Banana Split Cake

Banana Split Cake

Dorcas Annette Walker

Right in the middle of a hot summer afternoon, when I take a break from my tasks, I sometimes eat a small bowl of sherbet or ice cream. I don’t consider myself to be an adventurous ice cream eater. In fact, when dating, I didn’t share my husband’s enthusiasm for banana splits. I usually did good to eat half of the enormous confection and I was not at all enamored of eating different flavors of ice cream and toppings all mixed up together. So it was quite ironic when expecting my first child that I had an insatiable craving for banana splits. My husband on the other hand thought he had reached paradise every week when we stopped to buy a banana split. Not only did I crave banana splits, eat every bite of mine, but I also finished up half of my sister’s split whenever she was with us. My hormones were definitely mixed up big time as I have never craved nor desired to eat a banana split since.

There is controversy over who actually created the first banana split as there is no definite proof or documentation. It is possible that the invention occurred close to the same time. Latrobe, Pennsylvania claims that in 1904 a young drugstore employee concocted the first banana split while Wilmington, Ohio declares that in 1907 a restaurant owner created the first banana split and every year holds an annual Banana Split Festival. The banana split was also showcased at a Boston convention at the National Association of Retail Druggists in 1905 by the chief dispenser at the Butler’s Department Store in Boston. Charles Walgreen adopted the banana split as a signature dessert in his chain of restaurants, which spread the popularity of banana splits. An article states in a Soda Fountain magazine: “among all the beverages dispensed here, none was more novel with the ladies than the banana split.” The Ben and Jerry’s premium ice cream company also offered a Banana Split flavor. 2004 marked the 100th anniversary of the invention of the banana split.

The banana split is a deluxe form of an ice cream sundae traditionally formed by a whole banana being peeled and then split in half with scoops of vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry ice cream placed on top. There are different toppings associated with banana splits, but a traditional banana split is finished with a dollop of whipped cream, chopped nuts, and a maraschino cherry. Its classic form is then served in a long dish called a “boat”.

My Banana Split Cake has evolved from different recipes that I have tried and is more of a pudding dessert than a cake in texture. Although sweet in nature, the graham cracker crust and cream cheese layer helps to balance this mouth-watering dessert. While you can experiment with different toppings I have kept true to the traditional banana split topping by garnishing my Banana Split Cake with chocolate, nuts, cool whip, and a maraschino cherry. The Banana Split Cake makes a colorful dessert that will capture everyone’s attention. Preparation time for the Banana Split Cake takes only fifteen minutes and this recipe serves twenty.

Banana Split Cake

Layer graham crackers in the bottom of a 9 x 13 dish.
Beat on high until smooth:
2 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese
1 c sugar
½ container of (16 oz) cool whip
Spread on graham crackers.

Then layer:
1 (20 oz) can of crushed pineapple (drained)
3 bananas (peeled and sliced)

Mix together in a medium bowl:
2 (3.4 oz) pkg of instant vanilla pudding
2 c milk
Then add:
½ container of (16 oz) cool whip
Layer over bananas and pineapple. Cover and chill in the refrigerator overnight. Garnish each serving with chocolate syrup, nuts, cool whip, and a maraschino cherry!

Weekly tip: Peel a banana from the bottom to avoid the clinging strings. For longer shelf life, break apart your bananas at the stem and store in a dark place!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, syndicated columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcaswalker@twlakes.net For more recipes check out her Creative Mountain Cookin page at: www.dorcasannettewalker.com

Lush Lemon Delight

Lush Lemon Delight

Dorcas Annette Walker

The tangy taste of lemon always cools and refreshes one and is the perfect way to finish a meal on a hot summer day. I first tasted the beginning of different variations of this dessert at a church dinner. No matter in what direction of the United States I traveled or what type of food the local area featured there was one thing I could always count on. Invariable there would be some type of a cool whip dessert. I’d hate to think what life would be like without cool whip.

Cool whip (now made by Kraft Foods) was invented by William Mitchell, who was a food chemist at General Foods Corporation, and was introduced in 1967 by the Birds Eye division becoming a major breakthrough in food preservation. Cool whip is made up of water, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, and hydrogenated coconut and palm oils. Although cool whip is generally described as “non-dairy” it does contain a milk-derived protein. This whipped-cream substitute hit the top of the market in three months as it was cheaper than the real thing, kept longer in re-sealable containers, sold in refrigerated or frozen tubs, required no whipping, and had fewer calories than regular whipped cream. There are nine varieties of cool whip that are used in salads, pies, cakes, dips, all kinds of desserts, and I even found a recipe for cool whip cookies.

Here in Tennessee we call empty cool whip containers that we use for leftovers our Tennessee Tupperware. I’ve also used empty cool whip containers when I’ve painted around the house, stored game pieces, and started seeds for my garden. My husband uses empty containers out in his work shop to store nails, screws, and spare parts. One homemaker in Indiana is known for storing sewing supplies and crafts in empty cool whip containers and making Halloween masks and musical instruments for her daughter’s Brownie troop. Not only is the empty container handy, but other use for cool whip itself includes:
- a tablespoon shines leather shoes
- cleans silver by mixing two cups of cool whip, one tablespoon of vinegar or real lemon juice; let silver soak overnight, rinse clean, and dry thoroughly
- cleans plant leaves by using a soft cloth to apply on a plant leaf
- treats minor burns, sunburn, and cold sores by applying, letting sit for fifteen minutes, and then rinsing with cool water
- helps keep frozen fish its fresh flavor by covering fish when thawing
- conditions your hair by applying to dry hair once a week, let sit for thirty minutes, then rinse thoroughly before shampooing
- gives a moisturizing facial and moistens dry skin when applied as a face mask for twenty minutes, washed off with warm water, and then cold
- can be used as a substitute for milk or cream in a cup of coffee

My Lush Lemon Dessert has a smooth mild lemony taste combined with a rich nutty crust. Instant chocolate pudding can be substituted for the lemon pudding if one desires. The Lush Lemon Dessert can be made up a day ahead of time making this dessert ideal for picnics and church dinners. Total preparation time for my Lush Lemon Dessert is around twenty-five minutes and this recipe serves sixteen.

Lush Lemon Dessert

Mix together and press into a 9 x 13 baking dish:
1½ c self-rising flour
¼ c powdered sugar
1 stick of margarine (melted)
1 c chopped pecans
Bake at 350º for 15 minutes and cool.

In a large mixing bowl beat on high until smooth:
1 (8oz) cream cheese
1 c powdered sugar
1 cup of a 16 oz container of cool whip

Then add:
2 (3.4 oz) pkg of instant lemon pudding
3 c milk
Mix together on low gradually increasing up to medium speed for one minute until all ingredients are well blended. Spread on top of cool crust. Layer the rest of the 16 oz container of cool whip on top of pudding mixture. Garnish with ½ to 1 c of chopped pecans. Chill for three hours before serving!

Weekly tip: To avoid having your mixing bowl slide around on the counter, first place a folded damp towel underneath the bowl!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, syndicated columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcaswalker@twlakes.net For more recipes check out her Creative Mountain Cookin page at: www.dorcasannettewalker.com

Lemon Cheesecake

Lemon Cheesecake

Dorcas Annette Walker

One dessert I always looked forward to eating at my grandmother’s house was her Lemon Cheesecake that was actually a pie instead of the cheesecakes like we see today. Years later I came across a recipe for Lemon Cheesecake that I modified to match my grandmother’s recipe. This scrumptious dessert uses lots of cream cheese and eggs.

My husband had a bit of a setback with his hatched chicks when he moved the first batch from the brooder to the rabbit room thinking to let them grow older before putting them in with the bigger hens. Unfortunately, a large rat or weasel tunneled a hole in the dirt floor and killed three of the half-grown chicks. So Dana decided to put the other three chicks in with the hens. Ole Zebulon, our rooster, went and pecked one to death the very first day leaving two scrawny scared chicks. Thankfully Lemon Pudding and Cheesecake have survived and are growing into nice fat hens. So for the next batch of seven chicks my husband built a wire pen inside the henhouse to ensure their safety. Lo and behold, right before he moved them, didn’t one hyper chick jump out of the brooder when my husband opened the lid and flew straight into the open mouth of Sandy, our chocolate lab, who instantly decided on a chicken dinner. We banned Sandy from the workshop while I helped my husband transfer the rest of the chicks to safety. I am glad to report that the three yellow chicks: Mustard, Custard, and Fluster along with the three darker ones: Blackberry, Raspberry, and Blueberry are still alive and growing.

Cream cheese is the soft unripened cheese curds produced from cow’s milk. Historians believe that cheesecake originated from ancient Greece and cheese molds can be traced back as far as 2,000 B.C. The Romans spread cheesecakes from Greece to Europe where century’s later cheesecake recipes were brought to America by immigrants. In 1872, William Lawrence accidentally developed a method of producing cream cheese while trying to reproduce a French cheese. He started marketing his Philadelphia Cream Cheese in 1880. The Kraft Cheese Company bought the company in 1928 and still owns and produces Philadelphia Cream Cheese. Today instead of hanging a bag of scalded curds outside on a limb to drain we can go to the store and purchase whatever style of cheese we desire.

My Lemon Cheesecake has a smooth creamy taste with a faint bit of lemon flavor set on a soft graham cracker crust. This stylish dessert is a perfect ending to any meal and is simple to make. The Lemon Cheesecake takes about fifteen minute to prepare (not counting baking time) and this recipe serves fourteen.

Lemon Cheesecake

Mix together and press in the bottom of a 10½ inch springboard pan:
1 pkg graham crackers (crushed)
¼ c sugar
1 stick of margarine (melted)
Bake at 350º for ten minutes and cool.

In a large mixing bowl beat together until smooth and creamy:
4 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese
2 tb self-rising flour
1 container (16 oz) sour cream
4 eggs
2 pkg (3.4 oz) instant lemon pudding
2 tb milk
Pour on top of the graham cracker crust and continue baking at 350º for one hour and fifteen minutes. Chill in the refrigerator overnight. Can garnish with cool whip, chocolate curls, or sliced fresh fruit!

Weekly tip: To slice equal pieces of a large round cheesecake (or cake) first cut a circle halfway around the middle with a sharp knife and cut into four pieces. Finish by cutting two-inch pieces around the outside of the cheesecake and then serve. Store any leftover cheesecake in an enclosed container!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, syndicated columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcaswalker@twlakes.net For more recipes check out her Creative Mountain Cookin page at: www.dorcasannettewalker.com

Lemon Pudding Cake

Lemon Pudding Cake

Dorcas Annette Walker

The month of August is often the hottest summer month causing one to stay indoors seeking relief from the air conditioner to avoid the humid heat wave that saps one’s energy. Up until now, out here in the woods, I’ve been able to keep cool most days by mountain breezes coming through my open windows and ceiling fans. But with the explosion of garden produce keeping me busy canning all day in the kitchen I’ve shut my windows and turned on the central air with a grateful heart for modern conveniences. So far I’ve put up my green beans for the season and some early corn in the freezer. This week I started canning and pickling red beets with plans to get more sweet corn to freeze. These hot summer days remind me of yesteryears when relief from the heat was found under a large shade tree along with a frosty glass of cold mint tea, homemade sweet tea with a slice of lemon or tart lemonade to quench one’s thirst.

It was at a pitch-in church dinner where I had my first taste of an old fashion version of a Lemon Pudding Cake. Recipes for pudding cakes have been around for many years and began appearing in American cookbooks in the 1890’s often called pudding sponges. Researching pudding cakes I discovered many flavors abound from orange and chocolate to Bourbon. One can also make a pudding cake using the crock-pot. The magic of pudding cakes lie in the transformation of a single batter into two distinct layers during baking with cake on top and pudding on the bottom. Despite the elegance of the dessert, pudding cakes are simple enough to make that a novice cook can achieve success without fail.

My Lemon Pudding Cake recipe is a modern version of old recipes that is easy and quick to make. This Lemon Pudding Cake has a mild lemony taste that hints of hot summer days. The mixture of a velvet cake texture with creamy pudding makes this old fashioned dessert a culinary delight. You can also serve the Lemon Pudding Cake with fresh raspberries or blueberries. Preparation time for the Lemon Pudding Cake takes only ten minutes and this recipe serves sixteen.

Lemon Pudding Cake

1 yellow cake mix (any brand)
Prepare cake mix as directed and pour batter into a greased 9 x 13 baking dish.

In a medium size bowl mix together:
2 (3.4 oz) pkg Jell-O Lemon instant pudding
2 c cold milk
1 c cold water
Pour pudding mixture over cake batter and bake for one hour at 350º. Cover and cool for 20 minutes. Sprinkle powdered sugar on top. Serve warm or cold. You can garnish the Lemon Pudding Cake with a sprig of lemon mint or a dab of cool whip!

Weekly tip: When baking pudding type cakes put the baking dish onto a large tray before baking to catch any sauce that happens to bubble over to keep your oven clean!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, syndicated columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcaswalker@twlakes.net For more recipes check out her Creative Mountain Cookin page at: www.dorcasannettewalker.com