Cookbook Giveaway: Reader submitted favorites - Banana Cake, Cowboy Coffee Cake and Sander's Show Stopper Ice Cream Dessert

Lucky winner of this cookbook to be announced today.

Banana Cake

Preheat oven to 350 

Grease and flour 1 Bundt pan or two  9” round pans

Mix together first five ingredients and set aside

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

2 cups flour

1 1/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup margarine softened

2 eggs

2-3 very ripe bananas mashed

1 cup sour cream

1 teas vanilla

1/4 – 1/2 cups chopped walnuts and/or 1 cup chocolate chips

Directions

Cream sugar, margarine together until light and fluffy.  Add eggs and mix well.  Add bananas, vanilla and sour cream.  Stir in dry ingredients.  Mix well.  Fold in nuts and chocolate chips.

Pour into prepared pan and bake for approximately 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  Cool in pan for 10 minutes.  Using potholders, place serving dish inverted on top of cake and flip over.  Cool before frosting (I don't frost as it is very moist but that is your choice. You can also sprinkle with powdered sugar)

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 8-oz cream cheese, softened

3-4 tbl softened margarine or butter

1 tsp vanilla

Dash salt

2 cups powdered sugar

Beat cream cheese and butter.  Add sugar and beat until consistency you like.  Add vanilla.  If too thin, add more sugar.  If too thick, add a bit of milk.

Sander’s Show Stopper Ice Cream Dessert

Jacqueline Castine of Bloomfield Hills was featured in The Oakland Press many years ago with this recipe. And has this to say about it:  “While I was leading a senior citizen group in a game of mental health bingo, I overheard a woman tell her table mates about this dessert. I memorized it because I didn’t have anything to write on at the moment. It has been featured on the front page food section of the Oakland Press and Neil Rubin’s column on Easy Super Bowl recipes for guys to make at home.

What you need

A spring form pan

A plain pound cake

1/2 gallon of butter pecan ice cream

1 small jar of Sander’s milk chocolate fudge topping

4 chocolate toffee candy bars (Heath or Skor)   

Directions   

Crumble half of pound cake into bottom of pan and cover with half of the ice cream. Break up candy bars with a hammer and sprinkle half on top of the ice cream. Warm topping in microwave and drizzle half of fudge over layer in a lattice effect.  Repeat layering  ingredients .   

Cover with foil or saran wrap and keep in freezer until ready to serve. Release spring form rim. 

Serve this magnificent ice cream convection from the pan bottom.

Take your bows!

Note: If you have a large spring form pan, you can double the ingredients and serve 12-14.

Take your bows, Jacqueline. This sounds fantastic!

Crumb Topped Cowboy Coffee Cake
1 1/4 cup sifted flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
Combine flour, salt, sugar and shortening until crumbly. Reserve 1/4 cup to sprinkle over top.
Add to above ingredients (not reserve):
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Mix thoroughly.
Add 1 egg well beaten
1/2 cup sour milk (Buttermilk)
Mix well.
Pour into waxed or parchment lined 9x9 square cake pan. Sprinkle reserved crumbs over top.
Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes.
Thank you, Jeanne Morse of White Lake for your recipe.

 

Betty Crocker: Sugar Cookie Mix Recipes and Easter fun

Betty Crocker has been a part of family traditions for over 90 years. From simple and quick to deliciously gourmet - you can create an entire meal with the help of this icon.

You’ll enjoy these recipes plus many more when you start with Betty Crocker’s Sugar Cookie Mix.

This dessert was voted Best Red Carpet Dessert of 2008 and continues to be a favorite of mine. Using Betty Crocker's Sugar Cookie Mix, this recipe can be made quickly and easily.

Photos from BettyCrocker.com

Strawberries and Cream Dessert Squares 

Crust

1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® sugar cookie mix

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened

1 egg 

Filling

1 cup white vanilla baking chips (6 oz)

1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

Topping

4 cups sliced fresh strawberries

1/2 cup sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/3 cup water

10 to 12 drops red food color, if desired
Directions

Heat oven to 350°F. Spray bottom only of 15x10x1- or 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray. In large bowl, stir cookie mix, butter and egg until soft dough forms. Press evenly in bottom of pan. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.

In small microwavable bowl, microwave baking chips uncovered on High 45 to 60 seconds or until chips are melted and can be stirred smooth. In medium bowl, beat cream cheese with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Stir in melted chips until blended. Spread mixture over crust. Refrigerate while making topping.

In small bowl, crush 1 cup of the strawberries. In 2-quart saucepan, mix sugar and cornstarch. Stir in crushed strawberries and 1/3 cup water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture boils and thickens. Stir in food color. Cool 10 minutes. Gently stir in remaining 3 cups strawberries. Spoon topping over filling. Refrigerate 1 hour or until set; serve within 4 hours. Store covered in refrigerator.

Makes 20 servings  

How about these fun cookies just in time for Easter.

Rainbow Egg Cookies

1 pouch Betty Crocker® sugar cookie mix

1/2 cup margarine or butter, melted

1/4 cup Gold Medal® all-purpose flour

1 egg

3 food colors

White coarse sugar crystals or granulated sugar, if desired

1/2 tub Betty Crocker® Rich & Creamy vanilla ready-to-spread frosting

Directions

Heat oven to 375º. Stir cookie mix, margarine, flour and egg until soft dough forms. Divide dough evenly among 3 bowls; tint each dough by stirring in a few drops of desired food color. For a variety of colors, make several batches of cookies.

Shape 1/3 cup of each color of dough into a rope about 5 inches long and 1 inch in diameter. Place ropes side by side and a little more than 1/4 inch apart on floured surface; roll until 1/4 inch thick. Cut with 2- to 2 1/2-inch egg-shaped cookie cutter so each cookie has 3 colors. Sprinkle with sugar. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining dough. (When rerolling doughscraps, carefully lay matching colors together. For marbled cookies, mix colors of dough scraps- but don't mix colors too much or they won't be distinct.)

Bake 7 to 9 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes. Spread frosting on bottoms of half the cookies. Top with remaining cookies.

Makes 18 sandwich cookies

Maybe you’re thinking an Easter brunch. Try these make-ahead dishes.

Three Cheese-Vegetable Quiche

Ingredients

1 Pillsbury® refrigerated pie crust, softened as directed on box

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

3 portabella mushrooms, sliced

1/2 red onion, sliced

1 cup milk

1 box (9 oz) Green Giant® frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed to drain

1 teaspoon minced onion

1/3 cup egg whites (about 3 egg whites)

2 eggs

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 cup Gouda cheese, shredded

3/4 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded

1 to 2 tablespoons Gorgonzola, crumbled

1/4 teaspoon dried parsley leaves

Directions

Heat oven to 350°F. Make 1 pie crust in 9-inch glass pie plate as directed on box for One-Crust-Filled Pie. Using fork, poke holes in the base all over and bake according to package directions.

Meanwhile in medium skillet, heat oil. Add mushrooms and red onion slices; cook over medium-high heat until soft, about 4 to 5 minutes. Cool slightly.

In medium bowl, combine milk, spinach, minced onion, egg whites, eggs, salt and pepper; stir until all ingredients are well combined.

Stir in Gouda cheese, Cheddar cheese and cooled mushrooms mixture. Pour egg mixture into pie shell. Sprinkle Gorgonzola cheese over top. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until center is puffed and light golden brown. Cool 10 minutes.

The use of cinnamon bread gives this French toast a burst of flavor.

Bananas Foster French Toast

8 slices cinnamon bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 8 cups)

8 eggs

1 cup milk

2 1/2 cups real maple syrup

1 teaspoon rum extract

6 ripe bananas, cut into 1/2-inch slices

1 cup chopped pecans
Directions

Spray bottom of 13x9-inch (3-quart) baking dish with cooking spray. Arrange bread cubes in baking dish. In large bowl, beat eggs, milk and 1/2 cup of the maple syrup with wire whisk. Pour over bread in baking dish. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.

Heat oven to 350°F. Uncover; bake 35 to 40 minutes or until golden brown along edges. Let stand 7 to 10 minutes before serving.

Meanwhile, in medium microwavable bowl, microwave remaining 2 cups maple syrup uncovered on High 1 to 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds, until warm. Stir in rum extract.

Sprinkle banana slices and pecans evenly over bread; drizzle with 1 cup of the warmed syrup mixture. Serve immediately with remaining syrup.

Makes 8 servings 

Watch this video for step-by-step directions for the Bananas Foster French Toast.

Looking for a little Easter fun. Watch this video on How-To: Bunny Cakes