Awesome Banana Pudding Cheesecake

This banana pudding cheesecake will shock you with how delicious it is. It is even better than classic banana pudding because it brings everything that makes cheesecake great, too. The creamy flavors and texture are perfect with the banana and the vanilla wafer cookies add a crunch and vanilla flavor that makes it a perfect dessert. This banana pudding cheesecake tastes just like banana pudding in a cheesecake! It has a Nilla Wafer crust, banana cheesecake with a layer of sliced bananas and crushed Nilla Wafers, and topped with whipped vanilla pudding.

Ingredients:
Nilla Wafer Crust:
1 box Nilla Wafers
2 tablespoon Brown sugar, packed, light or dark
½ cup Unsalted butter, melted

Banana Cheesecake:
24 oz Cream cheese, room temperature
¾ cup White granulated sugar
1 teaspoon Pure vanilla extract
2 Bananas, mashed
½ cup Sour cream, room temperature
¼ cup Heavy cream, room temperature
4 Large eggs room temperature
1 cup Crushed Nilla wafers
2 Bananas, sliced thinly

Whipped Vanilla Pudding:
1 package Instant vanilla pudding, 3.4 oz
1 cups Milk cold
1 teaspoon Pure vanilla extract
1 cup Heavy cream, cold
Crushed Nilla Wafers, for decorating

Instructions:

Nilla Wafer Crust:
Preheat the oven to 325℉. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with baking nonstick spray. Line the bottom with a 9-inch parchment paper circle and spray again.
Using a food processor, blend the Nilla Wafers into a fine crumb. Add in brown sugar and melted butter and mix together.
1 box Nilla Wafers, 2 tablespoon Brown sugar, ½ cup Unsalted butter
Pour the crumbs into the pan. Press the crust halfway up the pan and use the bottom of a measuring cup to compact the crust.
Bake for 11 minutes.

Banana Cheesecake:
Using a mixer, beat the cream cheese and sugar on high speed for 2 minutes. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the bowl. Make sure to mash the 2 bananas well. Add the mashed bananas, vanilla, sour cream, and heavy cream. Mix on medium speed until combined. It will be lumpy from the bananas. Add in the eggs and mix on low speed until just combined. Take off the mixer and scrape the bowl. Pour half of the cheesecake batter on top of the crust. Layer the cheesecake with sliced bananas and sprinkle the crushed Nilla Wafers on top. Top with the rest of the cheesecake batter.
Use one of these methods for a water bath. Both methods use a large roasting pan and hot steaming water.
1. Place the springform pan in a 10 inch cake pan. Place the cake pan in the roasting pan and fill with hot water halfway up the cake pan. This method prevent water getting into the crust.
2. Wrap the springform pan tightly twice in aluminum foil. Place the springform pan inside the roasting pan. Fill with hot water halfway up the springform pan. This method works great, but can sometimes leak water into the crust.
Bake for 80-90 minutes. Bake until the cheesecake has a slight jiggle in the middle, but the edges are set.
Turn off the oven, crack open the door, and let the cheesecake rest for 30 minutes to slowly cool. Then, remove the springform pan from the water bath and place on a cooling rack to cool completely.
Wrap cooled cheesecake in foil and chill for at least 6 hours or overnight.

Whipped Vanilla Pudding:
In a large bowl, add the instant pudding powder, and milk. Use a hand mixer to beat the pudding on medium speed for 2 minutes. Place the bowl in the fridge while you whip the cream. Using a metal bowl with a whisk attachment, beat the heavy cream and vanilla on high speed until stiff peaks form. Pour the whipped cream into the bowl of pudding. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold in the whipped cream. Do this until completely combined, but be gentle so you don’t knock out the air. Take the cheesecake out of the fridge and remove the springform pan and the parchment paper. Top with the whipped vanilla pudding and spread on top. Sprinkle the crushed Nilla Wafers on top.

Notes
Pull out dairy ingredients 2 hours before baking.

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