Banana Split Squares
Here is a dessert that seems perfect for the spring. It is light-tasing with bananas, pineapple, pudding, whipped cream and cream cheese layers.
Fruit layers of Banana Split Squares
This does require at least 5 hours in the fridge after you make it but I usually leave it overnight so it’s ready to go the next day. By that time, the flavours have had a chance to blend and meld together for maximum deliciousness.
Because it is layered, it does take a bit more time to assemble, but when you taste it, it is all worth it! You’ll want to eat it all in one sitting, which isn’t necessarily a bad idea since the bananas give it a very short shelf life. (Well, maybe your scale might not think it’s a very good idea 😉 ) At most, you will be able to keep it in the fridge for 2-3 days before the bananas get too brown and start to “leak”.
Most of the work can be done by hand, but if you are looking to save your arms, using a mixer to beat the cream cheese layer will go a long way.
The last time I made this, I found a can of crushed pineapple that was bigger than the size called for in the recipe. I actually liked that there was more pineapple to spread around, but I failed to drain enough juice out of it. The result was that when I cut into it the next day, it started to “weep” the extra juice into the pan after pieces had been removed. Not a big deal, but it could make the crust mushy if there’s too much juice.
- 1 ½ cups graham crumbs
- ⅓ cup butter, melted
- 2 pkg. (250g each) cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 can (398ml) crushed pineapple, well drained
- 6 bananas, divided
- 2 pkg. vanilla instant pudding (4 serving size)
- 2 cups cold milk
- 2 cups whipped cream, divided
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- Mix graham crumbs with butter, press onto bottom of 13” x 9” pan. Freeze until next step.
- Beat cream cheese and sugar until well blended. Spread carefully over crust.
- Top with pineapple.
- Slice 4 bananas and arrange over pineapple.
- Beat 2 packages of pudding with 2 cups milk until thickened. Stir in 1 cup whipped cream. Spread over banana layer in pan. Top with remaining whipped cream.
- Refrigerate 5 hours or overnight.
- Slice remaining bananas just before serving, arrange over dessert. Sprinkle with nuts.
- Should be eaten within 2-3 days.
- Keep refrigerated.
Banana Split Squares
The ones inside the dessert don’t brown as quickly for two reasons: 1) the pineapple acts like lemon juice does and prevents the bananas from browning for a day or two and 2) the pudding layer on top effectively prevents air from doing its work of browning the bananas before you get to enjoy them. Most times, I just plain forget to add the bananas on top (as you can see in the main photo).
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