Banana Pudding Cheesecake
Yield: 12 servings
This Banana Pudding Cheesecake features a buttery Nilla wafer crust with a cool and creamy cheesecake filling that has sweet banana flavor - all topped off with a fluffy banana pudding whipped cream garnish!
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 1 box 11 ounces Nilla Wafers (set aside 4 cookies for garnish)
- 2 tablespoons honey
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon Morton kosher salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
For the Cheesecake:
- 32 ounces 4 blocks regular cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup regular sour cream
- ½ cup whole milk
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ¾ cup instant banana pudding mix (you will need a full "family size" 5.1 ounce package for this)
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 4 large eggs
For Garnish:
- 1 cup cold heavy whipping cream
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons instant banana pudding mix
- 2 medium bananas sliced
- 3 Nilla Wafers cookies and 1 crushed Nilla Wafers cookie from reserved Nilla Wafers in the crust
Instructions
- For the crust: Preheat the oven to 350° F. Wrap a 9” springform pan with foil as tightly as possible to prevent water from seeping into your crust. Lightly spray springform pan with nonstick baking spray and set aside.
- Add the Nilla Wafers to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until cookies are a fine crumb, about 1 minute.
- Add the honey, cinnamon, and salt to the Nilla Wafer crumbs and pulse to combine.
- With the food processor on low speed, slowly add the melted butter. Pulse just until the mixture resembles wet sand.
- Transfer the crust mixture to prepared springform pan and press it into an even layer on the bottom and 1” up the sides. The crust should be about ¼” thick on all sides.
- Bake the crust for 10 minutes. Set it aside to cool while preparing the filling.
- For the Cheesecake: Add the cream cheese and granulated sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium-low speed until light and fluffy, about 1 minute.
- Add the sour cream, milk, and vanilla to the cream cheese mixture. Mix to combine, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add the banana pudding mix and flour. Mix to combine.
- With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs one at a time. As soon as the last egg is incorporated, stop mixing. Overbeating the eggs can lead to a cracked cheesecake.
- Pour the cheesecake mixture into the crust and then place the springform pan into a large baking pan with tall sides. Add very hot water to the baking pan until it's ½” deep. It's helpful to use a pitcher or a bowl with a spout for easy pouring.
- Bake at 350° F in the center of the oven for 75-90 minutes, or until the center jiggles only slightly when gently shaken. I usually bake for 90 minutes, to fully firm-up the center.
- Turn off the oven and crack open the oven door. Allow cheesecake to cool in the warm oven for 1 hour.
- Remove springform pan from the water bath and place the cheesecake in the fridge to chill - at least 6 hours, but overnight is preferred.
- For the Garnish: Add the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and banana pudding mix to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium speed until stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes.
- Gently run a knife around the perimeter of the cheesecake, then release the sides of the springform pan. Transfer the cheesecake to a serving platter.
- Spread the whipped cream on top of the cheesecake, in the center, leaving a bare border at the outside edge. Add banana slices on top, at the bare outside edge. Sprinkle whipped cream with crushed Nilla Wafers, then poke the 3 whole Nilla wafers and a few banana slices into the whipped cream.
Nutrition Information:
Serving: 1 Calories: 618kcal Carbohydrates: 44g Protein: 9g Fat: 47g Saturated Fat: 27g Polyunsaturated Fat: 15g Cholesterol: 188mg Sodium: 385mg Fiber: 1g Sugar: 36g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by Spoonacular. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee accuracy. If your health depends on nutrition information, please calculate again with your own favorite calculator.