Banana-Lemon Pudding Cake

Last week, I was flipping through the March Rachel Ray magazine and came upon an article about slow cookers. I have always loved using my slow cooker for main course dishes, but have never made a dessert in one. Thanks to Rachel Ray, this Banana-Lemon Pudding Cake was a great opportunity to make my first crock pot dessert.

I had most of the ingredients already, but I did have to buy a few lemons (which I later used in a chicken recipe - coming soon)! I swapped banana flavored Yoplait yogurt for the plain yogurt and cut the sugar in half with Splenda.

Layering the bananas!

Mixing the batter...

Delicious result!

If I make this again, I would pay more attention to the directions (I didn't cook it long enough)! As a result, the bottom was not fully cooked through, but it still tasted great. The recipe says it serves 6...well for us that was more like 2! I originally thought I would make this for our next small group meeting, but it didn't make enough. I am not sure if you can double this recipe successfully or not (let us know if you try)!

The best part about this cake is the great lemon flavor. The side note in the magazine says that you can swap out other fruit for the bananas. Perhaps I will make this again with berries this summer.

Banana-Lemon Pudding Cake (From Rachel Ray Magazine, March 2010)

• 3 eggs, separated
• One 6-ounce container plain fat-free yogurt
• Grated peel and juice of 1 large lemon
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 ripe bananas, sliced crosswise 1/2 inch thick
• Whipped cream (optional)

1. Grease the inside of a 3- to 4-quart slow cooker with butter. In a large bowl, using a handheld mixer, beat the egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form. In another large bowl, beat together the egg yolks, yogurt, lemon peel and lemon juice on medium speed for 1 minute. Add the sugar, flour and salt and beat on medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Working in 3 or 4 batches, gently fold in the beaten egg whites.

2. Scatter three-quarters of the banana slices on the bottom of the slow cooker, then pour in the batter. Cover and cook on high until the cake is puffed, the top is set and the edges are browned, about 1 hour 20 minutes. Remove the slow cooker insert, still covered, and cool for about 20 minutes.

3. Spoon the pudding into bowls and top with the whipped cream, if using, and the remaining banana slices.

Starting up with Strawberry Shortcake

We believe that delicious food doesn't have to cost a fortune, and it shouldn't cause a stress headache either! We are two friends who love to cook and entertain...all within a budget. We are young wives with different perspectives: Catherine is a coupon savvy accountant, while Jennifer is a stay at home mom and part-time teacher. We hope that our blog may be a resource to those who love easy, affordable meals!

Both of us grew up learning cooking and baking skills from our moms. We often swap ideas from each other that originally came from childhood memories in the kitchen or our own experiences along the way.

For our first post we thought it would be fitting to write about a favorite recipe of both of ours that originally came from Catherine's mom, Janet, "Hot Milk Spongecake." Well in all honesty it actually came from the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook but has been a favorite in Catherine's family for years.

Both Jenn and I were raised in a family where our moms did a lot of cooking from scratch. This sponge cake is a perfect example of how sometimes cooking from scratch can be even easier than hopping in your car to get a store made item.

Hot milk sponge cake is a great alternative to the often dry tasting shortcake cups that can be found at any supermarket. It is the perfect mix between a light angel food cake and a rich spongecake, and as a bonus it is a low fat recipe.

I have made this spongecake many times for Jenn and Matt when they come over for dinner and dessert and have passed along the recipe. The beautiful picture is Jenn's very first Hot Milk Sponge Cake that she put together for a great dessert while company was over.

With so many recipes that we love to try out and pass between each other, we thought it would be great to share our tips, successful recipes, and probably some kitchen fails to others who are just looking for some great recipes that have already been given the Jenn and Cat thumbs up. Now without further ado, our first blog recipe:

Hot Milk Sponge Cake
(from Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook, pg 181)

• 2 eggs
• 1 cup flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 tbsp butter

Let eggs sit at room temp for 30 minutes. Grease a 9x9 inch baking pan. Preheat oven to 350F.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour and baking powder.

In a medium bowl, beat eggs on high speed for 4 minutes or until thick and lemon colored. Gradually add sugar, beating on medium speed for another 4 minutes or until light and fluffy.

Add flour to egg mixture and beat just until combined.

In a small saucepan, combine milk and butter, heating and stirring until the butter melts. Add to the batter and beat until coombined.

Pour batter into the pan and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

Cool in pan on a cooling rack.