each) Jell-O French Vanilla Instant Pudding and Pie Filling mix
4 containers (6 ounces each) Yoplait 99% Fat-Free Banana Crème or French Vanilla yogurt
8 ounces frozen fat-free whipped topping, thawed
48 reduced-fat vanilla wafer cookies
6 small bananas, sliced
Additional banana slices for garnish, if desired
In large bowl, beat milk and pudding mix with electric mixer on low speed until well mixed, then beat in yogurt. Fold in whipped topping. Place 24 vanilla wafers in a single layer in ungreased 13 x 9–inch (3-quart) glass baking dish. Spoon half of the pudding mixture over wafers. Place 6 sliced bananas over pudding mixture. Spoon remaining pudding mixture over bananas. Arrange remaining 24 vanilla wafers over top of pudding. Cover; refrigerate at least 3 hours but no longer than 8 hours. Just before serving, garnish with additional banana slices.
Regina’s Peanut Butter and Banana Cake
(Submitted by Regina Shinall)
CAKE INGREDIENTS
½ cup butter, softened
1½ cups sugar
2 eggs
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (2 to 3 medium)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ cup 2% milk
FROSTING INGREDIENTS
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup 2% milk
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups confectioners’ sugar
To prepare the cake, in a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in bananas and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, and baking soda; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beating well after each addition.
Transfer to a greased 13 x 9 (3 quart) baking pan. Bake at 350 for 30–35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.
For frosting, in a small bowl, beat peanut butter, milk, and vanilla until blended; gradually beat in confectioners’ sugar until smooth. Spread over cake.
How to Make a 3D Cake Template
Print out a photo of the item you’d like to make. Enlarge the photo to the desired size. Use onionskin paper to trace the photo; more than one sheet might be necessary depending on the size of the cake you’re making. Tape the onionskin or tracing paper onto a piece of thin cardboard or poster board. Carefully cut around the design.
With Daphne’s car cake, she used templates to do each side. A separate template would have to be done for the front and back of the car. Of course, some bakers are able to carve the design freestyle!
Read on for an excerpt from the first
Daphne Martin mystery,
Murder Takes the Cake
Available now from Gallery Books!
CHAPTER
one
MRS. WATSON?” I called, banging on the door. I glanced up at the ever-blackening clouds. Although I had Mrs. Watson’s cake in a box, it would be just my luck to get caught in a downpour with it. This was my third attempt to please her, and I couldn’t afford another mistake with the amount she was paying me. Whoever said “the customer is always right” had obviously never dealt with Yodel Watson. I should’ve listened to all those people who’d told me Yodel was the meanest old lady in town. But she was my first customer. How could I turn away her business?
I heard something inside the house and pressed my ear against the door. A vision of me falling and dropping the cake when Mrs. Watson flung the door open made me rethink it, though, and I pulled my head away from the door.
“Mrs. Watson?” I called again.
“Come in! It’s open! Come in!”
I tried the knob and the door was indeed unlocked. I stepped inside but didn’t see Mrs. Watson. “It’s me—Daphne Martin. I’m here with your cake.”
“Come in! It’s open!”
“I am in, Mrs. Watson. Where are you?”
“It’s open!”
“I know! I—” Gritting my teeth, I walked through the foyer to the kitchen and placed the cake on the table. A quick glance around the room told me Mrs. Watson wasn’t in there, either.
“It’s open!”
Man, could this lady get on your nerves. The voice sounded like it came from the left, so I moved slowly down the hallway.
“Mrs. Watson?” I poked my head inside a den on the right.
“Come in!”
I turned toward the voice. A gray parrot was sitting on a perch inside its cage.
“It’s open!” the bird squawked.
“I noticed.” I’d heard about parrots that could mimic their owners’ voices to perfection, but this was the first time I’d experienced it. Great. She’s probably not home, and I’ll get arrested for breaking and entering . . . though, technically, I didn’t break.
It was then that I saw Mrs. Watson lying on the sofa in a faded, navy blue robe.