Banana Pudding Poke Cake

From www.thecountrycook.net

This is made without slices of bananas, however, you could certainly add those on there if you like. My husband and I decided we would just add some freshly sliced bananas right on top of our individual pieces of cake which turned out to be a delicious idea.   If I had put them on the cake while I was making it, they would have turned brown within a day. It also makes the cake really pretty if you serve the individual slices with a bit of sliced banana and a Nilla Wafer on the side. 

Ingredients:

1  box yellow cake mix

ingredients needed to make cake (eggs, oil & water)

2 (3.4 oz.) packages instant banana pudding

4 cups milk

1 (8 oz.) tub frozen whipped topping, thawed

20 vanilla wafers, crushed

 Directions:

Prepare cake mix according to package directions for a 9x13 cake.

Once cake comes out of the oven, allow it to cool for just a couple of minutes.

Then, with a wooden spoon handle or some other similarly-sized object, begin poking 

holes in the cake.

 You want the holes to be fairly big so that the pudding has plenty of room to get down  in there. Be sure to poke right down to the bottom of the cake.

 In a bowl,whisk together instant pudding with 4 cups milk. Stir until all the lumps are gone. Let pudding sit for just about 2 minutes so it has just slightly begun to thicken but not fully set, it should still be easily pourable. 

 Pour pudding over cake. Taking care to get it into the holes as much as possible.

 Spread it all out and using the back of the spoon gently push pudding down into the holes.

 Put the pudding into the fridge to set and cool.

Once your cake has completely cooled, spread on whipped topping.

 If you haven't done so already, crush your vanilla wafers.

I just place mine in a ziploc bag and crush them with a rolling pin.

Leave some of the pieces big. It's nice to have a bit of a crunch when you eat the cake.

 Spread crushed wafers onto the top of the cake. 

You can do this part immediately before serving the cake if you like. 

This will ensure the wafers are crunchy when you serve it. 

I think this cake gets more delicious over time.

To me, it's even better the next day so it's a great dessert to make ahead of time.

Serve with freshly sliced bananas. Keep refrigerated.

Read more at http://www.thecountrycook.net/2012/06/banana-pudding-poke-cake.html#0TwwU6kPbRK4ERfo.99

Blueberry Breakfast Cake

Blueberry Breakfast Cake
Source:  Amanda's Cookin' and Annie's Recipes

2 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
2 t. baking powder
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 c. milk
1/4 c. butter or margarine, softened
1 t. grated lemon peel
2 c. fresh or frozen blueberries

TOPPING:
1/3 c. sugar
1/4 c. flour
1/4 c. finely chopped walnuts (I used pecan pieces that I already had on hand)
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
3 T. cold butter or margarine

DRIZZLE:
1/2 c. powdered sugar
1-2 T. milk

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar and baking powder. Add egg, milk, butter and lemon peel; mix just until dry ingredients are moistened. Fold in the blueberries. Spread in a greased 9-in. square baking pan.

For topping, combine sugar, flour, walnuts and cinnamon in a mini food processor or bowl. Add butter and process, or cut in if doing by hand, until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle over batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes.

For drizzle, combine the powdered sugar and milk. If too thick, add a few drops of additional milk at a time until it reaches drizzling consistency. Drizzle over the top of the cake.

Sweet Potato Cake!

3 C Grated raw sweet potatoes (about 2 medium sized)

4 Eggs

2 C Sugar

1 C Vegetable oil

1 tbsp Bourbon

2 1/4 C Flour

2 tsp Cinnamon

2 tsp Baking soda

1 tsp Salt

1/4 tsp Nutmeg

1 C Chopped walnuts (optional)

For the frosting

1 C (2 sticks) Unsalted butter at room temperature

2 (8 oz) Packages cream cheese at room temperature

1 lb (approximately 4-4.5 cups) Confectionary sugar

1-2 tbsp Bourbon

1 tbsp Heavy whipping cream

1 tsp Vanilla extract

1/2 C Caramel sauce

1 C Walnuts, chopped

Instructions

1. Peel sweet potatoes. Use a grater to shred the sweet potatoes into a bowl. When finished, use your hands to squeeze out excess juice from sweet potatoes. Pour out excess juice. Re-fluff sweet potatoes with your hands.
2. Preheat oven to 350° and grease and flour two 8” pans. If you choose to use a different size pan, you will need to adjust the baking time accordingly. This can easily be made in a 9” pan as well as a Bundt pan.
3. Lightly beat eggs with a fork. Add sugar and beat on low speed until smooth. Add oil and bourbon. Continue to beat on low speed until well mixed.
4. In a medium bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and nutmeg; mix together. Slowly add flour mixture to wet ingredients and beat until incorporated.
5. Fold in walnuts.
6. Pour batter in greased baking pans. Bake for 40-45 minutes. Use a toothpick or knife to check the center of the cake. If your toothpick comes out clean, the cake is done. Allow cake to cool completely.
7. Prepare the frosting by allowing the butter and cream cheese to come to room temperature for about 30 minutes. Combine butter and cream cheese in a mixer. Beat on a medium high speed until its light and fluffy.
8. Slowly add powdered sugar one cup at a time, until each cup is incorporated. As the frosting thickens, add bourbon, one tablespoon at a time. Reserve the second table spoon if you prefer a stronger taste.
9. Add heavy whipping cream and vanilla last. Incorporate into frosting and then increase speed to medium high and beat for additional 2-3minutes to whip air into the frosting.
10. Refrigerate the frosting for at least 30-60 minutes while cake cools.
11. To prepare the cake, use a cake leveler or knife to cut the dome off the cake, leaving a flat top on both cakes.
12. Apply a crumb coat the cake (a thin layer of frosting) and put in the freezer for 20-30 minutes. Remove from freezer and add remaining frosting. Keep refrigerated.
13. Before serving, use your hands to apply walnuts to the sides of the cake. Drizzle the caramel over the top of the cake and gently spread to the edges with an offset spatula.