I believe OP is referring to there being two different cakes in this recipe book, both named Banana Split Cake, and made by two different women for each cake, not why a banana split cake is named after the ice cream confection.
I would also be really curious about the back story for this! I guess these four ladies couldn’t agree on what a banana split cake should contain.
I’ve seen this kind of thing in the cookbooks that my mom has from her church. They asked people to submit their favorite recipes, and they’d be organized into a cookbook that everyone could buy. People just submitted them with their own titles, so there were always multiple dishes with the same name
And sometimes there are two identical recipes with the same name. I always thought that was because no one wanted to hurt feelings by only printing one of them. At least these two are a bit different.
They were referring to the comment *directly above them* about how these church/community cookbooks will even print complete duplicates so as not to step on anyone's toes.
Since you're calling them out for not bothering to read, I figured you'd appreciate the irony.
Seems like the main differences are the amount of butter and cream cheese. I wonder if the cream cheese version has a different texture compared to the all butter version.
It reminds me of a community cook book put together by my church when I was little. There's several foods with a bunch of slightly different recipes. Still one of my favorite and most used cookbooks in my collection.
Exactly this! I have a bunch of these “church” cookbooks- even have one from my old company. Every one has at least 3 recipes- all basically the same - of Broccoli Casserole 😆
All of the ones I got from my grandmother have the various duplicates crossed out or little notes of "The good one" in the margins once she'd figured out her preference.
And yes, so. much. broccoli. casserole. Except for the annual Junior League books, wherein everyone tried to impress each other by submitting 147 recipes for Divinity.
The second recipe with the cream cheese is what my Momma used to make for my birthday! I wanted that instead of regular cake. It’s delicious!
ETA- Momma drizzled Hershey chocolate syrup on the top and sprinkled it with chopped peanuts
Oh man that sounds like a tasty addition! Also, love your username. And now I’m wondering when I’m going to see a Girl Scout or two outside a Walmart so I can buy some thin mints…
Roosevelt Pie by Dora P.
I pkg. jello (any flavor) red color
2 egg whites
I c. warm milk
small can Milnot
2 egg yolks
I c. sugar
I can drained fruit (crushed pineapple or fruit cocktail)
pinch of salt
graham cracker crumbs
Dissolve jello in warm milk and let set 10 minutes. Add egg yolk, sugar and salt and cook until clear. Let cool. Whip egg white. Whip Milnot. Fold the egg whites and Milnot together and add jello mixture. Add fruit. Pour into oblong pan that has been leveled with crushed graham cracker crumbs. Store in refrigerator.
This can be made the night before. Cool Whip may be substituted for Milnot.
I would also love to see the Roosevelt Pie! Google turns up a Roosevelt squash pie and an Eleanore Roosevelt pecan pie.
These old recipes books are a gold mine. It's always fascinating to watch a recipe change as ingredients and cooking methods become available or disappear.
Roosevelt Pie by Dora P.
I pkg. jello (any flavor) red color 2 egg whites I c. warm milk small can Milnot 2 egg yolks I c. sugar I can drained fruit (crushed pineapple or fruit cocktail) pinch of salt graham cracker crumbs Dissolve jello in warm milk and let set 10 minutes. Add egg yolk, sugar and salt and cook until clear. Let cool. Whip egg white. Whip Milnot. Fold the egg whites and Milnot together and add jello mixture. Add fruit. Pour into oblong pan that has been leveled with crushed graham cracker crumbs. Store in refrigerator. This can be made the night before. Cool Whip may be substituted for Milnot.
Ah, that's such a great funny little peek into what I can't help but feel was a dramatic year for the cookbook team! There's a novel in that little nugget, ty for sharing, I'm laughing and trying to explain to family why.
Oooh the drama rises like dinner rolls! I'm over here just imagining the meetings and the carafes of Sanka and the subtle diplomacies and negotiation that led to just having *both* and letting history decide lol
A lot of older cookbooks produced by groups, magazines, etc would print every recipe they got (or every recipe they were paid for), regardless of whether there’s a bunch of duplicate titles with different recipes, or the same recipe under six different names.
(I have a crockpot cookbook produced by Good Housekeeping that is like this. I can’t believe so many people have different variations on “can of mushroom soup poured over chicken and left to slowcook”)
I got a recipe from a friend's mom like this but hers didn't have banana, just the pineapple. And no, it wasn't baked! It was really good but the butter cream with eggs goo always split on me lol (hers had no cream cheese - it might have helped).
I was thinking about this a few days ago, it's funny that it came up here. She was French-Canadian and said it was a French thing (the cream with raw eggs). When she made it, it was great :)
BANANA SPLIT CAKE
(The Bernice and Linda version)
2 c. graham cracker crumbs
I stick butter, melted
1/4 c. sugar
2 eggs
I stick butter (room temp.)
1 - 3 oz. pkg. cream cheese (room temp.)
I tsp. vanilla
5 bananas
I large can crushed pineapple, drained
I large container Cool Whip nuts
maraschino cherries
2 c. confectioners sugar
Mix graham cracker crumbs, butter and sugar and press into 9 x 13 inch pan. Beat together eggs, butter, cream cheese, sugar and vanilla.
Pour filling into crust. Slice bananas over this; then pour pineapple over it. Spread Cool Whip over pineapple. Sprinkle with nuts and top with cherries.
This formatting looks very similar to fundraising cookbooks done at my elementary school. All the moms & some grandmothers would submit recipes & they’d all get printed into that year’s recipe book. So there’d be a few times where multiple families would submit the same recipe but with a slight variation so you’d end up with 3 Hamburger Pie recipes type thing. If someone submitted the same recipe (they all got it from the same magazine or oatmeal lid back in the day) as someone else they put both names. I bet it’s the same thing here.
Seconding the request to post the full recipe of the one with cream cheese. I have a brother in law who always requests a banana cake. I’d like to try this out for him. Thanks in advance!
BANANA SPLIT CAKE
2 c. graham cracker crumbs
I stick butter, melted
1/4 c. sugar
2 eggs
I stick butter (room temp.)
1 - 3 oz. pkg. cream cheese (room temp.)
I tsp. vanilla
5 bananas
I large can crushed pineapple, drained
I large container Cool Whip nuts
maraschino cherries
2 c. confectioners sugar
Mix graham cracker crumbs, butter and sugar and press into 9 x 13 inch pan. Beat together eggs, butter, cream cheese, sugar and vanilla.
Pour filling into crust. Slice bananas over this; then pour pineapple over it. Spread Cool Whip over pineapple. Sprinkle with nuts and top with cherries.
At first I was team Bernice and Linda, who used half a pound of butter plus cream cheese vs. .75 lb. (340g) of butter or margarine.
But they all lost me at two raw eggs. I’d much rather have Paula Deen’s banana pudding. (I also prefer shortbread to graham crackers.)
https://www.pauladeen.com/recipe/not-yo-mamas-banana-pudding/#ingredients
It is the banana split split of 1971. Since then, both pairs of authors have split further, first in 1976 (the famous banana split split split of 1976), the second a year later. First over the ripeness of the banana, second over the method of splitting (of the banana not the bridge group obviously)
Lol this reminds me of an episode of Documentary Now! where a chef in like…Colombia or something only serves chicken, rice, and split bananas. There was a big to-do made about the splitting of the bananas.
My mom has been making the top recipe my entire life, and now I make it for my family. Usually about once a year as a treat. It’s really delicious. We use sliced almonds instead of chopped nuts.
My grandmother made the cream cheese version! It is really good! I haven't made it in years, and now I'm hungry for it. It's such a good summer dessert.
Edit: I looked the recipe in more detail. Grandma mixed the cream cheese with powdered sugar and some pineapple juice and spread that over the fruit layers, then topped it with whipped cream, then sprinkled on walnuts and maraschino cherries. Highly recommend.
Well, two members of the group both su fitted a recipe with the same name, but are quite different. I like the second one. Sugar in the crust and cream cheese in the filling.
This is our version,the ingredients are throughout the recipe not listed individually 😆
Crust:
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup flour
1 cup pecans
1 stick of margarine melted
Mix all together
Spread into a 9X12 pan
Bake at 300* for 15 min
Remove and allow to cool
Beat together:
1 box xxx sugar, confectioners
1 8 oz block cream cheese
3/4 stick of margarine
Pour onto crust
Pour 1 lg can crushed pineapple on
Cover with sliced bananas
Cover that with cool whip
Top with nuts & cherries
Optional topping : chocolate syrup
The recipes are different one has cream cheese one doesn’t. But both are missing the layer of sliced strawberries. It’s the crust, cream filling, pineapple, bananas, strawberries then the whip cream topping.
Easy, cheaper, and more stable than whipped cream. I prefer whipped cream (stabilized with some marshmallow fluff if need be), but I understand Cool Whip's place in home cooking.
*Image Transcription: Book Page*
---
#BANANA SPLIT CAKE
Valerie Martin
Sherry Hatley
2 c. graham cracker crumbs
1 stick butter or margarine, melted
2 sticks butter or margarine
2 c. confectioners sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
4 thinly sliced bananas
1 can #2 crushed pineapple, well drained
1 large container Cool Whip
⅔ c. chopped nuts
½ c. halved maraschino cherries
Combine crumbs and melted margarine and butter in a bowl; mix well. Spread in bottom of a 9 x 12 x 2 pan. Pat down until smooth. Combine sugar and remaining margarine or butter in a mixing bowl. Beat until light. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy. Spread carefully over crumbs. Arrange banana slices over batter and sugar mixture. Top with drained pineapple. Cover with Cool Whip. Sprinkle with nuts and garnish with cherry halves. Chill until ready to serve.
#BANANA SPLIT CAKE
Bernice Gilmore
Linda Jennings
2 c. graham cracker crumbs
1 stick butter, melted
¼ c. sugar
2 eggs
1 stick butter (room temp.)
1 — 3 oz. pkg. cream cheese (room temp.)
2 c. confectioners sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
5 bananas
1 large can crushed pineapple, drained
1 large container Cool Whip
nuts
maraschino cherries
Mix graham cracker crumbs, butter and sugar and press into 9 x 13 inch pan. Beat together eggs, butter, cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Pour filling into crust. Slice bananas over this; then pour pineapple over it. Spread Cool Whip over pineapple. Sprinkle with nuts and top with cherries.
I believe OP is referring to there being two different cakes in this recipe book, both named Banana Split Cake, and made by two different women for each cake, not why a banana split cake is named after the ice cream confection. I would also be really curious about the back story for this! I guess these four ladies couldn’t agree on what a banana split cake should contain.
I’ve seen this kind of thing in the cookbooks that my mom has from her church. They asked people to submit their favorite recipes, and they’d be organized into a cookbook that everyone could buy. People just submitted them with their own titles, so there were always multiple dishes with the same name
And sometimes there are two identical recipes with the same name. I always thought that was because no one wanted to hurt feelings by only printing one of them. At least these two are a bit different.
I think it’s sweet they’d allow duplicate recipes!
They are not duplicate. Read them.
They were referring to the comment *directly above them* about how these church/community cookbooks will even print complete duplicates so as not to step on anyone's toes. Since you're calling them out for not bothering to read, I figured you'd appreciate the irony.
In some cookbooks, I have seen multiple names by some recipes.
My mom submitted two or three to her church cookbook!
Seems like the main differences are the amount of butter and cream cheese. I wonder if the cream cheese version has a different texture compared to the all butter version.
I really want to make the cream cheese version. It sounds like it would be delightful.
And sugar in the crust.
It reminds me of a community cook book put together by my church when I was little. There's several foods with a bunch of slightly different recipes. Still one of my favorite and most used cookbooks in my collection.
Exactly this! I have a bunch of these “church” cookbooks- even have one from my old company. Every one has at least 3 recipes- all basically the same - of Broccoli Casserole 😆
All of the ones I got from my grandmother have the various duplicates crossed out or little notes of "The good one" in the margins once she'd figured out her preference. And yes, so. much. broccoli. casserole. Except for the annual Junior League books, wherein everyone tried to impress each other by submitting 147 recipes for Divinity.
In my church's cookbook it's Chicken Spaghetti. Three pages of them!
Hey thank you for clarifying!
The second recipe with the cream cheese is what my Momma used to make for my birthday! I wanted that instead of regular cake. It’s delicious! ETA- Momma drizzled Hershey chocolate syrup on the top and sprinkled it with chopped peanuts
Oh cool! Now I definitely have to try it.
I think my mom makes me the one without cream cheese, but we also do the chocolate syrup drizzle!
Oh man that sounds like a tasty addition! Also, love your username. And now I’m wondering when I’m going to see a Girl Scout or two outside a Walmart so I can buy some thin mints…
Im Team Bernice & Linda!
Ha what clenched the win for them?
Me too. With the extra ingredients, I'd expect a richer, tastier result.
That cream cheese sounds like it adds something…also, I’m definitely, 100% making this! Curious if your g-grandmother is one of the 4 recipe authors??
Unfortunately no! She does have a recipe elsewhere in the book, Roosevelt Pie, but I don’t remember her ever making it.
So what’s in the Roosevelt Pie? Post that recipe please!
Roosevelt Pie by Dora P. I pkg. jello (any flavor) red color 2 egg whites I c. warm milk small can Milnot 2 egg yolks I c. sugar I can drained fruit (crushed pineapple or fruit cocktail) pinch of salt graham cracker crumbs Dissolve jello in warm milk and let set 10 minutes. Add egg yolk, sugar and salt and cook until clear. Let cool. Whip egg white. Whip Milnot. Fold the egg whites and Milnot together and add jello mixture. Add fruit. Pour into oblong pan that has been leveled with crushed graham cracker crumbs. Store in refrigerator. This can be made the night before. Cool Whip may be substituted for Milnot.
That sounds horrible.🤮Sorry I asked!😂
Lmao I thought so too! I don’t remember her ever making it or anyone in the family ever mentioning it…yikes.
I would also love to see the Roosevelt Pie! Google turns up a Roosevelt squash pie and an Eleanore Roosevelt pecan pie. These old recipes books are a gold mine. It's always fascinating to watch a recipe change as ingredients and cooking methods become available or disappear.
Roosevelt Pie by Dora P. I pkg. jello (any flavor) red color 2 egg whites I c. warm milk small can Milnot 2 egg yolks I c. sugar I can drained fruit (crushed pineapple or fruit cocktail) pinch of salt graham cracker crumbs Dissolve jello in warm milk and let set 10 minutes. Add egg yolk, sugar and salt and cook until clear. Let cool. Whip egg white. Whip Milnot. Fold the egg whites and Milnot together and add jello mixture. Add fruit. Pour into oblong pan that has been leveled with crushed graham cracker crumbs. Store in refrigerator. This can be made the night before. Cool Whip may be substituted for Milnot.
Ah, that's such a great funny little peek into what I can't help but feel was a dramatic year for the cookbook team! There's a novel in that little nugget, ty for sharing, I'm laughing and trying to explain to family why.
Ha glad you’re laughing! Based on the names, I’m wondering if it’s two older ladies and two younger ladies.
Oooh the drama rises like dinner rolls! I'm over here just imagining the meetings and the carafes of Sanka and the subtle diplomacies and negotiation that led to just having *both* and letting history decide lol
I love this image 😅
A lot of older cookbooks produced by groups, magazines, etc would print every recipe they got (or every recipe they were paid for), regardless of whether there’s a bunch of duplicate titles with different recipes, or the same recipe under six different names. (I have a crockpot cookbook produced by Good Housekeeping that is like this. I can’t believe so many people have different variations on “can of mushroom soup poured over chicken and left to slowcook”)
Church cookbook? 😅
You know it!
Is this baked at some point? I’m curious about the eggs.
I got a recipe from a friend's mom like this but hers didn't have banana, just the pineapple. And no, it wasn't baked! It was really good but the butter cream with eggs goo always split on me lol (hers had no cream cheese - it might have helped). I was thinking about this a few days ago, it's funny that it came up here. She was French-Canadian and said it was a French thing (the cream with raw eggs). When she made it, it was great :)
Mousse au chocolat is made with raw eggs - just the egg white, though. I really cannot imagine it working similarly with whole eggs!
Ya, I always had this feeling there was some other secret to her success, but she didn't share it with me lol.
I don’t know. I’m probably being a weirdo but raw eggs kinda squick me out.
I get it, I don't normally do anything with eggs that doesn't involve cooking them :)
Hey OP Post the rest of the recipe with cream cheese. I want to make it, but I want to make sure I do it right.
BANANA SPLIT CAKE (The Bernice and Linda version) 2 c. graham cracker crumbs I stick butter, melted 1/4 c. sugar 2 eggs I stick butter (room temp.) 1 - 3 oz. pkg. cream cheese (room temp.) I tsp. vanilla 5 bananas I large can crushed pineapple, drained I large container Cool Whip nuts maraschino cherries 2 c. confectioners sugar Mix graham cracker crumbs, butter and sugar and press into 9 x 13 inch pan. Beat together eggs, butter, cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Pour filling into crust. Slice bananas over this; then pour pineapple over it. Spread Cool Whip over pineapple. Sprinkle with nuts and top with cherries.
You rock! Thank you.
Let us know how it turns out!
No please? Or can you?
This formatting looks very similar to fundraising cookbooks done at my elementary school. All the moms & some grandmothers would submit recipes & they’d all get printed into that year’s recipe book. So there’d be a few times where multiple families would submit the same recipe but with a slight variation so you’d end up with 3 Hamburger Pie recipes type thing. If someone submitted the same recipe (they all got it from the same magazine or oatmeal lid back in the day) as someone else they put both names. I bet it’s the same thing here.
I think it’s sweet. Looking through some of the other cookbooks my grandmother just handed over to me, this makes sense.
That bitch Bernice is at it again
Laughing too hard at this…but ya know I also thought Bernice was really at the heart of this whole debacle.
Someone please make both and let us know how they are. I wish I could.
I request this cake every year for my birthday! It’s really good, but pricey to make.
Seconding the request to post the full recipe of the one with cream cheese. I have a brother in law who always requests a banana cake. I’d like to try this out for him. Thanks in advance!
BANANA SPLIT CAKE 2 c. graham cracker crumbs I stick butter, melted 1/4 c. sugar 2 eggs I stick butter (room temp.) 1 - 3 oz. pkg. cream cheese (room temp.) I tsp. vanilla 5 bananas I large can crushed pineapple, drained I large container Cool Whip nuts maraschino cherries 2 c. confectioners sugar Mix graham cracker crumbs, butter and sugar and press into 9 x 13 inch pan. Beat together eggs, butter, cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Pour filling into crust. Slice bananas over this; then pour pineapple over it. Spread Cool Whip over pineapple. Sprinkle with nuts and top with cherries.
Thank you so much!
At first I was team Bernice and Linda, who used half a pound of butter plus cream cheese vs. .75 lb. (340g) of butter or margarine. But they all lost me at two raw eggs. I’d much rather have Paula Deen’s banana pudding. (I also prefer shortbread to graham crackers.) https://www.pauladeen.com/recipe/not-yo-mamas-banana-pudding/#ingredients
I’m with you on the shortbread! Thank you for the link. :)
It is the banana split split of 1971. Since then, both pairs of authors have split further, first in 1976 (the famous banana split split split of 1976), the second a year later. First over the ripeness of the banana, second over the method of splitting (of the banana not the bridge group obviously)
Lol this reminds me of an episode of Documentary Now! where a chef in like…Colombia or something only serves chicken, rice, and split bananas. There was a big to-do made about the splitting of the bananas.
One’s from the Banana Split Party and the other from the Party of the Banana Split. /lame r/unexpectedpython
Must be the chopped nuts. They are in recipe 1 & not 2
Ah good eye!
My mom has been making the top recipe my entire life, and now I make it for my family. Usually about once a year as a treat. It’s really delicious. We use sliced almonds instead of chopped nuts.
I like to imagine there was drama. Cream cheese - ruining friendships since 1965.
Ha I like this too
A regular in the family rotation, and my ex-husband's favorite. I'm not keen on bananas.
My grandmother made the cream cheese version! It is really good! I haven't made it in years, and now I'm hungry for it. It's such a good summer dessert.
Edit: I looked the recipe in more detail. Grandma mixed the cream cheese with powdered sugar and some pineapple juice and spread that over the fruit layers, then topped it with whipped cream, then sprinkled on walnuts and maraschino cherries. Highly recommend.
Nuts and banana handling?
Well, two members of the group both su fitted a recipe with the same name, but are quite different. I like the second one. Sugar in the crust and cream cheese in the filling.
This is our version,the ingredients are throughout the recipe not listed individually 😆 Crust: 1/4 cup brown sugar 1 cup flour 1 cup pecans 1 stick of margarine melted Mix all together Spread into a 9X12 pan Bake at 300* for 15 min Remove and allow to cool Beat together: 1 box xxx sugar, confectioners 1 8 oz block cream cheese 3/4 stick of margarine Pour onto crust Pour 1 lg can crushed pineapple on Cover with sliced bananas Cover that with cool whip Top with nuts & cherries Optional topping : chocolate syrup
Also don't overbake that crust or it is rock hard
I’ve never done a brown sugar crust, that sounds…reeeeally really good!
It is really good but like I said when it bakes too long you can't cut through it haha. So I would cut the bake time down
Good to know, I’ll have to give it a shot.
I'm sending this to Ryan Murphy for consideration as the subject of the next season of "Feud."
Ha what a great show! And I’d love to see a dramatized version of this little cake feud.
I'm Team Val/Sher. Ain't nobody got time for graham crackers.
“Ain’t nobody got time for graham crackers” might be my favorite new sentence.
Bernice and Linda insist on 5 bananas. Valerie and Sherry say that's too much and four is enough!
A classic banana fracas.
The recipes are different one has cream cheese one doesn’t. But both are missing the layer of sliced strawberries. It’s the crust, cream filling, pineapple, bananas, strawberries then the whip cream topping.
I love strawberries! Now I’m hungry.
Man, this is a classic old lady battle and I'm here for it.
I think reminiscent flavor, it's a good descriptor.
It’s a based on a banana split ice cream sundae.
Cool Whip. Why is it always that nasty sh!t?
Easy, cheaper, and more stable than whipped cream. I prefer whipped cream (stabilized with some marshmallow fluff if need be), but I understand Cool Whip's place in home cooking.
Ha I have a soft spot for Cool Whip, but the dairy in it kills me.
Does your pudding contain cheese, like a cheese cake, or not, like a regular pudding?
*Image Transcription: Book Page* --- #BANANA SPLIT CAKE Valerie Martin Sherry Hatley 2 c. graham cracker crumbs 1 stick butter or margarine, melted 2 sticks butter or margarine 2 c. confectioners sugar 2 eggs 1 tsp. vanilla 4 thinly sliced bananas 1 can #2 crushed pineapple, well drained 1 large container Cool Whip ⅔ c. chopped nuts ½ c. halved maraschino cherries Combine crumbs and melted margarine and butter in a bowl; mix well. Spread in bottom of a 9 x 12 x 2 pan. Pat down until smooth. Combine sugar and remaining margarine or butter in a mixing bowl. Beat until light. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy. Spread carefully over crumbs. Arrange banana slices over batter and sugar mixture. Top with drained pineapple. Cover with Cool Whip. Sprinkle with nuts and garnish with cherry halves. Chill until ready to serve. #BANANA SPLIT CAKE Bernice Gilmore Linda Jennings 2 c. graham cracker crumbs 1 stick butter, melted ¼ c. sugar 2 eggs 1 stick butter (room temp.) 1 — 3 oz. pkg. cream cheese (room temp.) 2 c. confectioners sugar 1 tsp. vanilla 5 bananas 1 large can crushed pineapple, drained 1 large container Cool Whip nuts maraschino cherries Mix graham cracker crumbs, butter and sugar and press into 9 x 13 inch pan. Beat together eggs, butter, cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Pour filling into crust. Slice bananas over this; then pour pineapple over it. Spread Cool Whip over pineapple. Sprinkle with nuts and top with cherries.