Ultimate Banana Pudding Cheesecake

4.96 from 23 votes

Silky smooth banana cheesecake nestled inside a vanilla wafer crust. Tastes like banana pudding in cheesecake form!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American Southern

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 45

Total Time 55

Servings Slices

Calories 448kcal

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch cake or springform pan. Wrap the outsides with aluminum foil. Set aside.
Place ~60 vanilla wafers into a plastic bag. Finely crush with a rolling pin. In a medium bowl, combine wafter crumbs and melted butter.
Press vanilla wafer mixture evenly into pan. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Cool completely.

In a small saucepan, mash (3) bananas with a fork until smooth. Stir in brown sugar, and lemon juice. Cook for 3-5 minutes until sugar is melted and bananas are cooked. Remove from heat.
Stir in 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Cool completely.
In a large bowl stir cream cheese until light and fluffy. Cream in sugar until fully combined.
Stir in eggs and 2 teaspoons of vanilla. Stir in banana mixture until just combined.
Evenly pour filling into prepared crust. Place cake pan into a roasting pan. Fill pan around halfway full with hot water.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 45-60 minutes or until the center is firm. Cool on a wire rack. Refrigerate for a few hours before serving.

For the Topping
In a large chilled bowl, whip cream with a chilled whisk. Whisk until thickened. Stir in powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Whip until soft peaks form.
Garnish with whipped cream, sliced banana, and vanilla wafers if desired.

Ingredient Notes

- Bananas: For this recipe, we want ripe, almost overripe bananas. Look for ones with a mostly brown peel that you can mash easily with a fork.
- Cream Cheese: Use full-fat softened cream cheese. I leave mine sit on the counter for about an hour.
  You can also soften it by placing the foil-wrapped brick of cream cheese in warm (not hot) water for a few minutes.
- Eggs: You can also bring eggs to room temperature by placing them on the counter about an hour before you're getting ready to bake.

Tips

Use room temperature ingredients. This helps prevent lumps and also helps everything come together smoothly.
Don't Overmix: This can add too much air, leading to cracks.
Double-wrap your springform pan in foil to prevent moisture from leaking into the water bath. You can also place your springform pan inside a cake pan for extra protection.
Cool Gradually: Sudden temperature changes can also cause cracks. Cool in the oven with the door closed, then open the door, and then cool on the counter—finally, place in the fridge.