BY IVY ODOM
WHEN I WAS A KID, I was a strict rule follower—and I still am. But on my birthday in mid-April, there was one rule I looked forward to breaking. Before supper, I would sneak into the refrigerator when no one was watching and eat a heaping scoop of my present—Aunt Brenda’s famous banana pudding (my parents graciously pretended not to notice the missing spoonful when it was time to serve). You see, instead of a gift, my aunt gave me a big bowl of this dessert each year. Although I had secretly hoped for a golf cart, I happily accepted the pudding instead. This version is my standard for every other recipe. Her secret? Sour cream. The added tang and creaminess balance out the typically overly sweet treat, making it perhaps a little too easy to eat, especially when no one is looking.
Aunt Brenda’s Sour Cream Banana Pudding
ACTIVE 25 MIN. - TOTAL 25 MIN., PLUS 4 HOURS CHILLING
SERVES 12
2 cups cold whole milk
1 (5.1-oz.) pkg. vanilla instant pudding and pie filling
3 cups heavy whipping cream
½ cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 (8-oz.) container sour cream
1 (14-oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
8 cups vanilla wafers (from 2 [11-oz.] pkg.)
2 ¾ lb. ripe bananas (about 9 bananas), cut into
¼-inch-thick slices
1. Whisk together milk with instant pudding and pie filling in a large bowl until smooth. Let stand until very thick, 5 to 7 minutes. Meanwhile, beat cream with an electric mixer on high speed until soft peaks form, 1 to 2 minutes. Gradually add powdered sugar; beat until stiff peaks form, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Stir in vanilla. Reserve 1 ½ cups of the whipped cream in a small bowl; set aside.
2. Whisk sour cream and sweetened condensed milk into thickened pudding mixture until smooth. Fold in remaining 5 ¾ cups whipped cream until smooth and fluffy.
3. Cover the bottom of a 3-quart trifle dish or straight sided serving bowl with a single layer of vanilla wafers. Top wafers with a single layer of banana slices (about 3⁄4 cup); gently spread about 1 cup of the pudding mixture to cover banana slices.
4. Stand up wafers around inside of dish to create a ring, tucking them into the pudding mixture slightly for support. Lay down additional wafers on pudding mixture inside ring in a single layer. Top wafers with a single layer of banana slices; gently spread about 1 cup of the pudding mixture to cover banana slices. For the next layer, stand up banana slices around inside of dish to create a ring, tucking them into the pudding mixture. Lay down wafers on pudding mixture inside ring in a single layer; top with a single layer of banana slices. Gently spread about 1 cup of the pudding mixture to cover banana slices.
5. Reserve 4 vanilla wafers for garnish; repeat Step 4 with remaining wafers, banana slices, and pudding mixture. Top with reserved 1 ½ cups whipped cream, spreading as desired. Lightly crush reserved wafers; sprinkle over banana pudding. Chill, covered, in refrigerator at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours.
PERFECTLY RIPE
Although brown bananas are great for quick breads, you’ll want them to be a little prettier for this pudding. Shop for yellow ones with peels speckled with tiny brown spots; they will yield neat slices that are soft and full of flavor but not mushy or discolored.
SPEED IT UP
If your fruit isn’t quite ripe enough, pop it in a brown paper bag to hasten things along. To ripen them in a hurry, bake them (unpeeled) on a foil-lined baking sheet for 5 to 10 minutes at 300°F until they are almost black but not too mushy.
Hover your phone’s camera over the smart code, and watch Ivy make her aunt’s recipe on TikTok.
photograph by VICTOR PROTASIO
FOOD STYLING: CHELSEA ZIMMER;
PROP STYLING: HELL ROYSTER
ILLUSTRATIONS: KENDYLL HILLEGAS
