Spring Recipes: Lovely Desserts

I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter tomorrow. My son is home from college and we're hanging out at home, watching Mary Poppins after breakfast and having an egg hunt after dinner. The weather was lovely today, and hopefully will be tomorrow as well. Today I'm sharing several dessert recipes that can be served after Sunday dinner, or with afternoon tea.

Pineapple Banana Cake

Ingredients:
3 cups all purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 (8 oz) can crushed pineapple
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups mashed bananas

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter or spray a Bundt pan. Mix together dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon) until combined. Make a well in the center and add eggs, pineapple, oil, vanilla and bananas. Stir batter with a large spoon, mixing well. Some lumps will remain; do not overmix. Spoon the batter into the pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean (about 65-75 minutes). Cool on wire rack for 5 minutes before removing cake from pan.

Frosting: Frost with a vanilla frosting, or sprinkle with confectioners' sugar. A light glaze is also nice.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup brown sugar
8 maraschino cherries
1 (16 oz.) can pineapple slices
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Heat butter, sugar, and ginger until thick. Put into the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Place pineapple slices on top of the brown sugar mixture; put one cherry inside each of the pineapple centers. Set aside.

CAKE:
1/4 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, separated
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon lemon or almond extract
1/2 cup milk

Cream the butter with sugar. Beat the egg yolks and add to sugar mixture. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together. Add alternately with milk to the sugar mixture. Beat egg whites until stiff (but not dry) and fold into batter. Pour over the pineapples. Bake at 350°F for 45 minutes or until done. Cool 5 minutes. Turn upside-down onto a serving plate or tray to serve.

Pistachio Cake

Ingredients:
1 devil's food cake mix
2 small pkgs. pistachio instant pudding
1 large container Cool Whip

Mix cake according to directions on box. Bake per instructions for a 9x13 pan. Cool completely. Mix together the container of Cool Whip and the 2 small packages pistachio instant pudding mix. Do not add water or any other ingredients except the whipped topping and pudding. Frost the cooled cake. Sprinkle with crushed pistachio nuts, colored sprinkles, or coconut.

Optional: We've always used Devil's Food cake mix for this dessert, but you can also use white or yellow cake mix if you wish.

Lemon Cake

Ingredients:
1 box white or yellow cake mix
1 small box instant lemon pudding
1/2 cup powdered milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup oil
5 large eggs
Glaze:
2 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted
3-4 tablespoons lemon juice

Mix all dry ingredients together. Stir in water and lemon juice. Beat in one egg at a time, afterwards beating the entire mixture for 2 minutes. Pour into Bundt pan and bake at 325 degrees for 50-60 minutes. When cool, drizzle glaze over cake.

To Make Glaze:
Place 2 cups powdered sugar in medium mixing bowl. Whisk in melted butter and lemon juice. Drizzle over cake and cool.

Happy Easter! ~Brenda