No Bake Banana Split Cake

This no bake banana split cake has all the delicious flavors of a banana split ice cream sundae and a vanilla cheesecake all rolled into one amazing dessert. It’s a rich dessert perfect for any occasion and any time of year. 

When I think of classic desserts, I always think of banana split sundaes and cheesecake. That’s why I decided to combine them into one super dessert. When I have family and friends over, I love to serve this as an extra special treat. Let’s be real, in my book, there’s never a bad time for a banana split or a cheesecake, especially if it’s no bake! 

No Bake Banana Split Cake

This delicious, no bake cheesecake starts with a simple graham cracker crust. Then, I make a no bake vanilla cheesecake batter swirled with hot fudge sauce, pour it over the crust, and chill it overnight. The next day, I decorate it with chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry frosting that’s scooped to look like ice cream, whipped cream, chocolate fudge, banana chips, and cherries. When it’s all done, I have a delicious no bake cheesecake that tastes just like a banana split and looks just like it, too. It’s as adorable as it is delicious. 

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• It’s a no bake cheesecake recipe, so there’s no changing temperatures, fancy cooling strategies, cracking, or collapsing. 
• It uses simple ingredients available in any grocery store. 
• It’s loaded with the classic flavors of a banana split. 
• The decorations are absolutely adorable. 

Ingredients

Everything you need for this recipe is readily available at your local grocery store. It only takes a few minutes to zip down about two aisles to get all the ingredients. 

Graham Cracker Crust:

• 1 1⁄2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1⁄4 cup granulated sugar
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
• 1/8 teaspoon fine salt, I used sea salt 

Cheesecake:

• 3 – 8 ounce packages cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, I used fine sea salt
• 16 ounce Cool Whip, thawed
• 2 cups hot fudge sauce, I bought a good one in the jar

Decorations:

• 1 – 16 ounce premade vanilla frosting
• 1 – 16 ounce premade chocolate fudge frosting
• 1 – 16 ounce premade strawberry frosting
• 3 medium cookie scoop sizes of each frosting flavor
• Maraschino cherries
• Banana chips

 Whipped Cream

• 1 1⁄2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 3⁄4 cup powdered sugar
• 1  teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Tiny pinch salt

Instructions

Making this no bake banana split cake is very easy. It’s no bake, so you’ll only be mixing, chilling, and then decorating. It’s so much easier than a baked cheesecake, but it’s no less delicious!

Step 1: Make the Crust

Combine the crust ingredients in a medium bowl. Then, spray a 9-inch springform pan with nonstick spray. Press half the mixture evenly into the bottom of the pan, and press the remaining crust up along the sides of the pan. Freeze while you make the cheesecake batter. 

Step 2: Make the Cheesecake

Beat the cream cheese until smooth in a large bowl. Then, gradually add the powdered guar and vanilla and beat until completely smooth. Finally, fold the Cool Whip gently into the mixture until smooth and combined. Remove the crust from the freezer and pour the batter into the pan. 

Step 3: Swirl

Microwave half of the hot fudge sauce for about 30 seconds. Then, pour it into a piping bag and cut off the tip. Pipe a squiggly line all over the top of the cheesecake and use a butter knife to swirl it into the cheesecake batter. Chill the cheesecake overnight. 

Step 5: Make the Whipped Cream

Place a large bowl in the freezer for 30 minutes. Then, remove the bowl and add the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla to it. Beat the ingredients with a hand mixer until stiff peaks form – about 10 minutes. Pipe dollops of whipped cream all around the edge of the pie and freeze for 1 hour to harden. 

Step 6: Decoration Prep

When ready to decorate the cheesecake, microwave the other half of the hot fudge for 30 seconds or until soft. Then, pour it into a disposable piping bag and place it in the freezer for 3 minutes. 

Step 7: Add Hot Fudge

Remove the piping bag and the cheesecake from the freezer. Then, remove the springform pan, and cut the tip off the piping bag with the hot fudge. Pipe hot fudge on top of the whipped cream to look like fudge on ice cream scoops. Place back in the freezer for 30 minutes. 

Step 8: Add Frosting “Ice Cream”

Use a cookie scoop to add a mound of vanilla frosting “ice cream” to the center of the cheesecake. Then, rinse off add a second cookie scoop to add a scoop of chocolate frosting “ice cream” next to the vanilla. Finally, repeat with a third cookie scoop of strawberry frosting. 

Step 9: Add the Finishing Touches

Pipe a big dollop of whipped cream on top of the vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry frosting in the center of the cheesecake. Then, place a maraschino cherry on top of it. Decorate the outside edge of the cheesecake by adding banana chips between the whipped cream dollops and a maraschino cherry on top of each dollop of whipped cream. Place in the refrigerator or freezer overnight. 

Substitutions and Variations

• If you store this pie in the freezer, you can actually use real vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate ice cream in place of frosting. 
• For extra chocolate flavor, you can make the crust with Oreo cookies. 

Equipment

• Mixing bowls
• Springform pan
• Microwaveable bowl
• Disposable piping bag
• Large piping bag with star tip
• Medium size cookie scoop

Tips

• A hand mixer is the easiest way to achieve the best results for the cheesecake batter. 
• Be sure to chill the cheesecake adequately between the additions of whipped cream, hot fudge, and frosting. 
• Be sure your cream cheese is fully frosted for the best cheesecake texture. 

Storage

Store this cake in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. For longer storage, freeze it for up to 1 month in an air-tight, freezer-safe container. 

What to Serve with this delicious no bake banana split cake

Serve this delicious cake with fresh berries. That’s all you need and all you’ll want with this super-rich dessert. 

FAQ

What is no bake cheesecake? 

No bake cheesecake is a type of cheesecake that uses whipped cream to achieve its texture rather than eggs and baking. Strictly speaking no bake cheesecake is classified more as a mousse, but it’s still considered cheesecake. 

Do you refrigerate or freeze no bake cheesecake? 

You can do either. No bake cheesecake can be refrigerated for up to 4 days or frozen for up to a month. 

Why can’t cheesecake be frozen for longer than a month?

While cheesecake won’t go bad if frozen for longer than a month, it will begin to lose its flavor and its texture will begin to become grainy. 

My whipped cream collapsed. What happened? 

Many people don’t realize that whipped cream can actually be OVER whipped. If you continue to whip your whipped cream after stiff peaks form, you’ll actually whip the trapped air right out of it, and it will collapse. 

More No Bake Recipes

If you love no bake recipes, then check out the beauties. They’re as easy as they are delicious. 

• No Bake Skinny Strawberry Pie
• No Bake Scotcheroos Cheesecake Bars
• No Bake Chocolate Pecan Pudding Pie

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you enjoy this delicious no bake banana split cake recipe along with the other no bake desserts posted.

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Please stop back again soon, there’s so many more recipes to see both sweet and savory, new ones too!

Bye for now…