Banana Marshmallow Slice

My mom used to bake each one of her children's favorite treats for Christmas...what mother wouldn't! Mine was the wonderful pinwheel cookies that Betty posted the other day. One of my sister's favorites was Banana Marshmallow Slice, a recipe she gave to my Mom and which soon became a Christmas regular. It's beautiful colours and sweet topping are just perfect to put on a plate of various squares.

Banana Marshmallow Slice

1/3 lb margarine (about 1 1/3 square)
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tbsp icing (pwd. ) sugar
1/2 tsp salt
30 marshmallows
1 mashed banana
15 maraschino cherries, halved

Cream margarine and icing sugar; then work in flour and salt. Pat into an 8 x 8 pan. cook at 324 F. for 25 minutes. Cool. Put the marshmallows and mashed banana in a double boiler stirring occasionally. (I put mine in the microwave for 30 seconds...stir, ten seconds and then stir...etc. until all melted. Then I add the mashed banana and made sure it is well blended.) Remove from heat and add 15 or 20 sliced maraschino cherries. Put on the first mixture already baked. Place in the fridge. When set, ice with butter icing below.

Buttercream Decorator's Frosting:

(yields 4 cups - my mom used to decorate cakes and thus the large amount. I used 1/4 this recipe to ice the slice. Be sure to keep this icing recipe on file...it is the best to decorate cakes and does not 'melt' or run like many others.)

1/2 cup veg. shortening
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup and 1 tbsp milk
1/2 cup butter or margarine
5 1/2 cups icing (pwd.) sugar

Cream butter and shortening. Add vanilla. Add pwd. sugar one cup at a time. Add milk last, beating at high speed. Blend until smooth. Keep covered with a damp cloth (I believe she meant, if you are decorating a cake otherwise I would place in a sealed container for storage) and refrigerate when not using. Lasts up to a week with rewhipping.