Super Easy Banana Cream Ice Box Cake

 

Since I always post recipes I bake from scratch, I thought it was about time I'd include one that is super easy, does not involve baking, and is extremely tasty at the same time. In comes Banana Cream Ice Box Cake. The idea for it evolved as a combination of a Banana Cream Pie Anna makes at home quite often and a recipe for an Éclair Ice Box Cake I kept seeing on Pinterest over and over again. We had a few very ripe bananas at home that needed using up but I wasn't in the mood for baking another banana bread (as great as my recipe is), so I thought I'd go the super easy route this time. But instead of layering the vanilla pudding and the whipped cream- as Anna does in the Banana Cream Pie, I combined the two to create one fluffy light cream that made this dessert irresistible. So, here it is:

Super Easy Banana Cream Ice Box Cake

Ingredients:

18 Graham Crackers

3 bananas, peeled and sliced thinly

1 pkg (3.4 oz) instant vanilla pudding

1 1/2 cups cold milk

1 tub (8oz) Cool Whip, thawed

about 1 cup chocolate ganache to cover top (optional but recommended; * see recipe below)

1/2 chopped walnuts or other nuts (totally optional)

 

Directions:

Combine vanilla pudding with milk and whisk until combined and thickened, about 3 minutes. Add Cool Whip and stir in until you get a homogenous cream.

 

In an 8x8 inch pan, arrange graham crackers on bottom- you will need to break some of them into halves or quarters in order to cover the whole pan. Spoon about 1/3 of the pudding mixture on top of the graham crackers. Arrange banana slices on top, pushing them down a little, to sink them slightly into the cream. Repeat layering crackers, cream, bananas, and again crackers, cream, bananas. Finish with one last layer of crackers.

I had some chocolate ganache left over from another recipe, so I just warmed it up for about 15 seconds in the microwave and drizzled it on top. Then, I sprinkled some chopped walnuts, just because I love them. :) I left the cake in the refrigerator overnight to set. We just enjoyed it for dessert today and everyone raved about it. Not bad for about 15 minutes of work! :)



* For Chocolate Ganache, mix 1/2 chocolate chips with 1 cup of almost boiling heavy whipping cream- stir to melt the chocolate and use as required. It is delicious! If you have any leftover, simply store in the fridge for another week or so. When ready to use, if you need it spreadable again, just warm it up in the microwave for a few seconds and you are good to go!

 

Recipe adapted from: hugsandcookiesxoxo

Magic Cake

Chef Anna presents "Magic Cake"! Last night, she and her friend Marley put this delightful dessert together and were very proud of themselves. :) They definitely had a good reason to be proud of their accomplishment: the result was beautiful and delicious! And it was magical too, as they only put one batter in the pan but during baking it separated into three layers! It is vanilla-custard type dessert with a cake layer on top. If you are a fan of creme caramel, you will love this cake! Next time, we are going to make it with lemon flavor; we all seem to think that it will be even better!

Ingredients:

4 eggs (separate yolks from whites) at room temperature

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

150 g (3/4 cup) sugar

125 g (1 stick or ½ cup) butter, melted and slightly cooled

115 g (4 oz or ¾ cup) all-purpose flour

500 ml (2 cups) milk, lukewarm

powdered sugar for dusting cake

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 F degrees. Grease an 8x8-inch baking dish.

Separate eggs. Add the egg whites to a mixer and mix until egg whites are stiff. Place egg whites in a bowl and set aside.

Beat the egg yolks with the sugar until light. Add melted butter and vanilla extract and continue beating for another minute or two. Add flour and mix in until fully incorporated.

Slowly start adding the milk and beat until everything is well mixed together. Add the egg whites, a third at a time and gently fold them in using a spatula, repeat until all egg whites are folded in. The final batter will be very runny- that's okay!

Pour batter into baking dish and bake for 45 to 60 minutes or until the top is lightly golden and cake is set in the center.

Cool on a rack. Refrigerate. It really is better the following day, when it sets. Before serving, sprinkle powdered sugar if desired.

Recipe courtesy: jocooks.com

Mediterranean Rice Pudding

So, it's winter and it's more than natural that we tend to crave hearty, homey, comforting foods. When I think of all those things, rice pudding is almost one of the first desserts that comes to mind. It always reminds me of my Grandma (who used to make this dessert for me when I was a little girl) and in this sense, it brings a sense of comfort to me in a way that few other sweet treats do. However, since my Grandma died when I was still very young and since she had very few written recipes for the delectable things she cooked and baked (she always eye-balled things when cooking :)), I didn't have her exact recipe to go by. I was determined, though, to get it down right by trial and error. It took me three or four tries and a good deal of experimentation to get to a rice pudding I could really call my own- and that reminds me of my Grandma's rice pudding too. To give homage to my Balkan/Mediterranean origins, I added ingredients that are not traditionally found in rice pudding here, but add wonderful flavor notes of citrus. The end result is a creamy, decadent dessert that is as easy to make as it is hard to resist.

          Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup uncooked white rice
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup half-n-half 
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• zest of 1 lemon
• zest of half an orange
• 2 eggs, beaten  
• 1/2 cup raisins (optional)
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  
  Directions:
  Bring rice and water to a boil, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
  
  Once rice is cooked, add milk, sugar, salt, lemon zest, and orange zest. Cook over medium heat until thick and creamy, 15 to 20 minutes, stirring frequently.
  
  In a mixing bowl, combine beaten eggs and half-n-half. Add 1/2 cup of the hot rice mixture to the eggs and stir. Repeat a couple more times. This ensures that the eggs do not scramble once you add them to the hot rice.
  
  Stir in the tempered egg mixture, raisins (if using) and ground cinnamon to the saucepan with the rice. Cook 2 more minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and lemon juice.
  
  
  
  
  

  Recipe adapted from: allrecipes.com