Banana Pudding

Every time I go to New York City I want to stop by Magnolia Bakery for banana pudding. It's the creamiest, lightest, best tasting pudding ever. Kind of like banana cream pie, and I love banana cream pie. After one of these trips I decided I wanted to recreate the recipe for my roommates. And I made it, and it was good, but the texture wasn't right. It was delicious and pudding-y but it wasn't as light as the Magnolia Bakery version. Since it was good, I made it a few more times but it just never fully compared to the "real" stuff.

The "real" stuff. Photo from Flickr

Until this weekend when I basically hit the jackpot. And I think it was because I made the pudding and didn't use Jell-O. So, I'm going to share the happiness with you:

Magnolia Bakery Banana Pudding
Adapted from Crepes of Wrath

1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 egg, room temperature
1 egg yolk, room temperature
2 cups whole milk
2 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 large bananas, sliced
1 box nilla wafers (I didn't use them all but you'll want enough)
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup powdered sugar

1. In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, combine the sugar, cornstarch, egg, egg yolk, whole milk, vanilla extract, and salt. Whisk together until combined, then continue whisking for 8-10 minutes, until the pudding begins to bubble like hot lava (thick pudding with bubbles that sound like a ‘plopping’ noise). Add in the unsalted butter, reduce heat to the lowest setting, and whisk until completely melted. Pour the pudding into a separate bowl, then allow to sit in the fridge until cool. (It's a couple hours.)

2. Whip the cream with powdered sugar and vanilla until very stiff.

3. When the pudding is cool and the whipped cream is finished, fold the cream and pudding together until there is no more visible yellow. Don't stir because you will loose some of the air in the cream.

4. When the pudding is ready, begin to layer your pudding. Alternate layers of pudding, Nilla wafers, and bananas until you have used all the pudding. Then let the whole thing sit for a few hours (overnight is best) until the Nilla Wafers are soft. 

Serves 8 but you might want to double it because it's so good.

Seriously, you should try it. I promise you won't be disappointed. And if you do try and you've had the real stuff, let me know how it compares. I'm really interested to know if it needs something else or if it's as close as I think it is.