Ann's Banana Cream Pie

This pie has a custard base that makes it extra good-no comparison to the jello pudding variety. Ann says to make sure you give it several hours to chill and set. Thanks for sharing.

Ingredients 

Baked Pie Shell
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp sugar
3 cups whole milk
5 large egg yolks
2 Tbsp butter - cut up
2 tsp vanilla
4 ripe medium bananas
3/4 cup whipping cream

     In 3-quart saucepan, stir cornstarch, salt, and 1/2 cup sugar.  With wire whisk, beat in milk.  Cook over medium heat until mixture thickens and boils - stirring constantly.  Boil 1 minute. Remove saucepan from heat.
     In small bowl, with wire whisk, lightly beat eff yolks. In thin steady stream, whisk about 1/2 cup hot milk mixture into yolks.  Gradually whisk yolk mixture back into milk mixture - stirring rapidly to prevent curdling.  Cook over low heat until mixture is very thick and coats the back of a spoon well or temperature reaches 160*, stirring constantly. Remove saucepan from heat.
     Stir in butter and vanilla until butter melts. Transfer custard to medium bowl. Press plastic wrap onto surface. Refrigerate until cool - about 30 minutes.
     Slice 3 bananas and arrange half of bananas in bottom of baked crust. Spread with half of custard. Repeat with remaining bananas and custard.  Press plastic wrap onto surface; refrigerate until filling is set - at least 4 hours or overnight.
 
     To serve - in a small bowl with mixer at medium speed, beat whipping cream with remaining 2 Tbsp of sugar until stiff peaks form. Spread over filling. Slice remaining banana and arrange on top of pie. 

Grandma's Banana Cake

Grandma Gray's Banana Cake

My grandma used to make this for our summertime gatherings and I still remember how I looked forward to it.  The cake is good. The frosting is fabulous.  My husband loves it when we get over-ripe bananas that I need to use up because more often than not he gets this cake.

Banana Cake

2 eggs
1 and 1/2 C. sugar
1/2 C. butter or margerine
1 C. mashed bananas
2 C. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 C. buttermilk or sour milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 C. nuts, optional

Heat oven to 350*. Grease and flour a 9 X 13 pan.  In a mixing bowl cream together eggs, sugar and butter until fluffy.  Add bananas.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Alternately add milk and flour mixture to wet ingredients until well combined. Stir in vanilla. Add nuts, if desired.  Bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool and top with Caramel Frosting.

Caramel Frosting

1/2 C. butter
1 C. packed brown sugar
1/4 C. milk
2 C. powdered sugar

In a 2-3 quart saucepan, melt butter. Stir in brown sugar. Bring to a boil.  Boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.  Add milk slowly, stirring until mixture boils again.  Remove from heat and cool.  Add powdered sugar; beat with mixer until creamy.  Add a dash of hot water if icing becomes too stiff.