Easy Peasy Homemade Banana Cake

So many times I hear people tell me that they can’t bake or decorate cakes. I wanted to create a recipe so easy, everyone can make this cake and be a rockstar. This is one moist and flavorful banana cake and that was my goal. Mix up the ingredients, cool and spread on the frosting. Easy Peasy.

Look at all of the yummy bananas in this recipe.

Ingredients:

4 large ripe freckled bananas, mashed

2 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened

3 eggs, room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 1/2 cups buttermilk, room temperature*

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9 x 13 pan with butter or your favorite baking spray.

In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients, flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Set aside.

In your mixing bowl, combine sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Mix in eggs one at a time. Add in vanilla. Add dry ingredients and alternate with buttermilk until all is incorporated together. Mix in bananas. Bake for 50 minutes to an hour until cake tester comes out clean. Cool completely and frost.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

1 stick of butter, room temperature

1 8 ounce block of cream cheese

1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla

1 pinch of salt

1 pound of powdered sugar

Blend cream cheese and butter together. Add vanilla and combine. Mix in powdered sugar until combined. Frost cake. Cover and store in refrigerator. Set out about 30 minutes before serving. Easy Peasy. Enjoy!

*About buttermilk. Buy it. You cannot make buttermilk with lemon juice or vinegar. You only make sour milk and that my friends is not buttermilk. Buttermilk is the best thing about how delicious this cake is.

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Banana Pudding Pie

I remember my Mom cooking banana pudding with sliced bananas on the stove when I was growing up. It came from a box but still a sweet memory. I took that memory and converted it to a homemade Banana Pudding Pie. Simple, delicious and easy to make. My Dad even had seconds, so I know it was good!  

Crust:1 11 ounce box of vanilla wafer cookies

1 sick of butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Crush cookies and stir in melted butter. Form a crust in your pie plate. Bake shell for 8 minutes and set aside. 
Pudding Pie Filling:

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/4 cup flour

2 Tablespoons cornstarch 

2 cups of milk, divided 

3 egg yokes, beaten

2 Tablespoons butter

3 bananas sliced 

2 teaspoons vanilla

In a saucepan, add sugar, flour and cornstarch and whisk together. Over medium heat, add one cup of milk and whisk, add in egg yokes and butter. Pour in the remaining cup of milk and start adding the sliced bananas. Bring to boil and stir frequently to prevent scorching and burning. Once pudding is very thick, remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour in pie shell and refrigerate overnight or until set and firm. Decorate with whip cream. Enjoy!

Barleans Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie

I was given Barleans Greens Chocolate Silk Powder to try and create a recipe for #Choctoberfest2016 This smoothie is healthy, nutritious and delicious. This product is full fiber and antioxidants. A great meal replacement in the morning or lunch. Perfect for in between meals. You and your kids will love this.

Ingredients:
1 8 ounce container of plain yogurt or vanilla, I used fat-free
1 scoop of Barleans Green Chocolate Silk Powder
3 Tablespoons Peanut Butter
1 Banana, frozen
1/4 cup milk, whole, low-fat, almond soy, whatever you prefer

Place ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. I use frozen fruit, in this case a frozen banana. Frozen fruit will thicken your drink without using ice. Makes 1 delicious smoothie. Enjoy!

*Opinions are strictly my own

Bananas About Banana Walnut Cake

I was asked to make a banana cake with walnuts and cream cheese frosting. I decided to share the recipe with you. The secret to a good moist banana cake is ripe bananas. Try to plan ahead so you have ripe bananas. 
Ingredients:

3 cups flour 

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

Whisk dry ingredients together and set aside. 

2 cups sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

3 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

5-6 ripe bananas, rough mash (chunky)

1 1/4 cup of chopped walnuts, more for sprinkling on top and around cake if desired

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare 2 nine inch cake pans or 3 eight cake pans with a spray (Bakers Joy) and line with parchment paper. 

Mix sugar and oil together. Blend well until combined. Add eggs one at a time and combine with oil and sugar mixture. Blend in vanilla. 

Slowly add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. I usually blend in a third of the flour mixture at a time. Once the dry and wet ingredients are combined, stir in your mashed bananas. Lastly add your walnuts. I like to toast mine for a few minutes either in a skillet on the stove or under the broiler. It really brings out the flavor in the walnuts but this is completely optional. Just be careful not to burn them because burned walnuts do not taste good. Bake for  25 – 35 minutes until cake tester comes out clean. It all depends on what size cake pan you use. 

Cream Cheese Frosting:

2 8 ounce blocks of cream cheese, room temperature 

2 sticks of butter, room temperature 

3 teaspoons of vanilla

2 pounds of powdered sugar 10x is what I use 

Blend cream cheese and butter together. Add vanilla. Slowly add powdered sugar or you will be wearing it. Don’t ask me how I know!  😉  Frost cake and enjoy. Keep refrigerated and take out 20-30 minutes before serving. 

I Can’t Believe It’s A Blueberry Smoothie

I recently did a smoothie recipe using Dole Packaged Foods. I had not made a smoothie for a long time. Now I seem to be in a smoothie kick lately. New year, healthy me. This smoothie can definitely be a meal replacement will all of the healthy ingredients.  My secret to a good thick smoothie is using frozen fruit. No need for ice that will water down your drink. Lastly, put liquid (yogurt, milk or juice) in first. Liquid needs to be by the blades of your blender for smooth blending!

  
Ingredients:

1/2 cup milk (use soy, almond, skim, etc)

1 6-8 ounce container of yogurt, I used Greek for protein (or throw in a scoop of protein powder)

1 small banana, fresh or frozen 

1 cup of raw baby spinach, I usually grab a handful out of the bag

1/2 cup frozen pineapple*

1/2 cup of frozen blueberries*

  
Layer the above ingredients in your blender in that order. My blender has a smoothie setting, if you’re does not, blend/pulse till smooth. This recipe makes a delicious recipe and I promise you, you will not taste the the spinach. In fact, this smoothie tastes like a blueberry milkshake. It’s delicious, nutritious and very filling. Hard to believe this has protein, fruit, dairy and vegetables and it hits almost every mark on the food pyramid. 

  

Finished product and no sign of green spinach, which is tasteless in this smoothie.  
*If you do not have a smoothie option on your blender, partially thaw your fruit in order not to damage your blender blade. 

Tropical Strawberry Protein Smoothie

I absolutely love smoothies.  I love the fact that they are so healthy and refreshing. Simple healthy ingredients along with your blender create delicious nutritious drink. My smoothie was made from Dole Fresh Frozen Strawberries and Dole Fresh Frozen Pineapple, Dole bananas,  Dole Pineapple Juice and low fat yogurt. Easy, simple, just plain delicious!  At “Live on Green”, people from all over the country will be treated to 100,000 square feet of free entertainment, activities, including food ideas from Ally of What’s for Dinner? Ally’s Kitchen on stage near the Dole Bistro. #DoleRose #DolePackagedFoods #LiveOnGreen #TournamentOfRoses 
2 cups Dole frozen strawberries, plus more for garnish

1 1/2 cups of Dole Frozen Pineapple, plus more for garnish

2 Dole bananas, fresh or from frozen*

2 6 ounce low fat vanilla yogurts

1 6 ounce can of Dole pineapple juice**

1 scoop whey protein powder, optional

In a blender combine the above ingredients. No need to add ice since the fruit is frozen, it will be cold, thick and delicious not to mention healthy. Blend until smooth.

 
 *If I have bananas starting to get too ripe before I can use them, I will peel them and place them in a freezer bag in my freezer.

**If you find the smoothie too thick for your liking, add more pineapple juice.
Makes enough to share with a friend. Enjoy!

Nutty About Banana Muffins

I love muffins. I love banana walnut muffins. You will be nutty over this recipe that is full of banana flavor and packed with nuts. 
  
Ingredients:

4 Bananas, put 2 in mixer, 2 in a bowl that have been roughly mashed

3/4 stick butter, melted 

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 cup of chopped walnuts

  
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line muffin tin with liners. Put dry ingredients in a bowl,  flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.  Whisk together and set aside. 
Peel 2 bananas and place in mixer. Blend until smooth. Add eggs and mix well. Mix in brown sugar and add vanilla. Add melted butter that has cooled. 
Add dry ingredients. Blend and stir in roughly mashed bananas and walnuts.  Fill muffin liners about halfway full. Bake for 18 minutes or until done. I yielded 18 muffins from this recipe. They freeze well and if you share with a friend, they will love you forever. 😊  Enjoy.