Getting a cupcake at Magnolia Bakery is SO cliche–the next time you are roaming Bleecker Street* with a nagging sweet tooth, try Magnolia’s banana pudding. Essentially a Southern-style trifle, this sugar-bomb is composed of layers of vanilla wafer cookies, ripe banana slices, and rich vanilla pudding. It is absolutely one of my favorite treats to be found in the city.
Luckily, I found an approximation of the recipe in The Buttercup Bake Shop Cookbook, by former Magnolia partner Jennifer Appel, in which instant vanilla pudding is intensified by sweetened condensed milk, then lightened up with whipped cream. I like to make this dessert a day in advance, so that the cookie layers soften a bit and meld with the pudding and banana slices. Build and serve it in a sophisticated souffle dish (two-quart capacity works perfectly), or in a clear trifle dish to reveal those meticulously-assembled layers.
*You could visit the new location on the Upper West Side, but I imagine it doesn’t have the same appeal. It certainly doesn’t have Marc Jacobs across the street.
Banana Pudding (adapted from The Buttercup Bake Shop Cookbook)
- 2/3 cup (slightly less than 2 boxes) instant vanilla pudding
- 1 1/2 cups cold water
- 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 cup heavy cream, cold (or substitute one container Cool Whip)
- 1 box vanilla wafter cookies (I like Nilla Wafers)
- 3 ripe bananas, thinly sliced on the diagonal
Make the pudding: in a medium-sized bowl, whisk together instant pudding powder and water until powder is dissolved and no lumps remain. Whisk in sweetened condensed milk until well-combined. Allow to set in refrigerator for at least 15 to 20 minutes. Beat heavy cream until stiff peaks form; fold into pudding (or, if using Cool Whip, omit the beating step and simply fold Cool Whip into pudding).
Assemble the dessert: cover the bottom of a large souffle or trifle dish with a layer of cookies. Overlapping edges are okay; in this case, I think more cookies are better than less. Top cookies with slices from one banana. Cover banana slices with one-third of the pudding mixture; repeat layering two more times. If desired, break a few cookies into shards and crumbles, and scatter across the top. Store in refrigerator until ready to serve.
Serves 6 to 8.
Comments 7
When I went to Magnolia’s and I tried one of their cupcakes, I was totally let down. I should’ve tried their banana pudding because it sounds so good!
Posted 21 Feb 2008 at 11:43 am ¶Great call on the banana pudding- it’s definitely my pick for Magnolia. Plus if you get it everyone knows you are not a tourist…
IMHO- you go to Billy’s to get cupcakes.
Posted 21 Feb 2008 at 4:33 pm ¶You know who else serves a mean Banana Pudding? Sugar Sweet Sunshine in the Lower East Side. My fave, by far.
Posted 22 Feb 2008 at 11:49 am ¶http://www.sugarsweetsunshine.com/tasty.html
i’d given up on magnolia because i think their cake is really overrated, but i might be persuaded to return for something like this. i love this kind of dessert - one my my favorite things to make is icebox cake, with the whipped cream and chocolate cookies.
Posted 24 Feb 2008 at 11:02 am ¶I made this last year for a dinner party and it was a big beautiful bowl of goodness. However, my friends were all stuffed from the meal and I had a lot left. I froze individual portions in little plastic cups and they were just as tasty as a treat.
Posted 28 Feb 2008 at 2:54 pm ¶I bookmarked this recipe and made it for Easter Sunday dessert. I want to say “thanks” for helping me impress my boyfriend’s parents. It was a huge hit!
Posted 25 Mar 2008 at 1:42 pm ¶I love you so much I could just KISS you… I’m eating some *real* Buttercup banana pudding right now, but dreaming of the kitchen debauchery that will go down this weekend… I’ve tried to make this myself, but failed miserably… Thanks for posting this recipe!!
Posted 17 Jul 2008 at 3:52 pm ¶Post a Comment