Banana Pudding Poke Cake

Back in the day my mom would make my brothers and I strawberry Jell-O poke cake.
Delicious yellow cake with tunnels of red gelatin throughout and topped with a vanilla pudding frosting. 
We loved that cake!

This dessert is the same concept, using pudding instead of gelatin.

My mom invited us all over for dinner on Sunday and I volunteered to bring dessert since my pink mixer has been feeling neglected lately.

I thought it was time to bring back the poke cake for old times sake :)

Banana Pudding Poke Cake

1 box yellow cake mix (I use Duncan Hines)

Ingredients to make the cake (eggs, canola oil and water)

2 (3.4 oz.) packages of instant banana pudding

4 cups milk (I used 1%)

1 (8 oz.) container of frozen whipped topping, thawed

2 cups crushed vanilla wafer cookies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour a 9 x 13 inch bake dish.

Prepare cake according to directions on the box.

After baking, remove cake pan to a wire rack to cool for a couple of minutes.

Using the handle of a wooden spoon, poke holes into the cake.  Make sure the holes are large and that you are poking the spoon down to the botton of the cake.

In a medium size bowl, whisk pudding with milk.  Stir until combined, but do not let it get too thick.

Pour the pudding over the cake, making sure to pour some right into the holes.  I used a measuring cup with spout for this.  Spread the pudding evenly over the cake.

Put the cake into the fridge so that the pudding can set (at least 2-3 hours).

Spread whipped topping over the pudding and place the cake back into the fridge.

To crush the vanilla wafer cookies place them into a Ziploc baggie and roll over them with a rolling pin.

Leave some of the pieces larger than others to have a little bit of crunch.

I spread the cookies over the cake right before serving so that they aren't mushy.

Store any leftover cake in the fridge.