This banoffee pie was sliced and devoured so quickly, my photo shoot plans didn’t stand a chance. I had to make it again. I love this pie for two reasons. 1. Banana 2. Caramel. But I always felt that chocolate should also get the place it deserves. So I added a hidden layer of chocolate ganache over the biscuit base and suddenly, OMG! This pie deserved the “ultimate” word in the title.
As for the caramel layer I wanted to make it more like a mousse than a layer of plain caramel spread. Not that there’s something wrong with plain caramel, but mixing it with some whipped cream will make it lighter and less sweet. I added a tiny amount of gelatine to stabilize so that you can slice it to perfect pieces without having to worry about the caramel becoming runny.
With the second pie, the photo shoot took place. After all, what better excuse to make this again and again.
Banoffee Pie my way
Ingredients
- 1 X 400 grams can sweetened condensed milk or 1 X 400 grams of canned caramel “dulce de leche”
- 250 grams digestive biscuits
- 80 grams unsalted butter, melted
- 180 grams semi-sweet chocolate
- 550 ml whipping cream
- 1 tsp gelatine powder
- 3 large bananas, approx. 600 grams
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- ½ cup icing sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla powder
Instructions
- If you are using sweetened milk, then you will need to turn it into caramel. Put can of milk in a pot and cover with water. Bring it to a boil and then simmer for three hours, checking the water every now and then to make sure the can is submerged in the water. The sweetened milk will turn into creamy caramel. You can do this a day ahead of time and keep the caramel in the refrigerator until needed. It's best to take it out of the can into a container with a lid.
For the base
- Crush the biscuits and place them in a bowl. Melt the butter and mix it with the biscuits until they are evenly soaked. Press the mixture into the prepared cake pan, making the base by rising 1-2 cm up the sides of the pan (use a flat-bottomed glass for ease). Bake the base for ten minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
Prepare the chocolate layer
- Chop the chocolate and place in a heatproof bowl. Heat 200 ml of the cream over medium heat just before the boiling point. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate. Let the mixture stand for a few minutes until the chocolate softens. Stir until the chocolate is melted and ganache is smooth. Pour the ganache over the cookie base. Transfer the pan to the refrigerator to allow the ganache to set.
Prepare the caramel layer
- In a small bowl, combine the gelatin and 2 tablespoons of water. Let it stand for a few minutes to bloom. In a small saucepan, add 50 ml of cream. Add the gelatin and stir over the heat until the mixture is smooth and the gelatin dissolves. Set aside.
- In a bowl, whip 100 ml of cream with a hand mixer. When the cream starts to thicken a little, add about half of the caramel. Continue beating until well combined. Then add the remaining caramel and the cream with the dissolved gelatine. Beat until you have a fluffy caramel mousse.
- Pour the caramel mixture over the ganache. Transfer to the refrigerator to set (2-3 hours).
Prepare the banana and cream layer
- Slice the bananas and mix them with the lemon juice. Place the bananas on top of the caramel slightly overlapping.
- Whip the remaining 200 ml of cream with the icing sugar and vanilla until fluffy and stiff. Spread it over the bananas. Decorate with grated chocolate.
- It can be served immediately, but it is even better chilled. It’s divine!
