Do You Remember Banana Flips?

Hey world.... I'm back. There was a death in my family. And yesterday we made the hard decision to take them off life support. It's been a very difficult few days. But on 1-28-10 at 9:00 a.m. our hard drive died. But life moves on and I am now thrilled to be back leaving my mark in the vastness of the blog-o-sphere.

So let's begin by talking about retro desserts. Do you remember banana flips? What I remember is a soft sponge cake, and mysterious filling, that was so sweet that it actually made your teeth hurt to eat it. And it all tasted like bananas. Well, I craved one today and decided to make an adult version of that naughty little treat.

Ingredients:
1/3 cup ground almonds
1/4 cup powdered sugar
3 eggs
Few drops of vanilla extract
Few drops of orange extract
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
2 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

Directions:
1. Mix the almonds and powdered sugar in a bowl. Add 1 egg. Separate the remaining eggs and add the yolks to the mixture. Beat until pale and thick. Stir in the vanilla and orange flavorings.

2. Whisk the egg whites until stiff. Sprinkle the granulated sugar over the whites and whisk until stiff and glossy. Fold a third of this into the almond mixture, then fold in half the flour. Fold in half the remaining meringue, the rest of the flour; then the remaining meringue. Pour the melted butter around the edge of the mixture and fold it in.

3. Spread on jelly roll pan that has been lined with parchment paper and sprayed with cooking spray. Bake at 425 degrees for 6-8 minutes, until risen, set and pale golden.

I cut my sponge cake into circles and applied a healthy sprinkling of banana liqueur. Using one of the circles, I piped whipped cream on it and added fresh fruit (bananas, strawberries, and kiwi). I then cut another circle in half and tilted them at an angle on top of the fruit, added more whipped cream, and a sprinkling of pistachios.