Ingredients :

• Vanilla wafers (Nilla Wafers type or tea biscuits) — These provide the structure of the cake. Nilla Wafers are thinner and absorb the cream perfectly — look for them in American grocery sections or online. Otherwise, classic butter biscuits (petits-beurre) work very well. Avoid cookies that are too thick as they remain hard even after hours in the fridge.
• Bananas — Choose them very ripe, with black spots on the skin. A banana that is too green in this dessert is bland and firm — not what we’re looking for. They should almost mash under your finger when you slice them.
• Instant vanilla pudding — A packet of instant pudding (like Dr. Oetker or a similar brand) mixed with cold milk. It thickens fast — work quickly once mixed. This is what gives the characteristic creaminess of American banana pudding.
• Heavy liquid cream — It must be very cold, taken out of the fridge at the last moment. Cream that is too warm won’t whip. Whisk it until firm peaks form — it will then be folded into the pudding to lighten everything up.