Banana Yogurt, Cherry, and Blueberry Parfaits

There's something you should know about me:  I'm really bad at holidays.

Not as in that I forget them, or that I don't buy presents or something.  It's just that I'm so bad at being holiday-ish.  You know, like wearing green on St Patricks Day or remembering to make up some elaborate prank for April Fools Day.  I just flat out forget that stuff.

But this year I think I may be improving!  I made Cookie Dough Eggs for Easter, and Gingerbread Cake in November, and now these gorgeous Red, White, and Blue Parfaits just in time for the 4th of July.

These are super duper simple.  Remember what I said about simple being my friend?  That continues today.  

This right here is a 5 minute recipe.  It's perfect for summer, with no oven needed and fresh cherries and blueberries joining the mix.  I love fresh fruit in the summer!

Whip these parfaits up Thursday afternoon, or simply enjoy them any other day this summer.  I know I'll be making them again!

Banana Yogurt, Cherry, amd Blueberry Parfaits

• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 ripe banana
• chopped cherries
• fresh blueberries

Combine yogurt, vanilla, and banana in a blender.  Blend until fully incorporated.  Layer banana yogurt with cherries and blueberries in small glasses to make parfaits. Grab a spoon and dig in!  Recipe makes 2-4 servings, depending on size of parfaits

Revisited Recipe of the Day:

Cheesy Star Chips

Sweet Cherry Pizza Cake

This recipe caused some... problems.

The problems didn't occur in the baking, which went fine.  Nor the eating, for that matter.  Eating went very well.

No, I ran into some trouble when I went to figure out the name.  I just couldn't for the life of me figure out what to call it.

Was it a cherry pie?  Or maybe a vegan sort of clafoutis?

The real problem was that I didn't want to give anyone the wrong idea.  I was worried that, while this cake tasted sort of like a clafoutis, it wasn't really that similar and might throw people a bit off.  And, sure, it had the shape of a pie, but taste?  Not so much.

Eventually, I settled on something super duper simple:  A Sweet Cherry Pizza Cake

Hopefully, there's no room for confusion there.

Sweet Cherry Pizza Cake - inspired by this recipe

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• A little under 2 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 cup water (or milk)
• 2 tbsp applesauce
• pinch salt
• A sprinkle cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• Around 1/2 cup pitted and sliced fresh cherries, plus more for putting on top (feel free to adjust amount, depending on how much fruit you want)

Mix all ingredients, but cherries, together in medium sized bowl.  Add cherries and pour batter into a very well greased pan (I used an 8 inch cake pan).  Lay some more cherry pieces on top for presentation purposes, if desired.  Bake at 450 degrees, in an un-preheated oven for approximately 10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.  

Once I got the whole name trouble under control, I was sooo excited to share this cake with you all.  Given all the cherries I've seen for sale, this seemed like the perfect recipe.  It's simple, vegan, and totally delicious.

My family and I finished it in one day meal!

Side Note:


If you have a better name for the cake (or whatever else you want to call it), comment!  I'm still not totally satisfied with Sweet Cherry Pizza Cake so recommendations are very much appreciated.