Creamy Banana Cheesecake (Printer-Friendly Version)
# What You'll Need:
→ Nilla Wafer Crust
01 -
One box of Nilla Wafers
02 -
2 tablespoons brown sugar, either light or dark, packed tight
03 -
Half a cup of unsalted butter, melted
→ Banana Cheesecake Filling
04 -
24 ounces of cream cheese, softened until it's room temperature
05 -
3/4 cup of regular white sugar
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1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
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2 bananas, mashed up really smooth
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1/2 cup sour cream, make sure it's room temp
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1/4 cup heavy whipping cream that's also at room temp
10 -
4 large eggs that have sat out to come to room temperature
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1 cup of crushed Nilla Wafers
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2 bananas, sliced into thin rounds
→ Whipped Vanilla Pudding Topping
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One 3.4-ounce box of instant vanilla pudding mix
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1 cup of fridge-cold milk
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1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
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1 cup of cold heavy cream
17 -
More crushed Nilla Wafers for decorating
# Method:
01 -
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Use baking spray to coat your 9-inch springform pan, then stick a piece of parchment paper on the bottom. Spray it lightly again for extra stickiness.
02 -
Toss your Nilla Wafers into a food processor and grind them into fine crumbs. Stir the crumbs together with the sugar and melted butter until nicely mixed. Firmly press this onto the bottom and partway up the sides of your pan—something like a measuring cup helps! Bake it for 11 minutes so it gets golden and crispy.
03 -
Whip your cream cheese and sugar on high speed until it's creamy and smooth—this takes around 2 minutes. Stir in the bananas, vanilla, sour cream, and heavy cream, blending everything on medium until it combines. Lumps are totally okay from the bananas! Finally, on low, blend in the eggs until just mixed in.
04 -
Pour about half the filling over your crust, then carefully layer banana slices and sprinkle on the crushed Nilla Wafers. Pour the other half of the filling on top to finish it off.
05 -
Put your springform pan inside a larger 10-inch cake pan, then both go into a big roasting pan. Pour hot water into the roasting pan halfway up the cake pan. Bake for 80 to 90 minutes until the edges are firm but the center still jiggles when you gently shake. Turn the oven off, crack the door open, and let it cool in the oven for 30 minutes before moving it to a rack.
06 -
After it cools down fully, wrap the whole cheesecake in foil and stick it in the fridge for at least 6 hours, or better yet, leave it overnight.
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Whisk together the pudding mix and cold milk for 2 minutes, then let it chill in the fridge. Meanwhile, whip up the heavy cream with vanilla until it's nice and thick (stiff peaks). Gently fold the whipped cream into the pudding until smooth.
08 -
Take your cheesecake out of the springform pan, spread the pudding-cream topping over it, and sprinkle the top with crushed Nilla Wafers to finish it off.
# Cook's Tips:
01 -
To get the best consistency, let your dairy ingredients sit out for about 2 hours until they're room temperature before you start.