Banana Split Cake

As soon as warmer weather arrives, I switch modes of cooking. I grill out all year long but I do change what I cook. Anyone else like that? I don’t cook chili in the Summer nor do I fix soups.. Just Fall and Winter. Same with my desserts. This Banana Split Cake I am about to share with you is a must for any occasion during the Summer. I’ve had this recipe for years that I found in a Kraft Foods magazine I use to receive in the mail. I looked for a link on their website to share with you but it won’t load.

Three years ago, I mentioned this dessert in a blog post. So today, I am going to share the recipe with you to enjoy this Summer! Another nice thing is that you won’t use your oven for this dessert and that is less heat in the kitchen!

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 Cups Graham Cracker Crumbs
• 1 1/4 Cups of Sugar (reserve 1 Cup)
• 1 Stick of Butter, Melted
• 2 Packages of Cream Cheese (8 ounce bars; softened)
• 1 Large Can of Crushed Pineapple, Drained
• 4 to 6 Bananas
• 1 Large Package of Instant Vanilla Pudding
• 2 Cups Milk
• 1 Small Container of Cool Whipped Topping, Thawed

 

Prep & Assembly Instructions:

When I know I am making this deliciousness, I sit out my cream cheese bars early so they are softened when I am ready for them along with the frozen Cool Whip. You can also place the Cool Whip in the fridge the night before from the freezer and it will thaw overnight. As I begin assembly, I place a colander in the sink and dump the crushed pineapple in it so it begins to drain all of the juice out.

Melt the stick of butter in a medium size bowl. Add 1/4 cup sugar. Mix. Add graham cracker crumbs; mix. completely. Press mixture into a 13×9 pan that has a lid as you will store this in refrigerator until all consumed which won’t take long.  😊 Place in freezer while prepping cream cheese mixture.

Place cream cheese in a bowl and with an electric mixer set on medium beat until smooth. Add 1 cup of sugar and blend well. Pull pan from freezer and place the cream cheese mixture in the center and blend out carefully over the graham cracker crust. If the graham cracker lifts, you didn’t leave it in the freezer quite long enough…..

I “squeeze” as much juice I can out of the crushed pineapple. Then sprinkle it over the cream cheese mixture. Careful not to shove it down into the cream cheese. A nice, neat layer is what you want to achieve.

Place pudding mix in a bowl and add the 2 Cups of milk. Whisk for 2 to 3 minutes. Add 1 Cup of Cool Whip and gently blend together with a spatula.

Slice the bananas one at a time so they don’t start to brown before adding the pudding mixture. The thickness of the slice is up to you. I used 4 bananas for this dish. Arrange over the pineapple.

Spread pudding mixture over the bananas. I place it in the middle and spread out to the edges with this step too.

Final step. Place remaining Cool Whip on top of the pudding mixture and spread out to the sides. This step, I start at one end and place dollops down the center then spread to the edges.

Place in the refrigerator for all layers to set up for at least a couple of hours. Cut with a spatula, lift and serve. ENJOY!!!!

XOXO ~ PGWW