Southern staple. But to make it in cake form, in a slow cooker no less? Now that's a dessert that's worthy of clutching your pearls. If this is the first time you're learning you can bake a cake this way, then welcome to the wonderful world of slow-cooked desserts. "I actually like making desserts in my crockpot, but don't like the gooey 'spoon cake' versions, so I've figured out how long a real cake consistency takes," says Angela Latimer, the brains behind this delicious banana pudding cake recipe.

Keep in mind when preparing this banana pudding cake that if there is a certain time you know you'd like to serve it, there are some additional steps to take after it's finished slow cooking, so plan accordingly. Continue reading for detailed instructions on how to hone your slow cooker dessert skills and beautifully execute the cake. It's going to be a hit!

There are two sets of ingredients for this banana pudding cake recipe: ingredients for the cake and ingredients for the whipped topping. First, gather the ingredients for the cake part of the dessert. The list is relatively short, and luckily, it contains a box cake mix that does most of the work for you.

For the banana pudding cake recipe's cake component, you'll need a box of yellow cake mix, a 5.1-ounce box of instant banana cream-flavored pudding, a cup of milk, a cup of melted butter (cooled); and four large, room-temperature eggs. You can take the eggs out of the fridge about 30 minutes prior to when you want to start making the batter, and that should suffice for getting them to the right temperature. 

Before you start making the banana pudding cake, go ahead and get the slow cooker ready so it's good to go when it's time to pour the batter in. 

Line the slow cooker with parchment paper, and make sure there's enough paper to enable you to lift the cake out of the pot but not so much paper that the corners overlap the lid of the slow cooker. You might have to trim the paper some. Latimer also strongly recommends crumpling the parchment paper before you line it to make it fit more easily.

Now that your slow cooker is ready, you can start creating the banana pudding cake batter. First, combine the two dry ingredients, the box of yellow cake mix (any brand works, by the way) and the box of instant banana cream pudding mix. Use a whisk to make sure the two mixes are thoroughly combined before moving on to the next step.

Once the cake and pudding powders are well combined, the recipe calls for you to "form a well in the center of the combined dry ingredients." Don't overthink this — it's just a shallow hole where you'll next add the wet ingredients before combining everything.

You can now add the wet ingredients (the four eggs, cup of milk, and cup of butter) to finish the process of making the banana pudding cake's batter. 

Add the milk, the melted, cooled butter, and the eggs to the well you formed in the dry ingredients in the previous step. Next, whisk the liquid ingredients into the cake mixture until everything is fully combined. The recipe does note that it's okay if there are small lumps in your batter, so don't feel like you have to keep rigorously stirring if you notice those after whisking it all up.

The banana pudding cake batter is now ready to bake in your slow cooker. Transfer the combined cake batter into the slow cooker. Cook the cake on low for three hours or until the banana pudding cake starts to pull away from the sides of the pot of the slow cooker.

You'll know the cake is done if you gently poke it and it springs back "from being touched with your finger." If this doesn't happen, put the lid back on the slow cooker and let it bake a little longer, but keep an eye on it so it doesn't overcook. You don't want it to get too dry.

When the cake is done cooking, it's time to take it out of the slow cooker. Turn off the slow cooker and remove the inner pot with the baked cake. Allow the cake to cool for at least 30 minutes to an hour. This will allow it to set properly. This step is really important because, according to Latimer, "You don't want to lift the cake out of the slow cooker while warm and soft, as it will fall apart."

Once the cake has set, use the corners of the parchment paper to gently lift it out of the pot then transfer it to a wire cooling rack. Then allow the cake to cool completely.

While the banana pudding cake is cooling on a wire rack, you can start the process of making the whipped topping. For the cake's whipped topping, you need a cup of Cool Whip (or the imitation whipped cream brand of your choice) or a cup of homemade whipped cream and instant vanilla pudding mix. Two final optional ingredients for topping the cake are banana slices (one banana is enough) and Nilla wafers.

Set the Cool Whip, whipped topping brand of your choice, homemade whipped cream out so that it thaws. Latimer notes, "The Cool Whip should be thawed slightly at room temperature (about 15 minutes until softened enough to stir with the pudding)."

When the whipped topping or whipped cream is softened, mix in two tablespoons of the instant vanilla pudding mix. You can add more if you want a stronger vanilla flavor.

The last step is to "ice the cake," if you will. Transfer the whipped topping you made in the previous step into a piping bag or plastic sandwich bag, and snip the end. You can use this tool to pipe the topping onto the cake. The other option is to simply frost the top of the cake with an offset spatula. It's totally your call.

Pipe (or gently spread) the whipped cream topping into rounds over the top of the cake. The final step (which is highly recommended but not required) is to place a Nilla wafer and fresh banana slice onto each round of whipped topping, as demonstrated in the photo.

Now, it's time to eat! Latimer describes the taste as "similar to a banana poke cake flavor profile, and that's a personal fave." You can enjoy the cake as leftovers too. "Store for three to four days in an airtight container, and keep refrigerated," says Latimer.