Banana Split Cake

This banana split cake takes everything you love about the ice cream shop classic and turns it into a baked sheet cake. A yellow cake base made with pineapple juice, a creamy cheesecake and banana pudding layer, sliced bananas, crushed pineapple, whipped topping, cherries, peanuts, and a drizzle of chocolate syrup. It feeds a crowd and nobody misses the ice cream.

Why This Banana Split Cake Works

The cake mix gets a swap that matters. Instead of water, you use the juice from the can of crushed pineapple. It adds moisture and a subtle tropical sweetness that plain water can't touch. The cake bakes up soft and tender and actually tastes like it belongs under all those toppings.

The cream cheese layer is a mix of cream cheese, cheesecake pudding, and banana cream pudding whipped together with milk. It's not just plain cream cheese. The pudding gives it body and real banana flavor so every bite has that banana split taste, not just the slices on top.

It's a sheet cake. You bake it, cool it, layer it, and refrigerate it all in the same 9x13 pan. No stacking. No transferring. One pan from oven to fridge to table. That's my kind of dessert.

It's the same no-fuss setup I use for my lemon poke cake. One pan, bake it in the morning, chill it, and forget about it until dessert.

Ingredients You Need

For the cake:

• 13.25 oz box yellow cake mix
• 1 cup pineapple juice, reserved from the can of crushed pineapple
• 3 large eggs
• ½ cup vegetable oil

For the topping:

• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 3.5 oz box instant cheesecake pudding mix
• 5.1 oz box instant banana cream pudding mix
• 2 cups milk
• 4 bananas, sliced
• 20 oz can crushed pineapple, well drained, juice reserved for the cake
• 16 oz container whipped topping, thawed
• 16 oz jar maraschino cherries
• ¼ cup chopped peanuts
• 2 tablespoons chocolate syrup

How to Make Banana Split Cake

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x13 cake pan.

Open the can of crushed pineapple and drain it well, saving the juice. You need one cup of juice for the cake batter. In a large bowl, combine the dry cake mix, the reserved pineapple juice, eggs, and oil. Beat for a few minutes until smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 22 to 25 minutes, until the cake is set and a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cake cool completely, about an hour.

Once the cake is cooled, beat the softened cream cheese in a large bowl until smooth. In a separate bowl, whisk together the cheesecake pudding mix, banana cream pudding mix, and two cups of milk. Slowly beat the pudding mixture into the cream cheese until combined and creamy. Spread this in an even layer over the cooled cake.

Slice the bananas and arrange them in a single layer over the cream cheese mixture. Drop dollops of the drained crushed pineapple over the bananas and spread gently so you don't shift the bananas around too much.

Spread the whipped topping over the pineapple layer. If your whipped topping has been in the freezer, make sure it's fully thawed first so it spreads without tearing up the layers underneath.

Top with maraschino cherries, sprinkle the chopped peanuts over everything, and drizzle with chocolate syrup. Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours before serving. The longer it chills the better the layers set up. Overnight is even better.

Make Ahead and Storage

This cake is better after a long chill, which makes it perfect for making ahead. You can assemble it the night before a party and pull it out when it's time for dessert. The bananas stay protected under the whipped topping so they don't brown as quickly as you'd think. That said, this is best within 24 hours of assembling. After that the bananas start to soften and release liquid.

Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to two days. The bananas will brown a bit by day two but the taste doesn't change.

What to Serve with Banana Split Cake

This is a potluck dessert through and through. It goes next to burgers, hot dogs, pulled pork, grilled chicken, or anything else coming off the grill. It's also the answer when your kid asks for a banana split but you don't want to scoop ice cream for 15 people.

If you love this banana split cake, grab more summer dessert recipes for your next cookout.

📖 Recipe