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Easy and Delicious Banana Split Cake

I have the perfect July 4th recipe for you this week: Easy and Delicious Banana Split Cake!  I went live on Facebook Wednesday evening to show how simple this picnic/party dessert is to put together, and I’m really hoping that some of you try it for the 4th.

We’ve been making Banana Split Cake in my family since I was about 13 or14 years old – of course, back in the stone ages we didn’t have a stand mixer like I do now, and the filling needed to be whipped for twenty minutes!  Yes, that’s not a typo, twenty minutes. This, of course, meant that while we loved (and I do mean LOVED) this cake, we didn’t make it terribly often, and when we did, it was a family affair and we took turns with the mixer.

Banana Split Cake, Bake With Rho, Tampa Florida

SO Delicious!

Now that practically everyone and their brother (although not my brother) has a stand mixer, this cake is ready for the masses!  It’s much easier to make and I did the entire thing live in about 30 minutes.  That’s right, from the first measuring cup of graham crackers to placing it in the fridge – 30 tiny minutes!

This recipe has been in our family for about 40 years but this was the first time I’d had it in about 25 – It’s as good as I remember, and if the ladies at Laura’s Beads have anything to say about it, I’ll be making it again soon!  It’s definitely a crowd pleaser!

Try it – you’ll love it!  I’ve embedded the live video below if you’d like to see it step by step.

Print Recipe
 Easy and Delicious Banana Split Cake
Banana Split Cake, Bake With Rho, Tampa Florida
Servings
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
  • 1 1/4 Cup Graham Cracker Crumbs
  • 1/3 Cup Granulated Sugar
  • 1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter melted
Filling
  • 1 Cup Unsalted Butter room temp
  • 2 ea. Eggs
  • 2 tsp Vanilla I used vanilla bean paste
  • 2 Cups Powdered Sugar
Other ingredients
  • 1 Can Crushed Pineapple large can, drained
  • 3 ea. Bananas cut in about 1/4" slices
  • 1 Container Cool Whip large container
  • 2 oz. Chopped Walnuts
  • Maraschino Cherries for garnish, if desired
Servings
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
  • 1 1/4 Cup Graham Cracker Crumbs
  • 1/3 Cup Granulated Sugar
  • 1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter melted
Filling
  • 1 Cup Unsalted Butter room temp
  • 2 ea. Eggs
  • 2 tsp Vanilla I used vanilla bean paste
  • 2 Cups Powdered Sugar
Other ingredients
  • 1 Can Crushed Pineapple large can, drained
  • 3 ea. Bananas cut in about 1/4" slices
  • 1 Container Cool Whip large container
  • 2 oz. Chopped Walnuts
  • Maraschino Cherries for garnish, if desired
Banana Split Cake, Bake With Rho, Tampa Florida
Instructions
Prep
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees - you'll need it to bake the graham cracker crust.
Graham Cracker Crust
  1. Melt 1/2 cup of butter in the microwave - 30 seconds should do it.
  2. In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and butter. Mix with a fork until a sandy consistency.
  3. Pour into a 9x13 pan and spread evenly. Pat down gently with your hand (gloved, or impeccably clean) and then use the bottom of a heavy spatula to press tightly and evenly.
  4. Bake for 7 minutes and cool completely before adding the filling. (I let mine cool for 5 minutes on the counter and then pop in the freezer for about 5 minutes.
Prepare the Filling
  1. In the bowl of a your stand mixer (I use a Kitchenaid), add the butter, eggs, and vanilla - beat on low for a few minutes to incorporate slightly.
  2. Add the 2 cups of powdered sugar and mix on low until incorporated.
  3. Scrape the sides of the bowl and turn up to medium for a minute or two.
  4. Scrape down again and mix on high for 6-8 minutes, until there is plenty of air incorporated and the filling becomes lighter in volume.
  5. Spread evenly over the graham cracker crust.
Remaining Layers
  1. Spread the crushed pinapple evenly over the filling.
  2. Slice the bananas and layer them over the pinapple.
  3. Spread a generous amount of the Cool Whip over the banana layer (I used almost the entire container), making sure to take it right up to the edges of the pan.
  4. Sprinkle the walnuts on the top.
  5. Cover tightly and refridgerate overnight.
  6. Add cherries before serving, if desired.
Recipe Notes
  • You can make this without a stand mixer, but you must whip the filling for a full 20 minutes.
  • Don't bother tasting the filling when it is done - it's very sweet.  It's the addition of the other ingredients that brings out the flavor of this dessert - it truly is the sum of it's parts!
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Delicious Fudge Brownies & Baileys – Facebook LIVE

by Posted in Recipes, Tutorials Tagged , Leave a comment

Friday night, we made some delicious Fudge Brownies & Baileys Live on Facebook in celebration of St. Patricks’s Day!  And they were truly delicious!  If you missed it, you can still head over and view the videos.

This was our very first LIVE session and while it was a little nerve wracking, it was also a lot of fun!  As I mentioned, this wasn’t my recipe, but one I found online when I was considering what I wanted my first live video to be, and I knew I wanted something for St. Patrick’s Day, but I didn’t want something green.

Life, Love and Sugar had this fantastic recipe, and I wanted something that looked like it would have a great taste, but not so complicated that I couldn’t make it (and make it well) on the first try, in front of a live audience.  These brownies fit that bill nicely, and they are packed with flavor.  In fact, they are SO packed with flavor that I just couldn’t eat a whole one in one sitting.  They’re that rich and chocolatey!  If you watched the video you heard me say that I thought 16 brownies from a 9″ pan were too many – I’ll gladly admit that I was completely wrong on that score!  These could have easily been cut in half and still made anyone happy.

I learned a few lessons this first time out

  1. I really miss having Ana around when I’m filming!
  2. Ana doesn’t know how to use Facebook – She’s an admin our our page and well – she was there as “Bake with Rho” most of the time and confused the bejesus out of me!  We may have to take away her admin rights for her own protection!
  3. I have a great group of friends and family!  I mean, I knew that, of course, but seeing people I didn’t expect show up to watch was very encouraging and it meant the world to me – it helped me be less nervous and it gave me someone to talk to.
  4. I have a lot to learn – I watch my friend and mentor Kara do it, and it looks so seamless!  Alas, I now realize that is because she’s done this a zillion times and has figured out how to talk, bake, and watch her computer all at the same time!
  5. It was fun!  I was so nervous, but the bottom line is that I had a great time!  LIVE videos on Facebook are more casual and more of a conversation – I absolutely loved doing it and plan to do it again as often as my schedule allows.

Thank you so much to those of you who watched (LIVE or on replay) and especially to those of you who shared the video and invited others to join!  It means a lot to me that you would help in this way – the key to my success is going to be word of mouth and shares, etc., so every single time you do it, there’s a positive impact for me and I’m more appreciative than you could possibly know!

Just in case you missed it in the comments, check out the Baileys Fudge Brownies recipe that we made.  It’s truly delicious.