I had forgotten all about this recipe until I was searching for a Banana Cake recipe and came across an old favorite. This cake is so pretty served in an antique punch bowl or a pretty glass bowl that is about the same size as your standard punch bowl. You can substitute French Vanilla pudding if you do not like banana and still get the same great results. Tomorrow, will post the chocolate version….let me know if you make this and your thoughts. It really is so pretty to serve and tastes so fresh and light.
1 pack (18.25 oz) plain yellow cake mix
1 1/3 cups water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
2 packages (3.4 oz) banana instant pudding *or french vanilla
4 cups whole milk
2 cans (21 oz ea) cherry pie filling
1 can (20 oz) crushed pineapple, drained
4 ripe bananas, sliced 1/2 in thick *Once again, if you do not like bananas, substitute any fruit that goes well with cherries or pineapple, such as kiwi or blueberries
1 container (12 oz) frozen whipped topping, such as Cool Whip (yes, I am going to let you get away with Cool Whip, but just this once)
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted
Spray a 13×9 cake pan with Pam.
Place cake mix, oil and eggs in mixing bowl. Blend with mixer on low speed for 1 min. Stop the mixer and scrape sides and continue beating for about 2 min, increasing the speed to medium. The batter should look thick and well blended. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing it out with the spatula. Place the pan in the oven. Bake the cake until it is golden brown and springs back with your finger in the center, approx 30 min.
Meanwhile place the pudding mix and milk in large bowl and blend according to directions. Set aside.
Remove the cooled cake from the pan and crumble in into 1 inch pieces with your hands. Place half of the crumbles in theh bottom of the large glass punch bowl or salad bowl.
Top with 1 can cherry pie filling, half of the crushed pineapple and half of the pudding. Add half of the banana slices (or other fruit) and half of the whipped topping, then half of the pecans. Repeat the layers, beginning with the remaining cake crumbles and ending with the pecans. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in fridge for about 4 hrs before serving.
Serve up portions of the cake with a large spoon.
Category: Desserts
Brown Sugar Pudding Cake
Because the evenings here are still so cool and because Randy hasn’t learned that chocolate is a necessary part of every day’s food chain, every once in a while I venture out of my comfort zone and bake something that has no chocolate. This pudding cake makes a great comfort food, and still gives me the feeling of ooey gooey warm delicious flavor, all the while earning me points with Randy for making him something other than chocolate.
The sauce hiding beneath the brownielike crust is wonderful. Serve this with BlueBell Homemade vanilla and the warmth of the cake will slightly melt the ice cream in with the pudding like cake…..marvelous!
1/2 cup softened butter * (let me stop right now and explain that softened butter is not butter that is melted in the microwave. Do not melt the butter, just let it stand at room temp for about 30 min to 1 hour)
1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar, divided
1 1/2 cups flour
2 teas baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 teas ground nutmeg
1 teas ground cinnamon
1 cup milk
1/2 cup raisins (I like to use the golden, much milder flavor)
1 1/2 cups water
Beat butter at medium speed with mixer until creamy; gradually add 1/2 cup brown sugar, beating well.
Combine flour and next 4 ingredients; add to butter mixture alternately withmilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
Mix at low speed after each addition until blended. Stir in raisins. Pour batter into a greased 2 qt. souffle dish (or a deep pyrex dish)
Combine remaining 1 cup brown sugar and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Pour sugar mixture carefully over batter in dish. Bake at 375 for 40 min or until edges are golden and pull away from sides of dish. Let stand at least 10 min before serving. Dessert will be very saucy at bottom of dish, but will thicken as it stands. Yields: 6 servings.
Chocolate Chess Squares
These are amazing! Very gooey and chocolatey and will satisfy your chocolate cravings instantly.
1 cup flour
1/3 cup sifted powdered sugar
1/2 cup butter (very cold)
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 tables cocoa
1/8 teas salt
2 tables butter, melted
2 large eggs, beaten
1 (5 oz) can evaporated milk
1 teas vanilla
1/2 chopped pecans (opt)
Combine flour and powdered sugar; cut in 1/2 cup butter with a pastry blender until crumbly. Press mixture evenly into a 9 in square pan. Bk at 350 for 15 min or until lightly browned.
Combine sugar, cocoa and salt. Add 2 tables butter and eggs; beat 2 1/2 min at medium speed with mixer. Add milk and vanilla, mixing well. Stir in pecans; pour mixture over crust.
Bake at 350 for 40 to 45 min or until middle is set. Cool completely on a wire rack. Cover and chill at least 2 hrs. Cut into squares. Store in frig. Yields: 3 dz.
Blonde Brownies (Or Blonde Girl Scouts, ha)
I have been somewhat homesick for Texas the last week or so, and in so doing, got out my “Cooking Texas Style” cookbook. This recipe I started using in the 1970’s and it is like a giant chocolate chip cookie if you add chocolate chips. If not, it is such a gooey, rich dessert that you can serve it with Butter Pecan ice cream or Caramel ice cream and it makes a wonderful summer dessert for family or guests.
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup flour
3/4 teas baking powder
1 teas vanilla
1/2 cup chopped pecans
*Optional 1 cup mini chocolate chips
Cream softened butter, add sugar and eggs and beat until light and fluffy. Add flour, baking powder and vanilla and mix well. Stir in nuts and chocolate chips, if using.
Spread the batter evenly in a greased and floured 9×13 baking pan. Bake at 350 for 30-40 min. *A few times, I have broken up Hershey’s bars (6 of them) over the top as soon as I pull them out of the oven, let sit a couple of min and then spread over entire surface. Store in fridge if you do this, but cut them after it sets and hardens a little before placing them in fridge. That way, the chocolate topping won’t crack when you are trying to cut them into bars while the chocolate is hardened from the fridge.*
Coconut Chocolate Pie
Oh boy, this had my name written all over it. I was looking through an old Taste of Home Magazine from 2006, found this recipe and it is now one of my favs…use a bought chocolate crumb crust and it could not be simpler to make, but hard not to eat the whole pie at one sitting.
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup baking cocoa
1/4 teas salt
1 1/2 cups milk
16 miniature Almond Joy candy bars, chopped
1 teas vanilla
1 chocolate crumb pastry shell
Whipping cream
In a large saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch, cocoa and salt. Stir in milk until smooth and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened (mixture will thicken quickly). Remove from the heat. Add chopped candy bars and vanilla, stir until chocolate is melted. Pour into pastry shell. Press plastic wrap onto filing and refrigerate about 4 hrs. Remove plastic wrap. Slice and serve with whipping cream. *If you don’t like coconut, try using the minature Reeses Peanut Butter cups (I believe these bars come in packages of 8 ea. and are a $1.00 at wallmart for the package).
Caramel-Apple Cheesecake Bars with Streusel Topping
You must think that all I ever cook or eat are desserts. You are almost correct. Every day, I try to eat something from the other food groups, but this “dessert food group” just calls my name. This dessert is amazing! Very easy, and a great dish to make for company. You just cannot go wrong when you make anything out of a Paula Deen magazine and this one is from one of her Special Collectors issues!
Makes 2 doz bars
2 cups flour
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup buter (keep this cold and do not let it soften, it makes it easier to work with)
2 (8 oz) packages of cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup plus 2 tables sugar, divided
2 large eggs
1 teas vanilla
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped
1/2 teas cinnamon
1/4 teas ground nutmeg
*Streusal Topping (recipe follows)
1/2 cup caramel ice cream topping
(If you have not invested in a Vidalia Onion chopper from Bed Bath & Beyond, do so, it saves you hours of chopping onions, potatoes, apples. It is so easy to clean and store and I cannot believe I lived 58 yrs without one.)
Preheat oven to 350. Line a 13×9 baking pan with heavy duty aluminum foil.
In a medium bowl, combine flour and brown sugar. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Press evenly into prepared pan. Bake for 15 min or until lightly browned.
In a large bowl, beat cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Beat in 1/2 cup sugar, eggs and vanilla until smooth. Pour over warm crust.
In a small bowl, stir together chopped aples, remaining 2 table sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Spoon evenly over cream cheese mixture. *Sprinkle evenly with Streuseltopping. Bake for 30-35 min or until filling is set. Drizzle with caramel.
*Streusel Topping
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup all purpose flour
1 stick butter
In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, flour and butter. Using pastry blender, cut the butter um in the flour and brown sugar until it remembles crumbs.
Strawberry Cream Cheese Pound Cake
If you have not tried this recipe that I put on the blog two weeks ago, do so. I made it and it is not only delish, it is so striking. The strawberry glaze that you buy in the produce dept with the fresh strawberries is just an absolutely wonderful addition to this already great cake. I bought fresh strawberries and used the rest of the glaze that didn’t go into the cake and served them on top of the cake slices with a dollop of fresh whipping cream and wow! Such a pretty presentation, and just melts in your mouth….a great dessert for Easter meal. Trust me on this…you will get raves from anyone that tastes it…..and it is easy to make.
Spiced Apple-Date Bundt Cake
I know I have posted an apple cake on here before, but this one was over the top. Took it to church this morning, as it was my turn to bring “breakfast” for our group. Decided to try a different cake and I have to say, I like this one even better than my fresh apple cake I posed last year. This one seems to be even more moist, a little more flavorful, with lots of spices. Got lots of “yums” from the ladies…..
Even though I forgot to buy dates at the store, this cake was delicioius even without the dates, so cannot wait to try it again, with the dates.
3 cups flour
1 tables ground cinnamon
1 teas baking soda
1 teas salt
1/2 teas ground allspice
1/2 teas ground cloves
1 1/3 cups vegetable oil
2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
3 eggs
3 cups grated apple
1 cup chopped dates
2 teas vanilla
Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a bundt pan with baking spray; set aside
Sift together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, allspice and cloves. Set aside. In a medium bowl, and using an electric mixer at high speed, combine oil, brown sugar, and eggs. Beat until pale yellow in color, about 5 mins.
Gradually add the flour mixture to theh oil mixture. Fold in grated apple, dates and vanilla. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Bake for about 1 hr to 1 hour, 15 min (mine only took 1 hr.) until toothpick comes out clean when poked into the center. Cool in pan for 10 min. Remove cake from pan onto serving plate. You can either serve it without frosting. I choose to poke holes with a wooden stick and poured frosting, which is below into the holes and then over the top letting it run over the sides of the cake.
Frosting:
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar, 3 tables heavy cream, 1/4 stick butter (4 tables), 1 teas vanilla and 1/2 cup powdered sugar.
Place all ingredients except the vanilla and powdered sugar into a saucepan. Slowly bring to a boil over medium heat. Stir constantly. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and powdered sugar. Stir well until powdered sugar is dissolved and no lumps remain. Let frosting run into the holes you have poked in the cake and then pour the remaining over the entire cake, letting it run over the sides. This frosting hardens pretty fast, so you have to pour over pretty quickly, while cake is still warm…..Enjoy!
Minty Ice Cream Pie
I know, here I go again with the chocolate, but I just can’t help it. I see these recipes and immediately, I have to go make them when they sound this good. And….it is! Perfect for those spring dinners and great to have in the freezer for unexpected friends dropping by.
1 (3 oz) cream cheese, softened
2 tables sugar
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (or pecans)
1 chocolate crumb crust (9 in)
2 pacakges (4 3/4 oz each) chocolate covered min candies, divided
1 pint chocolate ice cream or fudge ripple ice cream
1/4 cup hot fudge ice cream topping, warmed
2 tables powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
In a small bowl, beat cream cheese and 2 tables sugar until blended. Beat in 1 cup cream until soft peaks form. Fold in nuts and spread into pie crust. Coarsely chop 1 package mint candies and fold into softened ice cream. Spread over cream cheese mixture. Drizzle with fudge topping. Freeze for 1 hr.
In a small bowl, beat remaining cream until it begins to thicken. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla and beat until stiff peaks form. Garnish pie with whipped cream mixture and remaining candies. Freeze. Remove from the freezer 15 min before serving.
Turtle Fudge Chocolate Chip Cookies
I know this has a very long name, but it starts with a mix and is so easy. The fudgey tastes is awesome.
1 (14 oz) can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk
2 (7.4 oz) packages Martha White Chocolate Chip Muffin Mix
48 foil-wrapped chocolate-covered caramel candies, unwrapped (Hershey’s or Dove)
5 oz unsweetened chocolate
1/4 cup butter
2/3 cup chopped pecans, if desired
Heat oven to 350. Coat cookie sheet with Pam. Microwave chocolate and butter in bowl until butter is melted. Stir until chocolate is melted and smooth. Stir in condensed milk. Stir in muffin mixes until blended. Roll tablespoonfuls of dough into balls.
Dip bottom into pecans, if using pecans. Place on sheet with nut side up, 2″ apart. Bake 7-8 min or just until cookies look slightly cracked and centers are still soft. Press a chocolate covered caramel candy into center of cookie. Place on rack. Swirl chocolate gently with knife while candy is warm.
Chocolate Castles 