3 Unexpected Instant Pudding Hacks

One of my favorite desserts growing up was my aunt’s chocolate-amaretto bundt cake. It’s rich and fudgy crumb, speckled with melty chocolate chips and perfumed with a faint almond aroma, was unlike anything I’ve ever had. Aunt Cindy would dust the cake with a light showering of powdered sugar, which was, to a five-year-old aspiring baker, the pinnacle of elegance. 

This moist, chocolatey cake tasted like she’d labored over it for hours, but Aunt Cindy had us all fooled. The batter came together in about 10 minutes, thanks to instant chocolate pudding mix.

Years later, as my baking skills improved, I scoffed at the idea of boxed mixes and set out to replicate my childhood favorite from scratch, with no shortcuts. But the homemade version fell short — the crumb wasn’t as springy or moist, and the cake lacked the intense, nostalgic chocolate flavor I remembered. The instant pudding mix was key. Lesson learned.

It turns out I’m not alone in learning the value of instant pudding mix. This convenience product, which was created in the mid-1940s, has made its way into notable restaurants and bakeries. Joshua Pinsky, chef at Claud in New York City, confesses to using pistachio instant pudding in this beloved pistachio bundt cake. And the chefs at Magnolia Bakery lean on boxed pudding mix for their famous banana pudding.

When you break it down, instant pudding mix is essentially sugar, flavoring, and modified cornstarch, so it makes sense that it works in a variety of desserts. Here’s how to use instant pudding mix to make better whipped cream, moist cakes, and quick pastry cream. 

3 ways to use instant pudding mix

Whipped cream that won’t weep

Instant pudding mix can be used to stabilize whipped cream. The cornstarch in the pudding mix stiffens the whipped cream so that it can be refrigerated without deflating for up to two days. Use three tablespoons of instant pudding mix for every one cup of heavy cream. Add the pudding mix to the heavy cream and whisk as normal, stopping at soft to medium peaks (the whipped cream will get slightly stiffer as it stands).

Stick with vanilla pudding mix for a versatile, vanilla whipped cream, or amp up the flavor with a lemon or white chocolate pudding mix. Try this quick no-weep whipped cream on pie toppings, whipped cream frosted cakes, or trifles. 

Tender and moist cakes

For an extra moist cake, whether made from scratch or a box, instant pudding mix is the answer. Select a pudding flavor that matches or complements the flavor profile of your cake. Whisk a 3.4-ounce box of instant pudding mix into the dry ingredients, then combine the cake batter and bake as directed. It not only adds moisture to the crumb, but is also a great way to boost flavor.

No-cook pastry cream

Pastry cream, or crème pâtissière, is a rich and creamy cooked custard that is commonly used to fill profiteroles, éclairs, and pies. It can be finicky to make from scratch, but instant pudding mix makes the task much easier. To make faux pastry cream, whisk together 3 cups heavy cream, a 3.4-ounce box of vanilla instant pudding mix, 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract), and a pinch of salt until thickened. For a thinner cream, whisk in an additional ½ to 1 cup whole milk.

Since the modified cornstarch in instant pudding mix doesn’t need heat to set, you can go straight from making your faux pastry cream to filling cream puffs.