I have been making a version of this cake for the past 20 years. However, I’ve always made it in a 9 x 13 pan. I finally decided to streamline the recipe and serve it in individual portions. Since this cake was always something I would normally make for a party, it just made more sense to put it together this way. It’s so much easier to serve. And cuter too.
Nothing falls apart, it tastes great and believe it or not, it’s not overly sweet. The oven also never goes on!
This cake gets a walnut crust just because it tastes so much better…more complex. The crust does not need baking, chilling it in the refrigerator keeps it all intact. If you have a nut allergy you could make a graham cracker crust using the same method. It works too.
I bought a wooden tamper originally to make mojitos. However, I rarely make mojitos but find I use this tool for so many baking and cooking projects. It worked especially well flattening the crusts in the bottom of the glasses.
Individual No-Bake Banana Split "Cakes"
Recipe from: Created by Cathy Pollak for NoblePig.com | Serves: 12
Ingredients:
Crust:
- 1-3/4 cupswalnuts
- 1/4 cupgranulated sugar
- 1/3 cupbutter, melted
Fillings:
- 12 ouncescream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cupsugar
- 1 (20 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained but reserve the juice
- 4-5 bananassliced into 96 sliced rounds
- 1 box (3.4 oz)instant vanilla pudding mix
- 1-3/4 cupswhole milk
- 1 (16-ounce) containerCool Whip, thawed
- 12 wholeMaraschino cherries
- walnut pieces for garnish
Directions:
- In a the bowl of a food processor, add walnuts and sugar. Process into crumbs. Add melted butter and process until smooth (will be wet). Divide walnut mixture evenly among twelve 8 oz plastic cups. Flatten crust on bottom with a tamper or the back of a spoon. Place in the refrigerator while you are making the fillings.
- Beat together cream cheese and sugar until incorporated. Place mixture in a Ziploc bag and place in refrigerator until ready to use. (I put in a Ziploc bag so that I could just cut off the corner and pipe it in. Much easier this way.)
- Drain pineapple juice into a bowl and toss juice with banana slices to keep them from browning. Set crushed pineapple aside.
- Combine instant pudding mix and cold milk. Whisk for two minutes. Place in refrigerator for 15 minutes until set.
- Once everything is made and ready to go, remove cups with crust from the refrigerator. Pipe in cream cheese layer, dividing evenly among the cups. Place pineapple on top of the cream cheese layer, divide evenly. Add four slices of banana on top of the pineapple to each cup. Divide pudding evenly among all cups. Add another 4 slices of banana . Top with Cool Whip, a Maraschino cherry and walnuts.
- Refrigerate 3-4 hours before serving.
Cathy owns a vineyard and winery in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. She is a food writer for Davis Life Magazine and blogs daily about wine, food and everyday living. She lives with her husband and two sons. You can visit her at noblepig.com.