In the Kitchen: Banana Pineapple Cake

As promised, here is this week's recipe just a few days off schedule! Today I have a delicious cake that I especially love during the warmer months because it is light and refreshing and a bit tropical. Most of the recipes I share with you are very easy to make, but this one really takes the cake. Yep, pun intended. You'll find a link for a printable recipe card at the end of this post.

Prep Time: 20 min  |  Cook time: 30 min  |  Serves about 18

What you'll need:

1 box yellow cake mix

3 bananas

1 large can crushed pineapple

1 tub cool whip

Prepare the cake mix as directed on package and bake in a 13x9 pan. Set aside to cool for about 20 minutes or so. You can also put it in the fridge to cool faster, if you are impatient like me.

In the meantime, drain the crushed pineapple well, reserving the juice in a bowl.

Slice the bananas into thin strips. I find it easiest to cut the banana in half first. You should need about 3 bananas but if they are smaller or you like thicker slices, you may need 4.

Soak the bananas in the pineapple juice (they don't need to soak for long). This prevents the bananas from browning. (This also works on other cut fruit, too, as does lemon juice)

Lay the sliced bananas in a single layer across the cake. You can cut them or tear them into pieces to fill gaps if needed.

Next layer the crushed pineapple on top, followed by the cool whip and you're done! Easy, right?

And since I've had such incredible luck lately (italics = sarcasm), I lost all the lovely pics I took of a finished slice of cake, so all you get to see is this whip cream. The inside shall remain shrouded in mystery, so you'll just have to make it yourself!

This cake is perfect for a summer picnic and stores well for some time in the fridge. I actually find it gets better over time as the juices soak down into the cake. It's also fun to make with the kids because its so easy. If you're really adventurous, you can make this as a double layer cake with the fruit and whip cream in between and on top. Whoa doggy. I hope you give it a try and enjoy! Find more easy and delicious recipes here.

> Click here for a printable recipe card.