Why It Works
- Caramelizing the bananas intensifies their flavor and adds jammy richness.
- Cooking the pastry cream to a full boil activates starches and neutralizes enzymes, preventing the cream from becoming runny as it sits.
There’s something about a trifle that makes you feel like you’ve been handed a front-row ticket to a dessert theater: layers of cake, cream, and fruit stacked so high they almost demand applause. Banana bread has its own kind of star power: a plush crumb, buttery banana flavor, and a whisper of cinnamon that hits like a hug. So it only makes sense to let these two dessert icons share the stage, stacking cubes of banana bread with silky brown sugar pastry cream, jammy caramelized bananas, gingersnap crumbs, and billows of whipped cream to form a crowd-pleasing banana bread trifle.
This is the sort of showstopper your favorite aunts and uncles proudly carried into potlucks, nestled in oversized glass bowls where every layer was on full display. But it’s just as perfect for a lazy weekend afternoon, eaten straight from the fridge with a long spoon, or as the grand finale to a dinner party, when the serving spoon scrapes the bottom of the dish before anyone’s ready for it to end.
The Brown Sugar Pastry Cream That Holds Its Own
Because so much of this trifle’s appeal comes from its creamy, luxurious layers, Tricia Manzanero Stuedeman, from our Birmingham, Alabama, test kitchen, swaps standard vanilla pudding for a deeply flavored brown sugar pastry cream in her version below. The brown sugar lends warm, almost maple-like notes that echo the caramelized bananas and complement the banana bread’s sweetness.
To achieve a smooth, stable custard, Tricia starts by whisking egg yolks and a whole egg with brown sugar, flour, and cornstarch, then tempers the mixture with hot milk to prevent curdling. As with any pastry cream thickened with cornstarch, bringing it to a full, bubbling boil is essential—not just to activate the starches for thickening but also to deactivate amylase, an enzyme in egg yolks that would otherwise break down the starch and leave the cream runny over time.
Butter and vanilla are stirred in off the heat for richness and aroma, then the cream is strained to ensure a smooth, silky texture and chilled with plastic wrap pressed directly against its surface to prevent a skin from forming. A smart trick Tricia uses for speedier cooling is to strain the pastry cream directly into a 9- by 13-inch baking pan; spreading it in a thin, even layer helps it chill much faster than it would in a bowl. Once the pastry cream has fully chilled, Tricia folds in some whipped cream, giving it a light, airy texture.
Why You Should Caramelize Your Bananas
For the fruit layer in this trifle, Tricia leans into the banana bread theme with—what else?—more bananas. But fresh slices tasted one-note next to all the other lush flavors, so she gives them a quick caramelizing treatment. We often turn to caramelizing the bananas in our banana recipes—for instance, banana oatmeal muffins and Leah’s banana bread. This step concentrates the bananas’ flavor, deepens their sweetness, and adds a layer of complexity, all while softening them to a spoonable, almost jammy texture. Brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, and salt cook in a skillet, just until the butter melts and the mixture begins to bubble. The bananas are added to the foamy mixture and are cooked until tender, soaking up the buttery caramel and developing a rich, spiced flavor. Once off the heat, a splash of vanilla rounds out their warmth and depth.
Serious Eats / Robby Lozano
Assembling and Serving
Once the components are ready, it’s time for the big performance. Banana bread cubes take the stage first, soaking up the spotlight (and eventually, some pastry cream). A swoosh of brown sugar custard follows, then a tumble of jammy caramelized bananas that glisten like they know they’re the scene-stealers, topped with crushed gingersnap cookies that add a crisp, warmly spiced contrast. Layer it all again, finishing with a cloud of whipped cream—a light, creamy crown that shows off the trifle’s dramatic strata through the glass. Garnish with a final flourish of pecans, and serve it the way trifles are meant to be: with friends, family, and no such thing as too big a scoop.
The recipe was developed by Tricia Manzanero Stuedeman; the headnote was written by Laila Ibrahim.
Banana Bread, But Make It a Layered, Crowd-Pleasing Showstopper
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For the Brown Sugar Pastry Cream:
1 1/2 cups (355 ml) whole milk
3 large egg yolks
1 large egg
120 g light brown sugar (4 ounces; 1/2 cup packed)
16 g all-purpose flour (about 1/2 ounce; 2 tablespoons)
8 g cornstarch (about 1/4 ounce; 1 tablespoon)
1/2 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt, use half as much by volume
3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter (about 42 g, 1 1/2 ounces), cubed
1 tablespoon (15 ml) vanilla extract
For the Caramelized Banana:
6 very ripe bananas (2 pounds; 907 g total), peeled and cut crosswise into ½-inch thick slices
213 g light brown sugar (7 1/2 ounces; 1 cup packed)
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (about 4 ounces; 112 g), cubed
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt, use half as much by volume
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the Whipped Cream:
2 1/2 cups (590 ml) heavy whipping cream, cold
38 g granulated sugar (about 1 1/3 ounces; 2 1/2 tablespoons)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For Trifle Assembly:
8 cups cubed ( 1 1/2 to 2-inch pieces) homemade or store-bought banana bread (2 pounds; 907 g; see notes)
95 g roughly crushed gingersnap cookies (3 1/3 ounces; 1 cup)
Roughly chopped toasted pecans, for serving, optional
For the Brown Sugar Pastry Cream: Set a fine mesh strainer over a 13- x 9-inch baking pan; set aside. In a small saucepan, heat milk over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until steaming, about 3 minutes. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks, egg, brown sugar, flour, cornstarch, and salt. Whisking constantly, gradually add warm milk to egg mixture in bowl until well combined. Pour egg mixture into saucepan.
Serious Eats / Robby Lozano
Cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until mixture thickens and begins to bubble, about 4 to 5 minutes. Continue to cook, whisking constantly, for 1 minute. Remove from heat and gradually stir in butter and vanilla until butter is melted and mixture is well combined.
Serious Eats / Robby Lozano
Immediately pour mixture through prepared fine-mesh strainer and press gently; discard any solids. Press a piece of plastic wrap or buttered parchment paper directly onto surface of pastry cream, chill in refrigerator until cold, about 1 hour.
Serious Eats / Robby Lozano
For the Caramelized Bananas: While pastry cream cools, in a large skillet, combine brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, and salt, and cook over medium heat, whisking frequently, until butter is melted and mixture is bubbly, about 3 minutes.
Serious Eats / Robby Lozano
Carefully add bananas, spreading them into as even a layer as possible. Cook, stirring occasionally, until bananas are softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer banana mixture to a large bowl, stir in vanilla until combined. Chill in refrigerator, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until cooled, about 1 hour.
Serious Eats / Robby Lozano
For the Whipped Cream: In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whisk cream, sugar, and vanilla on medium-high speed until medium-stiff peaks form, 2 to 4 minutes. Alternatively, whip cream by hand. Using a flexible rubber spatula, fold 1 cup of whipped cream into chilled pastry cream until just combined.
Serious Eats / Robby Lozano
To Assemble Trifle: In the bottom of a 4-quart trifle bowl, arrange half of banana bread cubes, packing tightly and crumbling as needed. Layer half of the pastry cream over banana bread, followed by half of the caramelized bananas, then half of the cookies. Top with half of the remaining whipped cream.
Serious Eats / Robby Lozano
Repeat layers once more, finishing with whipped cream. Garnish with pecans, if using. Serve.
Serious Eats / Robby Lozano
Special Equipment
Large saucepan, 13- x 9-inch baking pan; fine-mesh strainer, flexible rubber spatula, 4-quart trifle bowl
Notes
We loves using Stella’s Ultimate Banana Nut Bread or our Easy Banana Bread recipe. Note that if using the easy banana bread recipe, you’ll need to make 2 loaves to yield 8 cups of cubed banana bread.
Make-Ahead and Storage
The pastry cream can be refrigerated in an airtight container, with plastic wrap or buttered parchment paper placed directly on the surface, for up to 3 days.
The finished banana-bread pudding trifle can be stored up to 1 day in the refrigerator if you would like to make it ahead or have leftovers.
