No-Bake Banana Split Cake brings together all the favorite toppings you expect to find in a banana split: banana, pineapple, maraschino cherry, nuts, and whipped cream. The base is a no-bake, made from scratch, graham cracker crust covered with a sweetened cream cheese filling.

Thumbing through some of my old recipes for inspiration for my twin grandchildren’s birthday cake, I knew I’d hit upon a winner when I discovered my food stained, crumpled recipe for No-Bake Banana Split Cake. It had been so long since I made it, I’d forgotten about it.

The original recipe used raw eggs in the filling. I made a modification and used cream cheese, along with butter and confectioners sugar instead. Also, I added some vanilla extract to give it more of an ice creamy flavor.

And, more importantly, I added vanilla extract because my dear friend, Sandra, gifted me some of her most excellent vanilla extract that she made. Everyone needs a friend like Sandra. If you don’t have one, I’m just as sorry as I can be.

I swapped out chocolate syrup for mini chocolate chips. The addition of chocolate chips adds nice texture and a little crunch to the topping. We all love pecans so I wanted to use them instead of peanuts. The meat of pecans is a little softer than peanuts and I felt some texture was needed.

Why do you have to freeze the graham cracker crust?

Freezing the crust enables you to spread the cream cheese filling easily without ending up with a bunch of cracker crumbs mixed in with it. It helps keep the layers separate.

Did you use full fat cream cheese?

Yes. You decide the amount of fat you want in your cream cheese.

I don’t like pineapple and bananas. What can I substitute?

Pineapple and bananas are a key part of this recipe. If you don’t like them, I’d recommend a recipe that doesn’t contain them. Maybe take a look at this one .

My homemade whipped cream is legendary. Can I use it instead of store bought frozen whipped topping?

If you think all the Banana Split Cake will be eaten right away, you certainly should use your fabulous homemade whipped cream. However, homemade whipped cream doesn’t hold up well for very long. In that case, if you’re opposed to store bought whipped topping, I’d recommend make a stabilized whipped cream version.

You said I should use 14 full size graham cracker sheets. What is a graham cracker sheet?

A 14.4 ounce box of graham crackers contains three packages. Each of the packages contain 9 full size graham cracker sheets. You need approximately two cups of graham cracker crumbs. That’s the equivalent of about 1 1/2 packages or roughly 14 full size crackers sheets. Pulse the graham crackers in a food processor or place them in a zip lock bag or use a rolling pin to crush them finely. Of course, you can skip all this jazz and buy a package of graham crackers crumbs. In that case, all you need to do is measure out 2 cups.

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Equipment list:

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Directions

Melt butter and sugar in a saucepan. Remove from heat. Stir graham cracker crumbs into melted butter mixture.
Press graham cracker crumb mixture into a 9×13 casserole dish that has been sprayed with a non-stick spray or coated with butter. Place in freezer for one hour.
Beat together cream cheese, unmelted butter, and confectioners sugar until smooth and fluffy. Mix in vanilla extract.
Slice bananas into reserved pineapple juice. Stir to coat each banana slice with juice. Set aside.
Remove graham cracker crust from freezer. Spread cream cheese mixture over crust.
Drain bananas from pineapple juice. Layer bananas evenly over cream cheese filling.
Sprinkle crushed pineapple evenly over bananas. Top with whipped topping and spread evenly.
Add chopped pecans, chocolate chips, and drained maraschino cherries on top of whipped cream. Chill thoroughly before serving.

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