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Taking the Cake

Almost every Friday evening I share an early dinner with friends at a nearby restaurant where the food is really good and the prices are easy on the wallet. The owners and our favorite waitress, Kelsey, take good care of us, and of all of their customers.

Before we decide what we will have for dinner, we peruse the blackboard dessert menu and consider our options, since the three or four special sweets often disappear pretty quickly. They are that good.

The cakes are always three layers, often creamy, sometimes fruity. The fillings are heavenly and the frosting ethereal. The plate is decked with whipped cream and maraschino cherries.

Last week it was a cherry lemon cake. Kelsey gave us four forks and we shared one slice. As we talked, one of our group mentioned a cake her mother made, with Cool Whip, pineapple, and cherries, similar to an ice box cake. I have a similar recipe, too, and it contains bananas. My mother used to make a pistachio pudding cake. It was a box cake and baked in a Bundt pan, so there was no filling and, since my mother baked rarely, no frosting, either. When I got home, I found the Cool Whip recipe in my files. It requires no baking and is incredibly easy and yummy. I rarely use Cool Whip, but it works well with this dessert. Do feel free to use real whipped cream. (By the way, if you add a scant teaspoon of dry instant pudding to the whipped cream, it will stay whipped for a couple of days without weeping.)

I think this recipe was given to me by Barb Boynewicz of Stonington. It is an incredible dessert.

Lee White of Old Lyme has been a food editor and restaurant reviewer for more than 25 years. You can email her at leeawhite@aol.com.

Banana Split Cake

Yield: 12 to 14 servings

3 sticks (each 8 tablespoons) butter, preferably unsalted,

separated

2 cups graham cracker crumbs

2 cups confectioner’s sugar

2 eggs

1 tablespoons pure vanilla extract

1 20 ounce can crushed pineapple, drained and squeezed

4 bananas, sliced

1 large container Cool Whip

1 cup walnuts, chopped

10 maraschino cherries, halved

Melt 1 stick butter and add graham crumbs. Form a crust in 9- by 13-inch baking pan.

Put 2 sticks butter, confectioner’s sugar, eggs, and pure vanilla extract in a bowl and beat at high speed with an electric mixer for 10 minutes. Spread mix over graham cracker crust.

Spread crushed pineapple over filling. Place sliced bananas over crushed pineapple. Cover with container of Cool Whip. Sprinkle top with walnuts and place cherries on top.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerator for 16 to 20 (or somewhat more) hours.