Making your preserves work for you!

Hi Jamsters!

I know I am due for another jamming session, and that will most likely be done tomorrow, but today I would like the share a unique way you can incorporate your jams/jellies/marms into something more then just slathering it on toast.

I present to you Banana Dream Cake.  Inside this delicious 3 layer cake is a filling of Monkey Butter and frosting.  If you recall Monkey Butter is the delicious combination of banana butter, pineapple, and coconut.  You can find that recipe here.

The recipe for the 3 layer cake came from The Novice Chef and it is truly close your eyes and mumble to yourself good. Check out her blog, it is fantastic! I am going to include the recipe below for yall!

Alls you need:

Cake Part:

3/4 cup butter
2 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
4 oz applesauce
Juice from 1 lemon
1 cup mashed over ripe bananas (I used 3 small bananas)

Frosting Part:

3/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 (12 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
5 3/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Filling:

Monkey Butter or any other jam.

First you want to mix the dry ingredients together (flour, baking soda, salt) in a large bowl. Next you want to smash the bananas really good and squeeze the lemon juice onto them in a separate bowl. Then cream together the sugar and butter until nice and fluffy.  Then add the eggs in 1 at a time. Add vanilla extract, sour cream, and applesauce into mixture. Now beat in flour and milk alternating between the two.  Lastly add in the smashed bananas.  Make sure everything is well incorporated (meaning skim the sides of the bowl in case the butter/sugar didn't mix together).  Pour the batter into 3 8 inch round pans that were greased and floured.

Put into 275 degree oven for about 40-50 minutes until no mushy stuff comes out on a toothpick. One done baking put directly into freezer and freeze for about an hour.

While cake rounds are freezing whip up that frosting but creaming the butter and cream cheese together.  Add a little vanilla extract.  Then start adding the confectioners sugar little by little.  I know it seems like a lot of sugar and frosting but this is a big cake and remember...you are not going to eat the whole cake yourself!

Lastly, to assemble the cake place bottom round onto a cake plate with a dollop of frosting beneath it to keep it in place.  Then layer frosting, Monkey Butter, cake, frosting, Monkey Butter, cake, frosting.  Do a crumb layer around the whole cake, stick in the freezer again and do the final frosting!

Ta-da! You can see the Monkey Butter oozing out! I actually made this for my husband and I's anniversary, he really loves Banana cake so I wanted to surprise him and since there was so much I sent him to work with some to share:-)  Well that's that for now and hopefully I'll be jamming tomorrow!