My only real memory of banana pudding is Magnolia. I lived in the West Village for years, a few blocks from the bakery on Bleecker, and I’d walk over for a pastel frosted cupcake or a cup of their banana pudding and eat it in the little park across the street, watching everyone go by. It was a sweet time in my life.
Kassie of I Bake Mistakes recently shared a brown butter banana pudding, and it inspired me to make my own. The vanilla custard is made from scratch and folded into whipped cream, the wafers are baked at home with a little sourdough discard, and there is plenty of fresh sliced banana. Made ahead and served cold from the fridge, it’s a dessert for a crowd.
• I love making my own vanilla wafers, but a box of store-bought will work just as well. You will want about 100.
• The wafers and the pastry cream can both be made a few days ahead, the wafers kept in a tin and the cream covered in the refrigerator. Whisk the pastry cream smooth on its own before folding it into the whipped cream — it firms as it chills, and going in cold and stiff will leave you with lumps.
Sourdough Banana Pudding
Description
Adapted from Kassie Mendieta and Stella Parks
Ingredients
BANANA PUDDING
Vanilla Wafers
¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
8 tablespoons (113 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
1½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 large egg, room temperature
¼ cup (60 g) heavy cream, room temperature
3 tablespoons (40 g) sourdough discard, optional
1¾ cups (250 g) all-purpose flour, sifted
Vanilla Bean Pastry Cream
2½ cups (600 g) whole milk
⅔ cup (130 g) granulated sugar
⅓ cup (45 g) cornstarch
½ teaspoon salt
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
1 large egg
5 egg yolks
4 tablespoons (55 g) unsalted butter
Pudding
2 cups (450 g) heavy cream
1 cup (250 g) mascarpone
¾ cup (200 g) sour cream
½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
5 medium bananas
1 batch vanilla wafers, about 100
Vanilla Whipped Cream
2¼ cups (525 g) heavy cream
¾ cup (90 g) powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
Make the Vanilla Wafers
- Preheat the oven to 350F and line two baking sheets with parchment.
- Add the sugar, butter, baking powder, salt and vanilla to the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, beat on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, cream and sourdough discard. With the mixer on low, add this to the butter mixture a little at a time, mixing until smooth. Add the flour and mix on the lowest speed until just combined. The batter will be stiff.
- Transfer the batter to a piping bag fitted with a ½ inch round tip. Pipe 1 inch disks onto the sheets, spacing them about an inch apart.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes, rotating the pans halfway, until the edges are golden and the centers are still pale. Let the wafers cool completely on the sheets.
Make the Pastry Cream
- Fill a large bowl with ice water and set aside.
- Split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape the seeds into a medium saucepan. Add the pod, milk, sugar, cornstarch, salt, egg and egg yolks. Whisk until smooth.
- Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the custard thickens and comes to a soft boil, 8-10 minutes. Keep whisking for 2 minutes more.
- Strain the custard into a heatproof bowl. Add the butter and blend with an immersion blender until smooth. A whisk works too, but the blender gives the creamiest texture.
- Cover the surface directly with plastic wrap and set the bowl in the ice bath, stirring occasionally, until the custard is cold.
Assemble the Pudding
- In a large bowl, whip the heavy cream with the mascarpone, sour cream and sugar to soft medium peaks. It should hold its shape and still fall back into itself as it sits.
- Fold the pastry cream into the whipped cream in three additions.
- Slice the bananas ¼ inch thick and fold them in, then fold in the wafers, holding back ten for the top.
- Spread the pudding into a 9×13 dish with a small offset spatula.
- Whip the heavy cream with the powdered sugar, vanilla and salt to medium peaks and spread it over the pudding.
- Cover directly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight to give the wafers time to soften.
- Crush the reserved wafers over the top just before serving.
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