Moon Pie Cake

You will be over the moon about this Moon Pie cake! It’s a refreshing refrigerator summer cake recipe with multiple layers, starting with soft Moon Pies, then creamy vanilla pudding, sweet caramel syrup, fresh banana slices, and whipped topping.  

There aren’t many snacks as synonymous with the South as a Moon Pie. If you have no idea what a Moon Pie is, you’re in for a treat! Chattanooga Bakery has made these little treats since 1917. They include a marshmallow filling sandwiched between two graham cracker cookies with a flavored coating. The five main flavors are banana, strawberry, chocolate, vanilla, and salted caramel. Plus, during Mardi Gras, you can get orange and coconut flavors too.

With the marshmallow fluff center, they’re similar to a whoopie pie (here’s my homemade whoopie pie recipe with cream cheese instead of marshmallow filling). Traditionally, they were accompanied by an RC Cola and this was called “the working man’s lunch” because they were cheap, filling, and gave hardworking men the energy to get back to it. Moon Pies make many things awesome including childhood. So I thought hey, let’s make a Moon Pie cake recipe! I totally made this recipe up as I went along but it turned out awesome!

Which flavor to choose…

Now, I am using banana-flavored Moon Pies because they are my favorite (closely followed by vanilla and chocolate). Any flavor you want works perfectly well in this cake, so go with whatever cranks yer tractor. This is a no-bake cake with multiple layers. We start with the Moon Pie pieces, add the pudding, and then refrigerate. Then we add caramel syrup, banana slices, whipping cream, and more caramel because why not?

This Moon Pie cake recipe is so easy to make and a great refrigerator cake for your next gathering. It’s a surprisingly light-tasting dessert that isn’t as kill-you-sweet as you think it is, but oh my goodness is it good!  The flavors complement each other perfectly and you keep going back for just one. more. bite.

If you like this, try my caramel banana pie recipe, Homemade Banana Pudding, Banana Pecan Bread, or Banana Crumb Cake next.

Recipe Ingredients

• Moon Pies
• Bananas
• Caramel syrup
• Cook & Serve Vanilla Pudding (here’s my homemade pudding recipe if you prefer)
• Whipped topping
• Cherries (optional garnish)

Helpful Kitchen Tool

• 9×13 Baking Dish
• Medium Saucepot
• Rubber Spatula

How to Make Moon Pie Cake

To start with, unwrap six or seven Moon Pies (A box contains six but it takes about 7 to fill the bottom of my 9×13 dish) and cut them into four strips each like this.

Arrange all of those strips, cut side up, in a baking dish.

Cook your pudding according to the package directions.

Pour it over the Moon Pies.

Aww, look at ’em. All comfy cozy, relaxing in a pudding bath.

Life is good for y’all, isn’t it?

Now cover this with foil and refrigerate it until it is cold.

I just made it in the evening and let it sit in the fridge overnight.

And the next day…

Take your caramel and do a generous zigzag over the Moon Pies.

Slice bananas on top of the caramel.

Now take another Moon Pie and cut it into smaller bite-sized pieces.

Then cover the cake with the entire tub of whipped topping.

Voila!

Zig some more caramel zags on top and sprinkle with the little Moon Pie pieces.

Okay, so I didn’t sprinkle. I placed. Do what your gut tells ya here. Either one still gives you a Moon Pie cake in the end and this puppy is FABULOUS!

Now grab your spatula…

Look at all of those layers!

And dig in. Enjoy!

 

Storage

Store leftovers covered in plastic wrap or in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Because of the whipped topping, I don’t recommend freezing.

Recipe Notes

• You can use any flavor of Moon Pie, just make sure you get the regular size. If you aren’t familiar with them, they have minis, double-deckers, and I think even triple-deckers. You could use the double and triple-deckers if you like and it will take fewer to make this, but if you go with minis it is gonna take a whole lotta Moon Pies!
• Adapt this recipe to suit you and your favorite flavor as well. For example, if you use chocolate Moon Pies with that delicious marshmallow fluff and chocolate coating, use chocolate sauce instead.

Check out these other delicious refrigerator cake recipes:

Lemon Cherry Cheesecake

Lemon Icebox Cake

Coconut Poke Cake

No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake

8 Make Ahead Summer Cakes

 

“Be happy. It’s one way of being wise.”

~Sidonie Gabrielle Colette