99 cent challenge: the dessert

 
Jennifer of the Felt Mouse issued a challenge: who could come up with the best table setting and meal, where all the items (or most of) were purchased from the 99 cent (or similar) store?! Cost limit was set at $40 (which really isn't very much money when you think about it). Rather than post my submission in a novel-length post, I am going to split this up into parts so as not to overwhelm. First, the dessert. This challenge gave me an opportunity to make a cake I've wanted to make for quite awhile--a Hummingbird Cake (Banana Pineapple). Here's the recipe. I took the advice of one of the reviewers and split the cake into four layers, and added pineapple preserves along with the cream cheese frosting. I made pineapple preserves for Christmas, and had a jar left over, so it was a perfect way to use it. I also added coconut to the cake batter. Very good! The recipe called for whisking versus mixing, so it was surprisingly easy to make. I don't know why so many of the reviews said it was like banana bread--not even close! First of all the bananas are chopped, not mashed, and I think people tend to use too much flour. I used cake flour, and spooned it into the measuring cup before using a knife to even off the layer. Baking is all about having exact measurements and taking your time. It was quite tasty.