Banana Pudding Series: Episode 4
Welcome back to my Banana Pudding Series! For episode 4, we have a Coconut Cream Banana Pudding. The best way I would describe this is your favorite coconut cream pie and banana cream pie combined. We have layers of vanilla wafers, bananas, toasted coconut pastry cream, and a coconut whipped cream. It’s light, fluffy, creamy, and perfectly “not too sweet.” Without further ado, let’s jump into the recipe!
Prepping Ahead
First things first, we’re going to use coconut cream to make the coconut whipped cream. Make sure to place the coconut cream in the fridge for at least 1 full day before making the recipe. Coconut cream is not the same as coconut milk. It’s thicker and higher in fat. Refrigerating it for a day or two allows the thicker cream to solidify and separate from any excess liquid. When making the whipped cream, we’ll only use the cream and discard any liquid that’s left. So be sure to set a reminder a few days ahead of time!
Other than that, it’s business as usual. We’ll start with making the pastry cream — pour the milk into a sauce pot and heat it over medium high heat until it just comes to a simmer. In the meantime, add the egg yolks, cornstarch, granulated sugar, and salt into a bowl. Whisk the ingredients together until it turns into a pale yellow color. When the milk is simmering, remove it from the heat. Scoop a ladleful of the hot milk then slowly pour it into the egg mixture while whisking quickly to prevent the eggs from scrambling. Continue adding in the milk while whisking until half of the milk has been used.
Pour the mixture back into the pot with the remaining milk and whisk. Return the pot to the stove and heat over medium heat. Whisk constantly until the cream starts bubbling and thickens into a custard. Remove the pot from heat and mix in the vanilla extract and unsalted butter until fully incorporated. If your pastry cream is lumpy, you can pass it through a fine mesh sieve. Set it aside.
Toasting The Coconut
In the meantime, add the coconut flakes into a pan over medium heat. Toast the coconut flakes for a few minutes, mixing occasionally, until they turn a light golden brown color. Add 1 cup of the toasted coconut into the pastry cream and mix until combined. Save the rest for topping. Transfer the pastry cream into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Make sure the plastic wrap makes contact with the surface of the pastry cream to prevent a skin from forming. Place it in the fridge to cool completely.
Open the cartons of coconut cream. Most of the cream inside should have solidified. Scoop the cream into a large bowl. Discard any remaining liquid. Use a hand mixer with the whisk attachment to whip the cream on high speed for 1 minute. Add in the powdered sugar then continue to mix on high speed until you get soft peaks of whipped cream. When the pastry cream has cooled, mix it with a rubber spatula to loosen it. Add about 2½ cups of the whipped coconut cream into the pastry cream. Gently fold them together until evenly combined.
Spread a layer of the vanilla wafers into a 9×13 inch pan or 2½ – 3 quart baking dish. It should be just enough to cover the bottom of the dish in a single layer. Add on a layer of the sliced bananas. Then spread on a layer of the pastry cream so that that bananas are fully covered. Add on a layer of the coconut whipped cream. Repeat this process one more time to create another set of layers. Garnish the top with the remaining toasted coconut. For best consistency, let the banana pudding set over night.
Crazy for Coconut
I’ll be honest, I wasn’t always a fan of coconut. But now that my palate has matured, it’s become one of my favorite flavors. I feel like it’s such an underdog because it doesn’t sound as exciting as something like chocolate chip or caramel, but it has so much to offer. The flavor is nutty, buttery, and tropical. Not to mention, it’s pretty incredible how many forms it comes in and the ways they can be used. We made whipped cream with coconut cream and used toasted coconut in the pastry cream. Other than the taste, I think that’s my favorite part of this Coconut Cream Banana Pudding. It has so much natural coconut flavor without having to use any additional extracts. The coconut whipped cream is especially silky and velvety from the high fat content in the coconut cream. Then the toasted coconut adds a nutty flavor as well as a slight crunch. If you’re a coconut lover, you have to try this Coconut Cream Banana Pudding!
Coconut Cream Banana Pudding
Ingredients
- 2 (16.9 oz) Cartons of Coconut Cream (refrigerated for 1-2 days)
- 2 cups Whole Milk
- 5 Large Egg Yolks
- 3 tbsp Cornstarch
- ½ cup Granulated Sugar
- ⅛ tsp Salt
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 2 tbsp Unsalted Butter
- 1½ cups Sweetened or Unsweetened Shredded Coconut Flakes
- 1 cup Powdered Sugar
- 11 oz Vanilla Wafers
- 6 Bananas sliced
Instructions
- Place the coconut cream in the fridge for at least 1 full day before making the recipe so that the cream solidifies.
- Pour the milk into a sauce pot and heat it over medium high heat until it just comes to a simmer. In the meantime, add the egg yolks, cornstarch, granulated sugar, and salt into a bowl. Whisk the ingredients together until it turns into a pale yellow color.
- When the milk is simmering, remove it from the heat. Scoop a ladleful of the hot milk then slowly pour it into the egg mixture while whisking quickly to prevent the eggs from scrambling. Continue adding in the milk while whisking until half of the milk has been used.
- Pour the mixture back into the pot with the remaining milk and whisk. Return the pot to the stove and heat over medium heat. Whisk constantly until the cream starts bubbling and thickens into a custard. Remove the pot from heat and mix in the vanilla extract and unsalted butter until fully incorporated.
- If your pastry cream is lumpy, you can pass it through a fine mesh sieve. Set it aside and in the meantime add the coconut flakes into a pan over medium heat. Toast the coconut flakes for a few minutes, mixing occasionally, until they turn a light golden brown color. Add 1 cup of the toasted coconut into the pastry cream and mix until combined. Save the rest for topping. Transfer the pastry cream into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Make sure the plastic wrap makes contact with the surface of the pastry cream to prevent a skin from forming. Place it in the fridge to cool completely.
- Open the cartons of coconut cream. Most of the cream inside should have solidified. Scoop the cream into a large bowl. Discard any leftover liquid. Use a hand mixer with the whisk attachment to whip the cream on high speed for 1 minute. Add in the powdered sugar then continue to mix on high speed until you get soft peaks of whipped cream. When the pastry cream has cooled, mix it with a rubber spatula to loosen it. Add about 2½ cups of the whipped coconut cream into the pastry cream. Gently fold them together until evenly combined.
- Spread a layer of the vanilla wafers into a 9×13 inch pan or 2½ – 3 quart baking dish. It should be just enough to cover the bottom of the dish in a single layer. Add on a layer of the sliced bananas. Then spread on a layer of the pastry cream so that that bananas are fully covered. Add on a layer of the coconut whipped cream. Repeat this process one more time to create another set of layers. Garnish the top with the remaining toasted coconut. For best consistency, let the banana pudding set over night. Enjoy!
