You guys! It’s my birthday today! Well, it’s the 6th birthday of Food n’ Focus! I know that every year on this day I tell the story of how the blog came to be, how my husband doubted I’d keep up with it, and my goals for the next year. But I’m going to skip all of that this year and just tell you ‘thank you’ for supporting my passion for all of these years. Without my readers this wouldn’t be possible.
I decided that this year I’d celebrate with pudding instead of cake but honestly, pudding is pretty amazing especially when it’s banana cream. This recipe is actually for the World Famous Banana Pudding that they serve at Magnolia Bakery, which is pretty delicious. I’m a huge fan of banana cream pie so of course I would be on board with this too! There is nothing more delicious than layers of Nilla wafers, fresh bananas and delicious pudding, don’t you agree?
I decided to make mine in individual portions is adorable little cups but if you’re serving a large group you can layer everything in a large trifle bowl. I like to use something clear so that you can see all of the beautiful layers. The key is in the folding of the whipping cream into the pudding making sure not to over mix because it will end up like soup instead of fluffy pudding. Use fresh, ripe bananas and be sure to cover them completely with pudding so they do not get brown.
I’m going to spend today reflecting on the past six years of blogging here but do me a favor and leave a comment with one of your favorite recipes that you’ve made from Food n’ Focus! I’d love to hear your thoughts and what you’d like to see more of in the next year. Cheers!
- 1 can (14oz) sweetened condensed milk
- 1½ cups cold water (or 2% milk for a creamier version)
- 1 small box (3.4 oz.) instant vanilla pudding mix
- 3 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 box of Nilla Wafers
- 4 medium bananas
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, blend sweetened condensed milk and cold water (or milk) until combined. Add pudding mix and blend on medium speed about 2 minutes. Transfer mixture to a small bowl, cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours (or overnight).
- After the pudding mixture has chilled and is very firm (at least 4 hours), beat cold whipping cream in the bowl of an electric mixer until the cream is fluffy and holds a stiff peak. Then, use a spatula to gently fold the pudding mixture into the whipped cream (add the pudding to the whipped cream in two batches). Fold/stir just until the pudding is combined. Fill (2/3 full) a large piping bag or a large zip closure bag with the whipped pudding, then snip off one corner of the bag.
- Pour about ½ of the box of Nilla wafers into a large bowl and break up each cookie in half or into a couple pieces.
- Slice bananas, reserving a ½ of a banana (in the peel) to slice and add just before serving.
- Begin assembly by adding a few broken cookies, a few slices of banana, and a layer of the pudding. Repeat with cookies, banana and pudding. Add a third layer if possible (depending on your dishes). Chill assembled desserts at least 30 minutes or up to 6 hours. Shortly before serving, add a garnish of a few broken cookies and a slice of banana.
Leave a Reply