No-Bake Banana Pudding Stuffed Cheesecake Recipe

Do you ever feel like bananas are so green they're inedible when you buy them, then you look at them 3 days later and they're one minute away from death by banana bread? I've done the thing before where you separate each banana from the bunch when you bring them home to try and keep them from ripening too quickly and honestly, even if it bought me an extra day, it annoyed me to have bananas in every corner of my kitchen. 

Earlier in the day, Sam went to pick a banana off the bunch of four, and all of the stems from the remaining three came with it. After assuring him that didn't mean he had to eat four bananas in one sitting, I started brainstorming what I could do with three bananas - not yet at the overripe banana bread stage - that needed immediate attention. 

Lord knows why I bought a two pack of Philadelphia cream cheese a couple months ago but past Erica, present Erica thanks you. Cheesecake is in my top 2 favorite desserts to make right up there with cream puffs, so I love any excuse to whip one up, and I don't think Sam's complaining either. Last year around this time, I made a mash-up of a funfetti birthday cake and a Philadelphia style cheesecake for his birthday (check out the recipe here!). I knew I needed to stretch the filling since a standard baked cheesecake uses four 8 oz packages of cream cheese and I only had half that much. 

Why not stuff it with banana pudding? 

I decided to go with the no-bake option so I could sandwich the banana pudding between the crust and the cheesecake filling to keep the air from getting to the bananas and turning them brown. Nothing sounds more unappetizing than opening up the refrigerator and a cake topped with mushy old grayish-brown bananas is staring back at you.

I happened to have a pint of heavy cream in the fridge, which is perfect for a light textured no-bake cheesecake, and added to my filling-stretching objective. I only needed 12 oz for the filling recipe, so the extra went toward whipped cream topping, another banana pudding tie-in!

My crust decision was a simple one - we've had half a box of Honey Maid graham crackers sitting in the pantry since last Labor Day when we had family over and planned to put our newly built fire pit to use with some marshmallow roasting and s'mores but never ended up doing it, and instead the two of us toasted marshmallows stuck on a fork over the open flame of our gas stove top too many times than I'd like to admit after that (is that dangerous?) and used up some of those graham crackers in the process. The rest would end up in what was becoming my kitchen clean-out masterpiece.

No-Bake Banana Pudding Stuffed Cheesecake

Makes one 9" cake

Ingredients: 

Crust-

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs*

2 tbsp sugar

6 tbsp melted butter

Banana Pudding-

1 cup milk

1/2 cup sugar

4 egg yolks

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp corn starch

1 tbsp flour*

3 bananas

Cheesecake-

16 oz cream cheese, softened

12 oz heavy cream

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 tbsp lemon juice

Topping:

4 oz heavy cream

1 tbsp sugar

Make the crust: Mix all crust ingredients. Line the bottom of a 9" springform pan with a parchment paper circle and grease the sides. Press buttered crumbs into the bottom and halfway up the sides of the prepared pan. Refrigerate until ready to fill. 

Make the banana pudding: Heat milk, half the sugar, and vanilla in a saucepan over medium heat. Meanwhile, whisk egg yolks and the rest of the sugar, then add the corn starch and flour, mixing until thick and smooth. 

Once wisps of steam begin to appear in the milk, reduce heat to low. Ladle a small amount (2-3 tbsp) of the heated milk mixture into the egg mixture, whisking vigorously to temper the eggs. Turn the heat back up to medium and vigorously whisk the tempered eggs into the milk until all are incorporated. Wait a few seconds and let the cream thicken until it 'burps' in the center, then remove from heat and whisk until smooth and glossy. Transfer immediately into a shallow glass dish, cover, and refrigerate until completely cooled through (3 hours or overnight). 

Cut bananas into 1/4" slices and place in an even layer over the bottom crust (brush with lemon juice to prevent browning, if desired). Pour cooled cream over bananas and spread out to edges of crust in an even layer. Add another layer of banana slices.  

Make the cheesecake and topping: 

Whip the heavy cream in the bowl of a stand mixer until soft peaks form. Transfer 3/4 of it (12 oz) to a separate bowl, then continue whipping the rest (4 oz) with 1/2 tbsp sugar to stiff peaks. Transfer to a piping bag and refrigerate. 

Change to the paddle attachment and whip cream cheese and sugar until fluffy and smooth. Scrape down sides of bowl and paddle, then add vanilla and lemon and continue whipping on medium speed until blended. Add the reserved 12 oz. of soft peak whipped cream and whip on medium-high speed until mixture thickens and begins to pull away from the side of the bowl. 

Pour cheesecake mixture over bananas, then spread out to edges of pan. Use an offset spatula to smooth top. Cover and refrigerate until set, about 3 hours.

Carefully remove sides from springform pan and slide cheesecake and parchment paper off the bottom piece and onto a serving plate. Snip tip off the piping bag of whipped cream and pipe on the top of the cake. Garnish with graham cracker crumbs or leftover banana slices. Keep refrigerated and enjoy within one week. 

*Gluten-free option: Swap out graham cracker crust with a nut crust. Pulse 3/4 cup each walnuts and pecans in the bowl of a food processor until finely ground. Combine with 3 tbsp melted butter and 1/4 cup sugar. Substitute the 2 tbsp flour in the banana pudding for an additional tbsp corn starch.

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The Details

Need a little more info? Let's break down the recipe in detail.

Step 1: Crust

Mix 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs, 6 tbsp melted unsalted butter, and 2 tbsp sugar. Press into the bottom of a greased 9" springform pan. 

This part is pretty simple. Feel free to add more sugar if you prefer a sweeter crust (up to 1/4 cup). The crust is where you can experiment and tailor it to your tastes. Try it with chocolate graham crackers instead of honey, or use vanilla wafers for a true banana pudding taste. 

For a gluten-free spin, grind 3/4 cups each of walnuts and pecans and substitute those for the graham crackers; you'll want to use the full 1/4 cup sugar if you go this route since you'll be missing out on the sweetness already in the graham crackers. 

Once the crust is pressed into an even layer on the bottom and sides of the pan, refrigerate until you're ready to fill it.

Step 2: Banana Pudding

Heat 1 cup milk, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1 tsp vanilla extract in a saucepan over medium heat. Meanwhile, in a separate heatproof bowl, whisk 1/4 cup sugar into 4 egg yolks, then add 2 tbsp each of corn starch and flour and mix until smooth. Once wisps of steam begin to appear in the milk mixture, reduce heat to low and whisk a small amount into the eggs to temper them. 

Increase heat back to medium and whisk the tempered eggs back into the milk. Let boil until the center of the cream burps, then remove from heat and vigorously whisk until smooth and glossy. Immediately transfer to a shallow glass bowl; cover and refrigerate until completely cooled through (at least 3 hours).

Slice 3 bananas into 1/4" rounds and place in an even layer over the bottom crust. Spread pudding in an even layer over top of bananas, then top with another layer of bananas. 

This part is a classic pastry cream recipe. You can use it to fill pastries like cakes, Boston cream donuts (my favorite!), or fold it into a cup of whipped heavy cream to create a nice light diplomat cream to fill cream puffs or eclairs. 

When you cover the cream, make sure to press the plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the cream to prevent a film from forming. I like to use a glass Pyrex bowl to chill it in (really for no reason other than it makes me feel like I'm on the Holiday Baking Championship, running and shouting, "I'M PUTTING THIS IN THE BLAST CHILLER!"), but you can also use a glass baking dish. The shallower the pan, the quicker the cream will chill all the way through. 

Once your cream is cold (should take about 3 hours), slice up 3 bananas into 1/4" rounds and place in an even layer around the bottom of your pan on top of the crust. To help slow the inevitable browning process, dip or brush the banana slices with an acidic fruit juice like lemon, orange, or pineapple. Since we're using lemon juice in the cheesecake filling recipe, it works perfectly in this part, too. 

Pour the cream over the banana slices and gently spread it out to the edges of the crust in an even layer. Finish with a second layer of banana slices.

Step 3: Cheesecake

Whip heavy cream in the bowl of a stand mixer until soft peaks form. Transfer 3/4 of the cream to a separate bowl, then add 1 tbsp sugar to the remaining cream and continue whipping until stiff peaks form. Transfer to a piping bag and refrigerate. 

Change to the paddle attachment and whip cream cheese and sugar until smooth and fluffy, then add vanilla and lemon and continue mixing until blended. Add in the soft peaked heavy cream, and mix on medium speed until the mixture begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Pour over the banana pudding and gently spread into a smooth, even layer.

Snip the tip off the reserved whipped cream bag and pipe dollops of cream over the entire top of the cake. Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours to set. Carefully remove the sides of the springform pan before serving. 

This is another pretty simple step. Use a stand mixer if you have one, or a hand mixer will work. If you don't have either, you can always do it the old fashioned way... I've also whipped heavy cream in a Blender Bottle before (it works really well!), but all you truly need is a good balloon whisk and strong shoulder. Use a fork or a wooden spoon to loosen up the cream cheese and incorporate the sugar if you don't have a stand or hand mixer. 

To spread the cheesecake filling, an offset spatula is a lifesaver - it really comes in handy for so many baking tasks - but the top of a butterknife will work just fine, too. Don't worry about getting it perfectly smooth since we'll be covering it with whipped cream. 

Snip about 1/2" off the tip of the pastry bag of whipped cream, then pipe dollops of it all over the top of the cake. I did mine with large dollops on the outside, gradually decreasing in size as I made my way to the center. You can also garnish with leftover banana slices - just make sure to save that step for right before serving to prevent the chances of them browning as it sits. Also, I would definitely use the fruit juice trick to slow that browning process. Before storing any leftovers, make sure to remove any banana slice garnish since they'll for sure brown sitting overnight in the fridge. 

Cover with plastic wrap, being careful not to smoosh your whipped cream dollops. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours to set. Before serving, remove the sides of your springform pan. Since this is a no-bake cake, it's naturally a looser texture than a baked cheesecake, so you can serve it directly on the springform base to make it easier to slide it from the decorative cake stand and back to a covered storage container for the fridge. If you're taking this to a party and are worried about getting your base back, use a 9" disposable cardboard round instead of the standard pan base. Or just, like... try harder than I did to get the cake off the base.