Confetti Cake

We're heading into birthday season around here and when I think of birthdays I think of confetti cake.

When I was little this was the cake I'd request even though it's not really a "cake" in the traditional sense at all but more of a cheesecake or a fool perhaps.

But "fool" is a great name for it because though it looks decadent it really isn't bad at all. It's not as if I have a calorie counter here and can give you the exact damage each piece will do but you can see from the ingredients that if you want to indulge a bit not only is this cake much lower in calories than a traditional cheesecake but it's not sickly sweet either. Nice and cool for a summer day of celebration.

For crust:
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
2 tablespoons melted butter

For cake:
3-ounce package of lime Jello (sugar free)
3-ounce package of orange Jello (sugar free)
3-ounce package of strawberry Jello (sugar free)
3-ounce package of lemon Jello (sugar free)
2 cups light Cool Whip topping
8-ounce package of fat free cream cheese

Make up the 3 packages of lime, orange, and strawberry Jello according to package directions and pour into flat pans. Chill until firm then cube into 1-inch cubes.

Meanwhile, combine graham cracker crumbs and butter and press into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Or rather more golden than graham cracker crumbs already are. Allow to cool completely.

Dissolve one 3-ounce package of lemon Jello in 1 c boiling water and cool slightly.

Beat fat free cream cheese until smooth, then beat in lemon jello and fold in whipped topping and jello blocks. Refrigerate until firm enough to serve.

***

And as for other easy peasy, light and cool summer desserts I've got to mention a new product that was sent to tempt my palate.

Chiquita (those lovely banana people) sent me a box of their new smoothie mixes to try and the verdict here is that "Smoothies Rule."

You can get the frozen smoothie concentrate in the freezer section just like you can for juice concentrate and then you combine the frozen contents with half a can of water and two cans of ice cubes and you are on your way to ever-lovin' smoothie bliss. Though I think I'd add a touch more water than that. Half a can of water made them pretty darn thick but you can decide for yourself.

You can see the results here in Andrew's picture (he insisted on being given the privilege of taking the picture and was quite thrilled to find that I was actually going to use his shot) and so far we've made our way through the mixed berry flavor (two thumbs up) and the banana colada. David objected to that one at first, saying that "he didn't like coladas" (because he's drinking them ALL the time apparently) but when I put a glass in front of him his principles didn't seem to get in the way of him slurping it down before the rest of us had even got our spoons raised. Rest assured we'll be working on the mango next.

Anyway, if you're a smoothie fan as I am then you should give them a try. I'm not sure what they're retailing for but you can't beat it for ease of preparation. If nothing else they make a first-rate quickie breakfast or dessert right?

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