Feature Recipe: Bananas and Cream Pound Cake

Photos by Vicki Arsenault/Family: A Recipe for Life

A light, sweet blend of vanilla and cream on a bed of freshly sliced bananas top this buttery wholesome pound cake. There's something about the pairing of all of these ingredients together and coming up with a perfect ending to any meal.

While flipping through one of my favorite food magazines - Taste of Home - this recipe quickly grabbed my eye. My taste buds were telling me this was going on my list of desserts for the holiday.

I prepared this dessert on Christmas Day and took it to the annual family gathering of 30 to 40 people - where there's never a shortage of desserts.

There's always the desserts that everyone counts on each holiday. The one's that become synonymous with certain people. The dessert's that if you can't find, you know exactly who to go to and ask, where is it?

I've never been one of them. I've always been one that wants to experiment, try out something new on the family and wait for the feedback. Well the feedback was good on this one.

Definitely a recipe to hang on to and make again and again.
Make it for yourself. And please, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Bananas and Cream Pound Cake

Pound cake ready to bake

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, softened

1-1/2 cups sugar

3 eggs

1 teaspoon McCormick Pure vanilla extract

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup buttermilk

40 120 \

Pound cake sliced and layered

Layers

2 cups 2% milk

1 package (3.4 ounces) Jell-O brand instant French vanilla pudding mix

1 package (8 ounces) Philadelphia cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk

1 package (12 ounces) frozen Cool Whip whipped topping, thawed, divided

5 medium ripe bananas

Mixing pudding with cream

 

 

 

Directions

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. In another bowl, mix the flour, salt and baking soda; add to the creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating after each addition just until combined. 
•  Transfer to a greased and floured 9-in. x 5-in. loaf pan. Bake at 325° for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
• In a small bowl, whisk milk and pudding mix for 2 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, beat cream cheese and condensed milk until smooth; fold in pudding. Fold in 3-1/2 cups whipped topping.



Spreading cream mixture over prepared pound cake and sliced bananas

• Cut cake into eight slices; arrange on bottom of an ungreased 13-in. x 9-in. dish, trimming to fit as necessary. Slice bananas; arrange over cake. Spread pudding mixture over top. Refrigerate, covered, for 3 hours. Serve with remaining whipped topping. Yield: 15 servings.

Bananas and Cream Pound Cake

Family Favorite: Chocolate Passion

Last week I shared the men in the family's favorite cake - today's recipe is all about the ladies in the family!
And it starts with chocolate. Light and moist - melt-in-your mouth chocolate cake.
The first time I had this cake it immediately became 'my favorite.'
My wonderful daughter-in-law - Jessica (who's every bit as sweet as this cake) brought this to Christmas Eve dinner one year.
It's not the packaging of this cake that will sell you. What appeared to be another 'chocolate cake' quickly became the perfect chocolate cake for me.
The simplicity of this recipe and the delicious results will keep you (me) asking for this 'Chocolate Passion' for years to come.

Chocolate Passion
1) box chocolate cake mix (I like Duncan Hines devil's food but any chocolate cake will work - light or dark)
1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk (I use Eagle brand)
1 20 ounce jar of Sanders Classic Caramel topping
1 12 ounce container whipped topping
1  king size Hershey's Health candy bar
1/2 cup walnuts (optional)

Directions
Prepare cake mix according to directions and bake in 9 x 13 cake pan.
Immediately after removing cake from oven, punch holes over the entire top of cake using back of tablespoon.
Pour entire can of sweetened condensed milk over top of cake.
Pour entire jar of caramel topping over top of cake.
The first time I made this cake and complained to my daughter-in-law Jessica that mine just 'wasn't the same' as hers, she gave me this very important tip.
TIP: For best results, the condensed milk and caramel should be poured over the cake hot-out-of-the-oven without cooling.
(I like to leave the cake set overnight to allow the milk and caramel to totally absorb into the cake before refrigerating).
After cake has then completely cooled, spread whipped topping over entire cake.
Break candy bar (still in wrapper) into pieces and scatter over whipped topping.
Cover and refrigerate and this will keep nicely for 5 days.

Enjoy! VA

Other options:
Sprinkle nuts (walnuts or pecans) over top
Use Butterfinger candy bar topping or another favorite candy bar for topping.
Use Butterscotch Caramel topping instead of Caramel topping
*Fat-Free Eagle Brand condensed milk
Sugar Free Caramel topping
*I have not used either one of these options. They are both much thinner than the regular and may need to be applied to a cooler cake.