Banana Split Icebox Cake

By ldelmas

Ingredients

• 1 carton (16 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed
• 1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
• 1 package (3.4 ounces) instant vanilla pudding mix
• 1 can (8 ounces) crushed pineapple, drained
• 24 whole graham crackers
• 2 medium bananas, sliced
• Toppings: chocolate syrup, halved fresh strawberries and additional banana slices

Preparation

Step 1

•In a large bowl, mix the whipped topping, sour cream and pudding mix until blended; fold in pineapple. Cut a small hole in the corner of a pastry or plastic bag; fill with pudding mixture.
•On a flat serving plate, arrange four crackers in a rectangle. Pipe about 1 cup pudding mixture over crackers; top with about 1/4 cup banana slices. Repeat layers five times. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
•Before serving, top with chocolate syrup, strawberries and banana slices. Yield: 10 servings.

Banana Basics
Look for plump bananas that are evenly yellow-colored. Green bananas are under-ripe, while a flecking of brown flecks indicates ripeness. If bananas are too green, place in a paper bag until ripe. Adding an apple to the bag will speed the process. Store ripe bananas at room temperature. To prevent bruises, a banana hook or hanger is a great inexpensive investment. For longer storage, you can place ripe bananas in a tightly sealed plastic bag and refrigerate. The peel will become brown but the flesh will remain unchanged. One pound of bananas equals about 3 medium or 1-1/3 cups mashed.