in the south, new years day is just as big of a celebration as new years eve. eating collard greens, black eyed peas, and corn bread is a southern ritual for bringing goodness in the new year. my family has a tradition of spending the day with friends and family and having a big potluck feast. i made a banana cream poke cake to go alongside all of the savory items.
-i started by making this buttermilk cake as a base and punched big holes throughout
-i then made a batch of vanilla pudding and layered it on top of the cake
-next, i added a layer of freshly sliced bananas
-then i made a layer of whipped cream and carefully spread it over the bananas (see recipe below)
-lastly i topped the dessert with a layer of vanilla wafers.
my favorite whipped cream recipe
1 liter of heavy whipping cream
2 Tbsp of sweetener (maple syrup or powdered sugar)
1 tsp vanilla
inside of 1 vanilla bean (optional but so good)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
a pinch of salt
-whip your very cold whipping cream until soft peaks start to form
-add a sweetener and whip again
-slowly stir in the rest of the ingredients and keep chilled
photos and words by kristen bach