Banana Cake

Banana Cake

Mash 3-4 bananas in a small bowl. 
Add 2 teaspoons lemon juice.
Set aside.

Cream the butter and sugar together.
3/4 cup butter
1 3/4 white sugar

Add:
3 eggs one at a time.  Mixing well after each egg. 

Then stir in:
1 teaspoon vanilla

Stir together:
3 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Add some of the flour mixture to the creamed butter and eggs, alternating it with:
1 1/2 cups buttermilk.

Mix well.

Stir in the banana mixture. 

Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan. 
Pour the cake mixture into the pan.

Preheated the oven to 275 degrees F. (135 degrees C.)

Bake for one hour, until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Allow cake to cool completely before you frost it.

Frosting:
Cream a softened 8 ounce package of cream cheese until smooth.

Beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla. 
Add 3 cups confectioners sugar until it is combined, then beat on high speed until it is smooth. 
Spread on the cooled cake.

Fruit Pizza

SUGAR COOKIE CRUST

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

Frosting

• 8 oz cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1-2 Tablespoons cream or milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• assorted sliced fresh fruit

With a mixer, blend the butter for one minute until smooth.  Add the sugar and cream the butter and sugar.  Add the egg and the vanilla and mix until smooth.  Add the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cornstarch and mix until smooth.  

The original recipe says to chill it for at least one hour at this point or it may rise too much and spill over the pan when you bake it.  I didn't have time and I didn't have a problem with it.  Spread the dough in a 12 inch pizza pan.  (I doubled the recipe and put it on the large sheet cake pan.  Spread it as evenly as possible.  If the dough is sticking to your hands, sprinkle a little flour over the dough and it will help with that.

Bake for 18-20 minutes in a 375 degree oven.  Remove and let it cool.

Frosting

Mix the butter, and cream cheese together.  Add the confectioner's sugar along with 1-2 tablespoons of milk.  I started with one tablespoon and it was enough, so start with the smaller amount and add more if you need it.  Spread over the cooled cookie dough crust evenly.  Top with fruit.

Fruit ideas:

bananas

pineapple (fresh or canned, just make sure that you drain the canned pineapple well)

kiwi fruit

mandarin oranges (if it is canned, drain it will)

berries:  strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, etc.

grapes, cut in half

Banana Bread

This is a very flavorful bread that we have loved for a long time.  You can leave out the nuts if you don't like them (unfortunately several of my children don't...sigh)
 

Banana Bread

Cream together:  1/2 C. butter

                          1-1/3 C sugar

Slice:      2 Large Bananas

Add bananas and 2 T. milk

Mix well with mixer and add:

             2 eggs

Mix and add:

             1 3/4 C. flour

             1/2 tsp. soda

             1-1/2 tsp. baking powder

             1 tsp. salt

             1 tsp. nutmeg

Fold in nuts.  Bake at 350o for 30 min then reduce heat to 325o for 15-20 min. or until done.  1 Loaf.

Garbage Salad

I know the name of this salad sounds terrible, but it doesn't taste like that.  Super easy and fun to take to gatherings.

Garbage Salad


1 can fruit cocktail with the juice drained off
1 can crushed pineapple
2 or three bananas
2 8 oz. cans mandarin oranges, drain the juice off of one can
1 to 2 cups marshmallows (just depends on how much you like marshmallows and you can even not add them if you don't like them!)
1 3 oz. box instant pudding ( I usually go with banana cream, but french vanilla and lemon are good also.)

Slice the bananas into a large bowl.  Dump in the fruit cocktail, crushed pineapple and mandarin oranges.  Sprinkle the instant pudding over the top and stir well, make sure that the pudding gets into the juice.  When it is well mixed, stir in the marshmallows until they are distributed throughout the salad.

It helps if you chill the mixture after you make it before you serve it, or you can chill the fruit in the cans before you put them in the bowl.  This will feed 12 to 15 people.