Banana Split Cake How-to

I almost never need to make a cake that is not baked in the oven but when our oven broke down, I had to Google "no-bake cakes". And then I remembered my sister, Monica, made a Banana Split Cake so I found her recipe, followed the directions, and it came out delicious!

It came out so good it I wanted to share this recipe for No-Bake Banana Split Cake with anyone who wants to build one -- it is definitely worth the time and effort.

This no-bake Banana Split Cake is great for get-togethers, birthday parties, dessert, or any celebration.

This Banana Split Cake recipe contains no dairy products (Click to Tweet) so all you lactose-intolerant people and Vegans can really enjoy this delicious Banana Split Cake.

Time required: 1-1/2 to 2 hours

Difficulty: medium

Cost: Less than $18

Materials:

• 2 sticks margarine
• 2-1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 packs Graham cracker crumbs
• 6 bananas, sliced
• 1 large can crushed pineapple, drained thoroughly
• 2-8 ounce tubs non-dairy whipped topping OR one spray can of whipped topping
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 small jar maraschino cherries

Tools:

• 1 small pot
• 1 medium-sized bowl
• 1 large baking pan
• 1 fork (for blending crumbs with margarine)
• 1 cutting board
• 1 large ziplock bag
• 1 rolling pin
• 1 butter knife to slice bananas
• 1 can opener
• 1 spatula or large spoon (to spread ingredients evenly)
• 1 nut chopper or knife to chop nuts

Instructions:

1. First melt 1 stick of margarine in a small pan.

2. In a medium-sized bowl blend the melted margarine, the 2-1/2 cups powdered sugar, and one egg until smooth. Set it aside for now.

3. Make 2 packs of Graham crackers into crumbs: put several Graham crackers at a time into a ziplock bag and seal it. Now set the bag on a cutting board, and roll over the bag several times until everything is crumbs; repeat this for both packs of Graham crackers.

Pour the crumbs into the baking pan and add the other stick of margarine (unmelted). Blend the crumbs and margarine together with a fork until all the crumbs are moist, and then press the crumb-mixture into the bottom of the baking pan to form the crust.

4. Now take the egg mixture (that you set aside earlier) and pour it over the crust. Use a spatula to spread the egg mixture evenly over the crust.

Slice the 6 bananas and layer them evenly over the egg mixture.

5. Open the can of crushed pineapple and drain it thoroughly. Be sure you get as much juice out as possible because leaving just a small amount of pineapple juice will keep the cake from setting (becoming firm). After the juice is thoroughly drained, spread the crushed pineapple over the banana layer.

6. Now take out the non-dairy whipped topping and spread (or spray) it over the pineapple layer until the cake is covered completely.

7. Now we have to chop the walnuts. If you use a nut chopper it is a bit faster; otherwise, you can use a blender on chop mode or a cutting board and knife. When you are done chopping the walnuts, sprinkle them generously over the entire Banana Split Cake.

8. Top the cake with Maraschino cherries, then freeze the cake for at least one hour (until lightly frozen) before serving. Or you can refrigerate it for 8 hours before serving. I prefer the Banana Split Cake frozen rather than refrigerated, but if you freeze your Banana Split Cake please allow it 20-30 minutes to thaw out before serving.