Banana Cream Cheesecake

This banana cream cheesecake is so decadent and beautiful. The tender cheesecake is topped with a smooth and velvety banana Bavarian cream, fresh bananas and billowy whipped cream. It’s such a refreshing dessert that can be made in advance.

Banana Cream Cheesecake, vanilla wafer crust cheesecake topped with Bavarian cream, fresh bananas and whipped cream.

The first time I tried Banana Cream Cheesecake was at the Cheesecake Factory many years ago on a date with my husband. I loved it so much that it’s the only cheesecake I order when we go there ever since. The Bavarian cream on top of the cheesecake is what makes it so unique, creamy and extra decadent. Its cloud like texture goes so well with the smooth cheesecake.

The buttery vanilla wafer crust and the smooth cheesecake makes this my go-to cheesecake recipe for any flavor variation. Topped with fresh bananas and fluffy whipped cream, every layer complements each other. Since this cheesecake needs to be refrigerated, it is really refreshing and worthy of a special occasion.

What is Bavarian Cream?

Bavarian cream is based on a pastry cream, made milk and eggs to make a custard. Instead of using flour or cornstarch to thicken it, Bavarian cream uses gelatin to make the most creamy, but light and tender texture. In addition to this, whipped cream is folded in to make the texture really fluffy. It’s much more delicate and tender than a regular custard or vanilla pastry cream.

Ingredients:

Ingredients For Cheesecake

Cheesecake Crust:

  • vanilla wafers – you can use graham crackers instead, but using vanilla wafers gives it a slightly different flavor than the typical cheesecake and carries the vanilla flavor through.
  • melted butter – just enough butter to hold it all together, but not too much that the crust is too hard.
  • salt – a pinch of salt in desserts is always a good idea since it enhances all the flavors.
  • I don’t add any additional sugar, since I think the cookies are sweet enough on their own, but if you have a bigger sweet tooth than mine, you can add a tablespoon of sugar too.

Cheesecake:

  • cream cheese – it’s important for the cream cheese to be room temperature so that it mixes properly and has the most smooth texture.
  • sugar – I don’t like desserts to be too sweet, so I love that this cheesecake isn’t cloyingly sweet. I use granulated sugar, but it’s possible to use other sweeteners instead.
  • vanilla extract – this will give the cheesecake a wonderful vanilla flavor.
  • sour cream – sour cream will soften the texture of the cheesecake and make it more tender than if you use it.
  • eggs – the eggs should also be at room temperature. I use large eggs.
Ingredients for Bavarian Cream

Bavarian Cream:

  • unflavored gelatin and water – this is an important part that makes Bavarian cream so unique.
  • milk – I use whole milk, but you can also use half n half or heavy cream, but I think the milk is the perfect amount of creaminess. I have never tried using reduced fat milk for this recipe.
  • egg yolks – I use large eggs. The eggs will also thicken the pastry cream, but without the whites, they won’t have the “eggy” flavor.
  • sugar – the Bavarian cream also doesn’t have too much sugar, just enough to sweeten it. I use some granulated sugar in the pastry cream which melts easily as the pastry cream is cooking and then add a bit of powdered sugar to the whipped cream, since granulated sugar may not melt quickly enough while you’re whipping up the cream.
  • heavy cream – I use heavy cream not whipping cream. Whipping cream has less milk fat and doesn’t hold its shape as well.
  • banana extract – this really boosts the banana flavor in this cake. I highly recommend using it. You can find it in the aisle with all the spices, usually near vanilla extract.

Toppings:

  • bananas – I have used both fresh bananas to top the cheesecake as well as making bananas foster – such a great flavor, combining the caramelized bananas and buttery rum sauce.
  • whipped cream – fresh whipped cream is such a classic topping for cheesecake. I also add banana extract to the whipped cream.

Tips For the Perfect Cheesecake:

Tips for a perfect cheesecake
Tutorial for how to make a cheesecake crust with vanilla wafers
  1. The ingredients for the cheesecake – cream cheese, eggs and sour cream, need to be at room temperature. This is really important so that all the ingredients mix evenly. If they are too cold, you can have flecks of unmixed cream cheese throughout the batter.
  2. Don’t over mix the batter. If you whip the cheesecake batter too long, you’ll incorporate too much air into it and the cheesecake is much more likely to crack. That’s another reason that the ingredients need to be at room temperature. If they are too cold, you won’t have a choice and will need to mix much longer to make everything smooth.
  3. Add water to a large rimmed baking pan and place it right below the springform pan in the oven as the cheesecake it baking. The water will steam as the cake bakes, helping to keep it from cracking. Most cheesecake recipes have you put the springform pan right inside a roasting pan filled with hot water, but I’ve personally had water seep in even though I wrapped the springform multiple times very tightly. This way, you still have the benefit of the steam from the water, ,but there’s no chance for any water to seep in.
  4. Don’t over-bake the cheesecake. This will also cause the cheesecake to crack. The cheesecake should still jiggle slightly in the center. It will still continue cooking even after you turn off the oven, so this will gradually finish the cooking process while keeping the cheesecake perfectly smooth and tender.
  5. Leave the cheesecake in the oven to cool gradually instead of removing from the oven right away. Sudden temperature changes may also cause the cheesecake to crack.
Tips for the perfect cheesecake.

How to Prepare Bavarian Cream:

  1. Bloom the gelatin in water while you prepare the custard.
  2. In a medium saucepan, heat up the milk and bring it to a simmer. Do not boil.
  3. Mix the egg yolks and sugar until pale yellow and fluffy.
  4. Slowly pour in the hot milk into the egg mixture, mixing the whole time to temper.
  5. Put the milk and egg mixture back on the stove and cook on low heat, stirring the entire time, until it thickens. Do NOT boil.
  6. Add the bloomed gelatin to the pastry, allowing the hot mixture to slowly melt the gelatin. The heat should be turned off for this step, or if the gelatin isn’t melting, turn it on really low heat, but do not boil.
  7. Pour this mixture through a fine mesh sieve to make it extra smooth. Cool it off to room temperature. I place the bowl of cream into a large bowl filled with ice water.
  8. Meanwhile, whip the heavy cream. Gently fold it into the cooled off pastry cream, mixing a few spoonfuls at a time, which will keep the texture really fluffy.
  9. Pour the Bavarian cream over the cooked and cooled cheesecake. Place in the refrigerator to chill for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Serving and Storing the Cheesecake:

Top the cheesecake with more whipped cream and bananas right before serving.

To slice the cheesecake, use a sharp knife and dip it in a tall glass filled with really hot water and wipe it dry before slicing. Do this in between each slice so get really even and smooth slices.

Store the cheesecake in the refrigerator for about a week. Cover after 1 day so it stays fresh. For the best results, bring the cheesecake to room temperature for 20-30 minutes before serving.

You can also freeze the cheesecake, wrapped air tightly, for up to 3 months.

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Banana Cream Cheesecake

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This banana cream cheesecake is so decadent and beautiful. The tender cheesecake is topped with a smooth and velvety banana Bavarian cream, fresh bananas and billowy whipped cream. It’s such a refreshing dessert that can be made in advance.

  • Author: Olga’s Flavor Factory
  • Prep Time: 30
  • Cook Time: 5 1/2 hours
  • Total Time: 6 hours
  • Yield: 1 (9 inch) cheesecake 1x

Ingredients

Scale

Crust:

6 1/2 oz vanilla wafers, about 1 1/2 cups of crumbs (graham crackers can be used instead too)

4 Tablespoons melted butter (plus an additional 1/21 Tablespoon melted butter for springform pan)

1/8 teaspoon salt

Cheesecake:

4 (8 oz each) packages cream cheese, room temperature

1/23/4 cups granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup sour cream

4 eggs

Bavarian Cream:

2 1/2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin

2 Tablespoons water

3/4 cup milk

3 egg yolks

3 Tablespoons granulated sugar

1 cup heavy cream

1 Tablespoon powdered sugar

1 teaspoon banana extract

Toppings:

12 fresh bananas

1/21 cup heavy cream

1 Tablespoon powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla or banana extract

Instructions

Crust:

  1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Brush a 9 inch springform pan with melted butter. You can also line the bottom and sides of the springform pan with parchment paper. In that case, you don’t have to brush it with butter. 
  2. Make crumbs from the vanilla wafers or graham crackers by placing them in a ziplock bag and using a rolling pin/mallet, or use a food processor and pulse until you have small even crumbs. You should have about 1 1/2 cups of cookie crumbs.
  3. Combine the crumbs with the melted butter and salt, mixing until they are evenly mixed and have a sandy consistency. Press the crumb mixture into the springform pan, covering the bottom and partially up the sides of the pan. Bake in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven. 

Cheesecake:

  1. Meanwhile, in a stand mixer or using a hand held mixer, mix the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Don’t over mix.
  2. Add the vanilla extract and sour cream and mix to combine.
  3. Add the eggs, one at a time until each one is incorporated. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl in between each step.
  4. Pour the cream cheese batter into the springform pan over the crust. Bake for about 55-65 minutes until the cheesecake is cooked. (Read my Tips of How To Bake the Perfect Cheesecake for the best results.) Cool to room temperature or store overnight in the refrigerator. 

Bavarian Cream:

  1. Sprinkle the unflavored gelatin over the water and set aside to bloom for about 5 minutes. The gelatin will absorb all of the water.
  2. Meanwhile, heat the milk until it is just simmering using a medium saucepan.
  3. In a stand mixer or using a hand held mixer, mix the egg yolks with the sugar until pale yellow and fluffy, 3-5 minutes.
  4. Slowly stream in the hot milk into the egg mixture to temper, whisking to combine the whole time until all the milk is incorporated into the eggs.
  5. Return the egg and milk mixture to the same saucepan and heat on medium low heat, using a rubber spatula to mix gently the whole time. This will be a quick process. Cook just until the mixture thickens and starts to become thicker on the bottom. you should see it look like pastry cream on the tip of your spatula. Do NOT boil, otherwise it will scramble. If you have a thermometer, it should be about 175 -178 degrees Fahrenheit. Turn off the heat.
  6. Add the bloomed gelatin, mixing to combine, until it’s completely melted and mixed evenly. Add the banana extract and mix to combine. Cool completely. Strain the pastry cream through a fine mesh sieve to make it extra smooth. 
  7. When the pastry cream is cool, mix the heavy cream with the powdered sugar using a mixer until soft peaks form. Gently fold in the whipped cream into the pastry cream, a few spoonfuls at a time, until both are evenly combined. 
  8. Pour the Bavarian cream over the top of the cheesecake and smooth out the top. Refrigerate for about 4 hours or overnight before serving.

Serving and Storing the Cake

Top with more whipped cream and fresh sliced bananas or bananas foster. If you are using bananas foster, make sure to cool the bananas completely before placing on the cake. 

Store the cake in the refrigerator for up to a week, or wrap really well and freeze for up to 3 months. Bring to room temperature for 20-30 minutes before serving for the best results. 

Notes

You can make a Bananas Foster topping for the cheesecake for an extra special touch and even more unique flavor. 

Bananas Foster: 

4 Tablespoons butter

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 Tablespoon rum, optional

3-4 bananas

Melt the butter in a large skillet. Add the brown sugar and mix to combine. Cut the bananas into circles and add to the skillet. Cook until golden on both sides. Add rum or vanilla extract. Mix to combine. 

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1 Comment

  • Jen

    Absolutely delicious recipe. I took this to an anniversary dinner for friends. Even men raved over the dessert. I have just one question. How did you achieve ,the thickness of the Bavarian creme.? My Bavarian creme was not as thick as shown in your photography. I think this thickness adds so much to the visual and presentation.






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