Banana Split Cake

By: Christy

First and foremost, DON'T judge this book by its cover. This dessert may look like a sloppy mess, but it is SOO delicious. This week was baking with canned fruits and I felt like it was the perfect opportunity to give you one of my favorite recipes one of my grandmother's gave me.... Banana Split Cake.

Don't let the word cake fool you, there isn't actually any "cake" in this recipe. It is a no bake recipe that is super easy and all it really requires is some quality time in the mixer and in the refrigerator to turn out just right. I did happen to google this recipe to see what would come up and I was quite shocked to find quite a few similar recipes. Obviously my grandmother must have started a delicious trend ;-)  

I actually decided to put a couple variations on my grandmother's recipe as well. As most of you know, right now is GIRL SCOUT COOKIE season. I was a beloved girl scout all the way through the end of my high school days and I always try to support the association if a youngster propositions me (the fact they make super delicious cookies is just a plus! haha). So with an abundance of cookies in my pantry, I figured this recipe would be a great excuse to use one of my purchases because Trefoils make the BEST cookie crusts!

Ingredients:

1 box trefoils (or 2 cups graham crackers)

1/2 cup melted butter

2 eggs

2 cups powdered sugar

1 cup butter (2 sticks) at room temp

5 to 6 bananas

20 ounce can crushed pineapple drained

Whipped Topping/Cool Whip

Optional:

Frozen or sliced strawberries

Walnuts of Pecans

Maraschino Cherries

Chocolate Sauce

Crust: For the crust you will need between 2-3 cups of crumbs. You can buy prebought graham cracker crumbs or if you want to use cookies or whole graham crackers, put them in a large zip lock and I used a rolling pin to make crumbs. Mix the crumbs with the melted butter. Compact the mixture in the bottom of a pan (9x13) or something similar. (I actually used a square dish). Then put the dish in the freezer while you complete the filling. (this will make the crust get hard, so it doesn't get all in the filling when you pour it in)

Filling: This is the most important step for the whole dessert. This recipe will require a mixer. Add the powdered sugar, softened butter, and eggs. Mix this for 20 minutes. It will go from a runny mixture to a nice creamy, smooth whipped mixture by the the end of the 20 minutes.

Assembly: Remove the crust from the refrigerator and top the crumbs with the filling. Place sliced bananas over the filling. It's easiest to cut bananas in half long ways, and place cut edge down on the filling. Over the bananas, spread the crushed pineapple as evenly as possible on top. Here is where I added a variation to my grandmother's recipe. I added sliced strawberries (thawed frozen strawberries would have worked well too). I just thought it would add not only a tasty element but also make it looks prettier. Then top the fruit layers with whipped topping or cool whip. Leave the dessert in the fridge for at least 2 hours to set before serving but is best if it sits over night.

The dessert can be plated with a few other additions as well. Add pecans or walnuts, chocolate sauce, maraschino cherries.... However you prefer your banana splits. Enjoy!