Banana Pudding Series: Episode 6
Believe it or not, we’re still trucking along with the Banana Pudding Series! I’m still here for it, and I hope you are too because today we have a good one — Matcha Oreo Banana Pudding. In the past I’ve made Matcha Oreo Truffles and they were a hit. So I kind of has a feeling that this recipe would be pretty incredible. It’s safe to say, I was right. We have layers of Oreo cookies, sliced bananas, matcha custard, and whipped cream. It’s decadent, fun, but not too sweet. If you’re a matcha lover or have one in your life, you definitely need to try this one out!
Sily Smooth Matcha
As per usual, we’re starting with 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. Sift the matcha powder through a fine mesh sieve into the hot water. Mix until the matcha has dissolved and you have a smooth paste. This process prevents the matcha powder from clumpling. Add the matcha paste, vanilla extract, and unsalted butter into the custard. Mix until well combined.
If your pastry cream is lumpy, you can pass it through a fine mesh sieve. 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.
The Layering Process
Add the heavy cream and powdered sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer. Use the whisk attachment and mix on high speed until you get soft peaks. When the pastry cream has cooled, mix it with a rubber spatula to loosen it. Add about 2½ cups of the whipped cream into the pastry cream. Gently fold them together until evenly combined.
Spread a layer of the oreo cookies 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 matcha pastry cream so that the bananas are fully covered. Add on a layer of the whipped cream. Repeat this process one more time to create another set of layers. Dust the top with additional matcha powder if desired. For best consistency, let the banana pudding set over night.
The Banana Pudding Jackpot
As fun as this flavor combination is, it actually has a mature flavor profile. Like I said, it’s not too sweet. The bitterness from the matcha and cocoa adds the perfect balance to the sweetness. As a texture lover, I also enjoy the thickness of the Oreo cookies. When the banana pudding sets overnight, the cookies will slightly soften but still maintain their integrity. So when it’s ready to eat there’s still a bite of texture, which is nice. I compare it to when you have cookie dough ice cream and you’re digging through the tub to get the bites with the chunks of cookie dough. It’s like that except you hit the jackpot with every bite. It’s definitely hard to choose my favorites out of all the banana puddings I’ve made so far, but this Matcha Oreo Banana Pudding is definitely up there!
Matcha Oreo Banana Pudding
Ingredients
- 2 cups Whole Milk
- 5 Large Egg Yolks
- 3 tbsp Cornstarch
- ½ cup + 2 tbsp Granulated Sugar
- ⅛ tsp Salt
- 2 tbsp Matcha Powder
- 4 tbsp Hot Water
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 2 tbsp Unsalted Butter
- 3 cups Heavy Cream
- 1 cup Powdered Sugar
- 25 oz Oreos (about 48 oreos)
- 5-6 Bananas (sliced)
Instructions
- 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. Sift the matcha powder through a fine mesh sieve into the hot water. Mix until the matcha has dissolved and you have a smooth paste. Add the matcha paste, vanilla extract, and unsalted butter into the custard. Mix until well combined.
- If your pastry cream is lumpy, you can pass it through a fine mesh sieve. 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.
- Add the heavy cream and powdered sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer. Use the whisk attachment and mix on high speed until you get soft peaks. When the pastry cream has cooled, mix it with a rubber spatula to loosen it. Add about 2½ cups of the whipped cream into the pastry cream. Gently fold them together until evenly combined.
- Spread a layer of the oreo cookies 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 matcha pastry cream so that the bananas are fully covered. Add on a layer of the whipped cream. Repeat this process one more time to create another set of layers. Dust the top with additional matcha powder if desired. For best consistency, let the banana pudding set over night. Enjoy!
