Yield: 12

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • For the crust:
  • crushed vanilla wafers, brown sugar and melted butter to bring everything together. You can substitute the vanilla wafers for graham crackers, but the sweetness and flavor of the vanilla wafers pairs perfectly with the banana cheesecake.
  • For the banana cheesecake:
  • cream cheese at room temperature, all purpose flour, sugar, pureed bananas for that strong and real banana flavor, sour cream and eggs.
  • For the Bavarian cream:
  • egg yolks, milk, gelatin to thicken the pudding, heavy whipping cream, a touch of pure vanilla extract and sugar.
  • For the whipped cream:
  • heavy whipping cream for obvious reasons, powdered sugar to sweeten it up a bit and a splash of pure vanilla extract.
  • Toppings:
  • you can leave the cheesecake as it is or top it off with banana coins, crushed vanilla wafers, toasted almond flakes or a nice drizzle of caramel or chocolate sauce.

Instructions

STEP 1:

Start by preheating your oven to 325 degrees and grease a 9 inch springform pan.

STEP 2:

Then mix together all your crust ingredients and press it in an even layer in the bottom of that greased pan. You have to first grind the vanilla wafers in a food processor, you can save a few to crush on top of the cheesecake at the end.

STEP 3:

Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes and allow the crust to cool. Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees and start preparing the banana cheesecake; in a large mixing bowl combine the softened cream cheese, sugar and flour and mix well until smooth and creamy. Then mix in the sour cream and mashed bananas. Add the eggs one at a time until well combined and smooth.

STEP 4:

Spread the cheesecake mixture on top of the crust and bake for 90 minutes. Turn the oven off and allow the cheesecake to sit in the oven for 30 more minutes. Lastly, place the cheesecake in the fridge for several hours to chill.

STEP 5:

Now it’s time to make the Bavarian cream; in a small bowl whisk together the milk and the gelatin until well combined. In another bowl whisk together the egg yolks until foamy. Now in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat simmer ½ cup of the heavy cream, the granulated sugar and the pure vanilla extract until the sugar is completely melted.

STEP 6:

Slowly whisk the egg yolks into the saucepan, mixing continuously. Bring the mixture to 160 degrees then whisk in the gelatin mixture until well combined. Switch off the heat and let the mixture cool completely covered with a plastic wrap to prevent a “skin” from forming.

STEP 7:

Place the cooled mixture in a mixing bowl and add the remaining whipping cream and the powdered sugar. Mix with a hand mixer until peaks have formed. Spread the Bavarian cream mixture over the top of the cheesecake.

STEP 8:

In a large mixing bowl beat together the whipped cream ingredients until soft peaks have formed. Spread the whipped cream on top of the cream and garnish with banana coins and/or crushed vanilla wafers.

Enjoy!

STEP 9:

Store in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days, covers with plastic wrap or aluminium foil.

Notes

Instead of vanilla wafers you can use graham crackers, however we prefer the sweetness and flavor of the wafer crust better for this recipe.Instead of the Bavarian cream you can make a banana pudding by using Jello Instant Banana Cream Pudding prepared according to the packaging. Just refrigerate the pudding until you are ready to assemble the cheesecake.If you don’t have the time to make your own whipped cream, you can use ready made Cool Whip.Using banana extract together with fresh bananas enhances the banana flavor so much.

Nutrition Information:

 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 240Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 2gCholesterol: 120mgCarbohydrates: 320gProtein: 10g