Monkey-ing Around

You know the drill.  There is a smell of ripening bananas in the air and every time you pass the fruit basket on the table you think to yourself ‘I must use up those bananas before they go bad’.  That is the situation I was faced with today so I pulled out my recipe for banana bread.  It is a super easy recipe that calls for a boxed cake mix and instant vanilla pudding.  It is one of those no fail recipes.  The original recipe also had a topping included but I usually leave it plain or top it with a lilikoi-flavored cream cheese frosting.  This recipe makes a 9x13 pan but I thought it might be a good idea to make it in mini loaf pans.  I wanted to share some with our neighbor and freeze the rest.  I am not sure that any will actually make it into the freezer because they are going fast.  Not to worry because there always seems to be more bananas that need to be used up.

BANANA PUDDING CAKE

1 package white cake mix

1 (4oz) package of vanilla instant pudding mix

4 eggs

1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 4-5)

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1. Preheat oven to 350F.  Grease a 9x13 inch cake pan

2. In a large mixing bowl combine cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, bananas, and oil.  Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes or until smooth.

3. Spread batter in prepared pan.  Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Let cool for at least 30 minutes in pan before turning out onto a wire rack.

4. Top with a dusting of powdered sugar or cream cheese frosting if desired.

Variation: Try with chocolate, banana, or butterscotch pudding.