This vibrant Ube Banana Pudding is a stunning, modern twist on a southern classic. By combining the earthy, nutty flavor of Filipino ube (purple yam) with the creamy, nostalgic comfort of traditional banana pudding, you get a dessert that is as beautiful as it is delicious.
The deep purple hues from the ube-infused cake and pudding contrast perfectly with the bright yellow bananas, making this a true showstopper for any gathering. Whether you’re an ube fanatic or just looking for a unique dessert to share, this pudding offers a sophisticated flavor profile that remains incredibly approachable and satisfying.
Ingredients
For the Ube Cake (Homemade Version):
- ½ cup Unsalted Butter, softened (113g)
- ½ cup Vegetable Oil (109g)
- 1 ½ cups Granulated Sugar (300g)
- 4 Eggs, room temperature
- ½ tbsp Vanilla Extract
- ½ tbsp Ube Extract
- Purple Gel Food Coloring (optional)
- 3 ¼ cups All-Purpose Flour (406g)
- 1 tbsp Baking Powder (15g)
- 1 tsp Salt (6g)
- 1 ¼ cup Whole Milk (300g)
- ½ cup Water (120g)
Shortcut Option: Use 1 box vanilla cake mix, ½ tbsp ube extract, and optional purple food coloring. Bake according to box instructions.
For the Ube Pudding:
- 1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk (396g)
- 1 ½ cups Cold Water (355g)
- 1 pkg (3.4 oz) INSTANT Vanilla Pudding Mix (96g) — Must be instant!
- 3 cups Heavy Cream, cold (720g)
- 1 tsp Ube Extract, divided (approx. 5g)
- 1 tsp Ube Powder (or extra extract)
To Assemble:
- Ube Wafers or Cookies
- 4-5 Bananas (Look for bananas that are yellow but firm—not fully ripe/spotted, but not too green)
Instructions
1. Bake the Ube Cake
Preheat your oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, cream the butter, oil, and sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs, vanilla, ube extract, and optional food coloring. In a separate bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together. Alternate mixing the dry ingredients and the milk into the wet batter. Stir in the water last to thin the batter out. Pour into a greased pan and bake until a toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Allow to cool completely, then crumble and set aside.
2. Prepare the Pudding Base
In a large bowl, combine the sweetened condensed milk and cold water until fully incorporated. Mix in the instant pudding mix and ½ tsp of ube extract. Cover and chill in the fridge for at least 1-2 hours (or until the pudding has completely thickened and solidified).
3. Whip the Ube Cream
In a cold mixing bowl, beat the heavy cream and ube powder. Once soft peaks begin to form, add the remaining ½ tsp of ube extract. Continue beating until you reach stiff peaks.
4. The Final Fold
Take your chilled pudding and gently fold the ube whipped cream into it. Use a slow folding motion to keep the mixture light and airy while ensuring the color is uniform.
5. Assemble the Pudding
In a trifle dish or glass bowl, start with a layer of ube cake crumbles. Add a layer of ube wafers, followed by a layer of sliced bananas. Pour a generous layer of ube pudding over the top. Repeat the layers until the dish is filled, finishing with a decorative layer of whipped cream or cake crumbs.
Tips for Success
• The “Instant” Factor: Ensure your pudding mix is labeled “Instant.” Cook-and-serve pudding will not set correctly with these measurements.
• Banana Ripeness: Use bananas that are solidly yellow. Overly ripe bananas will turn mushy too quickly, while green bananas won’t provide enough sweetness.
Storage & Freshness
• Refrigeration: This pudding is even better after sitting! Store it in the fridge for up to 7 days.
• Texture Check: The cake and wafers will continue to soften and absorb the ube flavor the longer it sits, reaching peak deliciousness around the 24-hour mark.
Ube extract, ube powder, ube wafers, trifle dish in video, containers for pudding and tons of other items I use to bake with is linked for you in my Amazon Storefront!
Use Banana Pudding
Ingredients
Method
- Bake the Ube Cake: Preheat your oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, cream the butter, oil, and sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs, vanilla, ube extract, and optional food coloring. In a separate bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together. Alternate mixing the dry ingredients and the milk into the wet batter. Stir in the water last to thin the batter out. Pour into a greased pan and bake until a toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Allow to cool completely, then crumble and set aside. (Start checking cake at 25 minutes, I made mini cakes for this recipe which is why I don’t have the exact bake time written out for you)
- Shortcut Option: Use 1 box vanilla cake mix, ½ tbsp ube extract, and optional purple food coloring. Bake according to box instructions.
- Prepare the Pudding Base: In a large bowl, combine the sweetened condensed milk and cold water until fully incorporated. Mix in the instant pudding mix and ½ tsp of ube extract. Cover and chill in the fridge for at least 1-2 hours (or until the pudding has completely thickened and solidified).
- Whip the Ube Cream: In a cold mixing bowl, beat the heavy cream and ube powder. Once soft peaks begin to form, add the remaining ½ tsp of ube extract. Continue beating until you reach stiff peaks.
- The Final Fold: Take your chilled pudding and gently fold the ube whipped cream into it. Use a slow folding motion to keep the mixture light and airy while ensuring the color is uniform.
- Assemble the Pudding: In a trifle dish or glass bowl, start with a layer of ube cake crumbles. Add a layer of ube wafers, followed by a layer of sliced bananas. Pour a generous layer of ube pudding over the top. Repeat the layers until the dish is filled, finishing with a decorative layer of whipped cream or cake crumbs.
Video
@bubbas_daughter Ube Banana Pudding is the dreamiest pudding that will ever grace your tastebuds 🥰🍠🍌 #bananapudding #ubedessert #uberecipes #easybananapuddingrecipe #nobakedessert #easydessertrecipes #viralrecipes Ube Extract, Ube powder, food coloring and wafers are all linked in my A m a z o n S t o r e f r o n t! Recipe: For the cake (shortcut version): 1 box vanilla cake mix 1/2 tbsp ube extract Purple gel food coloring (optional) Bake according to box instructions, allow to cool then crumble & set aside Homemade version (the one I made): 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar 4 eggs, room temp 1/2 tbsp vanilla 1/2 tbsp ube extract Purple food coloring (optional) 3 1/4 cup AP flour 1 tbsp baking powder 1 tsp salt 1 1/4 cup whole milk 1/2 cup water 1.) Cream butter, oil & sugar until smooth 2.) Beat in eggs, vanilla, ube extract and food coloring 3.) Whisk together dry ingredients 4.) Alternate mixing in dry ingredients and milk until batter is smooth. Mix in water to thin out batter. 5.) Pour into greased pan(s) and bake on 350 until you stick a tooth pick in the middle and it’s no longer wet but a few crumbly pieces of cake are visible on the toothpick 6.) Allow to cool and crumble For the pudding: 1 3.4 oz INSTANT vanilla pudding mix (MUST BE INSTANT!) 1 1/2 cup cold water 1 can sweetened condensed milk 3 cups cold heavy cream 1 tsp ube extract 1 tsp ube powder (or more extract) 1.) Combine condensed milk and cold water until fully combined. Mix in pudding mix and ube extract (about 1/2 tsp). 2.) Cover and chill in the fridge for atleast an hour or until pudding has thickened/solidified 3.) Once pudding has thickened, in a cold mixing bowl, beat heavy cream and Ube powder until stiff peaks form. 4.) Once soft peaks form, add in more Ube extract (another half tsp). Continue beating until whipped cream has stiff peaks. Fold whipped cream gently into pudding. To assemble: Layer the cake crumbles, ube wafers, sliced bananas (that are not fully ripe but not too green) pudding and continue alternating until your dish is filled. Enjoy for up to a week in the fridge!
♬ original sound – 1M – 1M