Banana Split Cake

Do you love a perfectly light and delicious dessert? This Banana Split Icebox Cake is a fruity and creamy dessert.

The layered cake is so easy to make and starts with vanilla wafers, then cream cheese mixture and fruit layer and topped off with cool whip, maraschino cherries and nuts. This recipe makes an impressive presentation with very little effort!

Banana Split Cake with Vanilla Wafers

This dessert is such a fun twist on a traditional banana split!  The vanilla wafers make a surprise layer for the crust that is delicious. The fresh bananas and crushed pineapple give this dish a nice, sweet flavor.  The cream cheese and whipped cream complement the fruit and nuts to make a great banana split treat! 

Stored in the refrigerator this banana split ice box cake is refreshing in the summer. You can also step up the flavors with a Strawberry Banana Split Cake.

Banana Split Cake is a unique idea for a birthday cake or any kind of party!  Another Cool Whip dessert with fruit that we make for special occasions is our Angel Food Cake Trifle.

If you love this recipe you may also enjoy Banana Cream Delight, Banana Lollipops and Strawberry Lemonade Pie.

We love sharing fun desserts with friends or at potlucks.  Maraschino cherries and chopped nuts are so pretty on top of the cool whip that this icebox dessert will definitely catch your eye!

This is the first dessert I’ve made with vanilla wafers as the main ingredient in the crust.  The vanilla wafter is super easy to make and we love the way it tastes!  Sometimes we’ll make a recipe like this in stages.  Like make the crust, head to church, run errands or do some farm work while it cools.  Come back home and set the cream cheese out to soften while doing something else.  The rest of the dessert comes together so quickly and easily which means it was ready in 15 minutes or less!

Tips for Making Banana Split Cake

• Plan ahead to have whipped topping and cream cheese softened.
• Crush vanilla wafers by putting 5-10 cookies in a gallon-sized bag and crush with a rolling pin.  Repeat until you have 2 1/2 cups.
• Make the dish in stages if necessary.  The crust can be made and covered until the other layers are ready.
• I slice the bananas right onto the cream cheese layer to save time and it works well for me.
• Since bananas are highly perishable plan to eat or share this dish within a day or two.

How to Make Banana Split Cake

1. To make the crust crush vanilla wafers and mix with one stick of melted butter.
2. Spread in bottom of a 9 x 13 baking pan and bake at 400 degrees F for 5 minutes.  Let cool.
3. To make the filling mix cream cheese and sugar and spread on top of crust.
4. Add one layer of bananas and another layer of pineapple.
5. Add another layer of bananas and another layer of pineapple.
6. To make the topping spread whipped cream and sprinkle pecans and maraschino cherries on top.

Printable Banana Split Cake Recipe