Old-Fashioned Banana Pudding -- The Layered Dessert Bernice Would Say Needs More Vanilla and She’d Probably Be Right

Mother's Day. The day the church celebrates the women who hold everything together, which we do every other day too but on this day we get a corsage and a special mention during announcements, so I suppose that counts for something. Calvin preached on the Proverbs 31 woman, and I will say this: he preaches that sermon better than most pastors because he actually lives with a Proverbs 31 woman and knows that she is not a gentle creature in a flowing robe but a tired warrior with flour on her hands and a to-do list that would make a CEO weep.

The children conspired to give me a day off from cooking, which is the sweetest gift they know how to give and also the most impossible, because telling Loretta Simms not to cook is like telling the Alabama River not to flow — you can suggest it, but the water is going to do what the water does. Destiny picked up barbecue from a local pit, and CJ sent flowers from Huntsville with a card that said Happy Mother's Day to the woman who taught me that love comes on a plate. I put that card on the refrigerator where it still is today, because some sentences deserve to live where you can see them every morning.

Marcus gave me a handwritten letter. I will not tell you everything it said because some things are between a mother and her son, but I will tell you this: he wrote that he knows who he is because of how I fed him, and that every meal I have ever made was a lesson in being loved, and that he is going to make me proud at Tuskegee. I read it at the kitchen table and I did cry, because it was Mother's Day and the rules about crying are suspended on Mother's Day, even for strong women, even for me.

I let them have their barbecue for lunch. It was good. But by five o'clock I was back in the kitchen making banana pudding because a Mother's Day without banana pudding is just a Sunday with a corsage, and I wanted the real thing. I layered those Nilla wafers the way Mama layered them — carefully, with intention, like each layer was a prayer. Marcus ate the first bowl before it was fully set and I fussed at him and he grinned and I fussed some more and the whole kitchen was warm with the fussing and the grinning and the wafers and the love.

Called Mama before bed. She is seventy-nine and sharp as a tack. She told me my banana pudding probably needed more vanilla. She has not tasted it. She is just Bernice Simms. She is always right.

Banana pudding isn’t something I make because I have to—it’s something I make because some days need to end with the taste of home, and that Mother’s Day, with Darius’s letter still folded on the table and Mama’s voice still in my ear, was exactly that kind of day. This recipe is the one I learned by watching Bernice Simms, which means I’ve been watching it my whole life—the real custard, cooked slow on the stove, none of that instant powder. I’ll go ahead and add a little extra vanilla, too, because Mama is always right, even when she hasn’t tasted it.

Old-Fashioned Banana Pudding

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 35 minutes (plus 2 hours chilling) | Servings: 10–12

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups whole milk
• 4 large egg yolks, beaten
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 box (11 oz) Nilla wafers
• 5 ripe bananas, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (for the whipped cream)

Instructions

1. Make the custard base. In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, whisk together the granulated sugar, flour, and salt. Gradually whisk in the milk until smooth. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture begins to thicken and just comes to a low boil, about 10–12 minutes.
2. Temper the eggs. Remove the pan from heat. Slowly ladle about 1/2 cup of the hot milk mixture into the beaten egg yolks, whisking constantly so the eggs don’t scramble. Pour the tempered egg mixture back into the saucepan and return to medium heat, stirring for 2 more minutes until thick and glossy.
3. Finish the custard. Remove from heat and stir in the butter and vanilla extract. Press a sheet of plastic wrap directly against the surface of the custard to prevent a skin from forming. Let cool for 15 minutes.
4. Layer the dish. In a 9x13-inch baking dish or a deep trifle bowl, arrange a single layer of Nilla wafers across the bottom. Add a layer of banana slices, then spoon a generous layer of warm custard over the top. Repeat the layers — wafers, bananas, custard — until all components are used, ending with a custard layer on top.
5. Make the whipped cream topping. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, about 3–4 minutes. Spread evenly over the top of the pudding.
6. Chill before serving. Cover loosely and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or until the wafers have softened and the custard is fully set. Overnight is even better — the layers settle into each other the way good things do when you give them time.
7. Garnish and serve. Just before serving, crush a small handful of Nilla wafers and scatter them over the whipped cream. Spoon into bowls and serve cold.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 390 | Protein: 6g | Fat: 18g | Carbs: 52g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 210mg