Name: Banana Mousse Cake "Trifle"
Ingredients: 8 oz mascarpone cheese; 2 cup whipping cream; ½ cup confectioner's sugar; 1 box banana instant pudding mix; 1¼ cup milk; 2 tsp cinnamon; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 6 medium bananas; 2 pkg ladyfingers (7 oz) (American style (soft, pale cakes)); whipped cream (optional)

Banana Mousse Cake “Trifle”

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Comfort Food

Keyword: bananas, mousse cake, potluck, pudding, tiramisu, trifle

Fresh bananas, lady fingers, and rich mascarpone cream combine for an easy summer potluck dish that is loved by all ages.

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Ingredients

Banana Cream

8 oz mascarpone cheese
2 cup whipping cream
½ cup confectioner's sugar
1 box banana instant pudding mix

Brushing Liquid

1¼ cup milk
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
6 medium bananas

To Assemble and Serve

2 pkg ladyfingers (7 oz) American style (soft, pale cakes)
whipped cream optional

Instructions

Prepare the banana cream

In a large mixing bowl, using a whisk attachment, beat the mascarpone cheese on low speed for 30 seconds until smooth.
Increase speed to medium and slowly add whipping cream and whisk to incorporate. Pause and scrape down sides if necessary to make sure the mixture stays well blended and any lumps are broken up.
As mixture starts to thicken, increase speed to medium-high and slowly add confectioner's sugar.
Increase speed to high and whisk until soft peaks form.
Add banana pudding mix and pulse a few times at low speed to incorporate, and then turn to high to fully mix in. It will thicken very quickly. Be careful not to overbeat.

To assemble

In a medium bowl, combine milk, cinnamon and vanilla extract. Mix well with a fork or whisk to break up clumps of cinnamon. If using Italian ladyfingers, you may wish to use a large 2-4 cup Pyrex measuring cup instead of a medium bowl so you can keep track of how much liquid you have used up (see Note, below).
Cover the bottom of a 8×11 baking or serving dish with one layer of ladyfingers.
Brush the tops of the ladyfingers with the milk mixture (be generous so that there is enough liquid to soak in). You should use up about half the milk mixture since there shouldn't be any extra liquid at the end.
Spread half the banana cream on top of the ladyfingers. TIP: Save any slightly thicker slices for the second layer since they will help keep dish looking nice if you are not serving immediately.
Distribute sliced bananas across the top.
Repeat with a second layer of ladyfingers, brush with milk mixture, and top with bananas.
If serving later, cover tightly with plastic wrap and place in fridge until ready to serve. If the banana trifle is taller than your dish, the banana slices can help keep the plastic off the cream. If that is not enough extra height, you can insert a couple of toothpicks to help keep the plastic from sticking.
Remove from fridge shortly before serving. If you used toothpicks, you may be able to slide the banana slices over (or save a few for this purpose) to cover the toothpick holes.
Slice into squares and serve with additional whipped cream, if desired.

Notes

After one spring scout campout, the troop ended up bringing home two bunches of bananas. There are a limit to the number of smoothies or loaves of banana bread I’m willing to make, so I searched for a new recipe to use them up. I found a number of banana trifle/banana tiramisu recipes, but most call for Nilla wafers. I’m really not a big Nilla wafer fan, but I love tiramisu (and happened to have a batch of Italian cookie-style ladyfingers sitting around), so I anchored on Beyond Frosting’s variation.

Now I almost always make this with the American-style soft ladyfingers, which are easier to find locally. I usually drop the rum since I make this for large groups with kids, but I love the solid texture that the banana pudding mix gives the cream. Beyond Frosting’s original recipe also calls for lining the baking pan with parchment. This makes serving neater, but I usually skip this step because the extra time needed to cut the paper to fit isn’t worth the benefit to me.

This recipe is fast and easy to make (especially with a stand mixer) and never fails to be a hit.

Inspired by: https://beyondfrosting.com/banana-pudding-tiramisu/

Turbo Instructions :

Whisk mascarpone in stand mixer for 30 seconds; continue whisking at medium while slowly adding cream. Increase speed to medium high and slowly add powdered sugar. Increase speed to high and beat until soft peaks form. Add pudding mix and quickly mix into filling. Combine milk, cinnamon, and vanilla. Layer ladyfingers, brush with milk mixture, and half of cream and top with sliced bananas; repeat.

Banana Mousse “Trifle” Cake