Magnolia Banana Pudding

Not only is it delicious, it’s so easy to make! All it takes is 6 ingredients and one of those is water.

• Make the vanilla pudding by mixing the box of powdered gelatin with the ice water and sweetened condensed milk. This can be done by hand with a whisk or by using an electric mixer. Once the pudding is smooth and thoroughly mixed, cover and place in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight.
• Whip the heavy cream with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the cream into the pudding until there are no more white streaks.
• Assemble the pudding in either a large bowl, trifle dish, baking pan, or individual dishes. Layer the ingredients by first adding a layer of Nilla Wafers, followed by sliced bananas, strawberry’s, and then pudding. Repeat layers until you reach the top of your dish(es).
• Cover with plastic wrap and place the assembled dessert in the fridge for 4-8 hours. Top with the optional additional bananas and Nilla wafers and serve.

Yes! You need to make it in advance. The actually pudding part of this dessert needs time to thicken in the fridge so it is best to begin this dessert a night or two before you plan to serve it or in the morning at the latest if you are serving it at night. While this particular step needs to be done in advance, the assembly of the dessert should only be done 4-8 hours in advance.

How to prevent bananas from turning brown:

Dip or brush the sliced bananas with any acidic fruit juice. This will result in a change in the flavor which is not favorable in some dishes. Where this is the case, use water (it won’t work as well but it will slow the browning). Non-tonic club soda can also be used and won’t affect the taste.

It is the oxidation of the fruit that causes it to turn brown. You can slow the oxidation by limiting the oxygen or air.