BANANA BUTTER HIMMEL FUTTER FLUFFERNUTTER! - PART 1
Greetings fellow Nostalgic Nellies! I’ve got a doozie for you this week! Bout time because I’ve been slackin’ on my blog posts. Sometimes life just gets in the way of our fun, right? It happens. Nanny would say “Ah, such is life” and I agree. I’ve got a two part piece for you this week. I’ve received some new vintage cooking pamphlets and well, it got my creative juices going. Let me explain…
I received a fantastic vintage cake recipe book I found on eBay. I’m partial to baking cookbooks and booklets so this one was right up my alley! It’s titled cake recipes and was Compliments of Home Service Bureau THE ELECTRIC COMPANY. It’s not dated but the eBay listing stated it was “1930’s” which looks about right to me. The listing also stated it was from Wisconsin. It’s quite a large booklet the size of a standard magazine.
So I’m looking at all the wonderful recipes and I come across one called a “Himmel Futter”. I automatically thought of the Mad Hatter’s “futterwacken” dance in Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland movie. If you know me personally, you’ll understand why. I adore that movie! After doing some research, I found the Himmel Futter is a traditional German cake that is served on a platter broken into pieces and topped with sliced bananas, orange segments and whipped cream. Sounds delicious doesn’t it? The name in German literally translates to “heavens food”.
Now your about to see how my brain works and yes, it’s a bit strange. So I’m thinking of the words “Himmel Futter” because I love words and writing and words rhyming with “Futter” start rolling through my brain. Flutter, butter, nutter (which I’ve been endearingly called) and suddenly I remembered a recipe for banana butter I wanted to try from one of my most recently acquired vintage booklets The Secrets of the Jam Cupboard. Banana butter, Himmel Futter… You could spread banana butter on Himmel Futter…You could make a Fluffernutter with Himmel Futter spread with banana butter…The light bulb moment! I could combine all three recipes and create, drum roll please, a Himmel Futter Banana Butter Fluffernutter! Let’s do it!
The Himmel Futter was very simple to make. I did however double the recipe because I live with three grown men, my boys and my husband! I used my Nanny’s jelly-roll pan because it’s long and shallow and I wanted my Himmel Futter on the thin side. Now for the recipe…
My ingredients!
I followed the recipe but did not bake it for an hour bc at 40 minutes, it was already very golden brown.
I have never had Himmel Futter before but I truly think it’s the most delicious dessert I’ve ever made! It was chewy like caramel from the gooey dates that sank to the bottom and the top was crispy. It reminded me of a macaroon. Crispy shell outside with a chewy center. I loved it! Now, I can’t say if it’s a proper Himmel Futter but it sure was delicious!
Now for part 2, the banana butter!
Have you ever had Himmel Futter? What did you think about it?
