Boston Banoffee Pie

Pirate Dreams
Posted on 11/09/2012 by cakecrumbs
Banoffee Pie is one of those things I've heard lots about, but actually had no idea what it was. So when browsing through one of my books for this week's cook book challenge, I saw this recipe listed and just had to find out what all the fuss was about. 





If, like me, you have no idea what it is - it's basically a shortcrust pastry shell, filled with caramel and topped with whipped cream, bananas and chocolate. This cook book called this one a Boston Banoffee Pie. I have no idea what makes it specifically Boston-esque as I can't see how this differs from the traditional English version. Semantics aside, this pie is made of nom. 



If you have a food processor, making the pastry base is a cinch. If, like me, you don't, rubbing the butter into the flour is going to be more arduous and messy than your basic scone dough requires, but the result will be worth it. 

This baby ended up as dessert for us for the next three meals. It was delicious. While I like bananas, I usually have little desire to put them in desserts. They're not my absolute favourite fruit, but I have to say I loved them in this. In future I would probably include more than one ring of garnish of them. The bananas complimented it so well and cut through the richness of the toffee. 



Here's the recipe from Dream Desserts:

Boston Banoffee Pie

Ingredients

150g/5oz/1 1/4 cups plain flour
225g/8oz/1 cup butter
50g/2oz/4tbsp caster sugar
1/2 x 405g/14oz can skimmed, sweetened condensed milk
115g/4oz/2/3 cup soft light brown sugar
30ml/2tbsp golden syrup
2 small bananas, sliced
a little lemon juice
whipped cream to decorate
5ml/1 tsp grated plain chocolate

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 160°C/325°F/Gas 3. Place the flour and half of the butter in a food processor and blend until crumbled (or rub in with your fingertips). Stir in caster sugar.
  2. Squeeze the mixture together with your hands until it forms a dough. Press into the base of a 20cm/8in loose-based fluted flan tin. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until lightly browned.
  3. Place the remaining 115g/4oz/1/2 cup of butter with the condensed milk, brown sugar and golden syrup in a large non-stick saucepan and heat gently, stirring, until the butter has melted and the sugar dissolved.
  4. Bring to a gentle boil and cook for 7 minutes, stirring all the time (to prevent burning), until the mixture thickens and turns a light caramel colour. Pour onto the cooked pastry base and leave until cold. 
  5. Sprinkle the bananas with lemon juice and arrange in overlapping circles on top of the caramel filling, leaving a gap in the centre. Pipe a swirl of whipped cream in the centre and sprinkle with grated chocolate. 


For more photos, chatter about the book this week's challenge is from, or just the printable recipe, head on over to the original post at Cakecrumbs. 




Leave a Comment
mochi_roll 9th-Nov-2012 09:48 am (UTC)
Your banoffee pie looks really beautiful! I want to make one, but I'm concerned about the bananas turning brown or sogging or rotting quickly while placed on top of the toffee base of the pie.

Do you have any tips to prevent it, or should I add the bananas right before serving?

Thanks and best regards~ :)
cakecrumbs 9th-Nov-2012 12:03 pm (UTC)
Thank you. :]

Sprinkling the bananas with lemon juice stops the browning. Citrus in general is good to stop fruit from browning. I forgot to do that step, though, and I didn't have any problems with it browning.
mochi_roll 9th-Nov-2012 02:43 pm (UTC)
thank you for answering my inquiry! I have some foll-up questions... Here they are: How much lemon juice should I sprinkle over the bananas? And, will the citrus juice affect the flavor of the bananas?

Edited at 2012-11-09 02:43 pm (UTC)
cakecrumbs 10th-Nov-2012 12:32 am (UTC)
You basically only need enough to coat the surface of the banana. It just stops the air from oxidising the fruit. I have a large squeeze bottle of lemon juice so in that case you can use as much as you need. If you're using freshly squeezed juice, might as well use a whole lemon. If you're concerned about it affecting the taste, you can water it down. Acidic water does the same trick (often even plain water works, though I tend not to use plain water as I feel like it dilutes the flavour of the fruit, which is probably irrational on my part). I tend to use acidic water mostly because I'm cheap. xD I think the usual ratio is about 1/4 cup citrus juice or vinegar to 1 cup of water. You can even crush a vitamin C tablet in water to achieve the same effect, or you can sprinkle the fruit with pineapple juice. You don't need to be too pedantic about it. All you need to achieve is a barrier between the fruit and oxygen, the way in which you do it is open to several options. Just go with whatever suits you pallet, your budget and your available ingredients.

I hope that helps. :]

Edited at 2012-11-10 12:33 am (UTC)
eofs 18th-Nov-2012 09:20 pm (UTC)
A normal banoffee pie has less caramel, then a full layer of bananas topped by a full layer of cream. So the bananas don't really get exposed to the oxygen that long anyway. Even if they do, a little browning won't hurt. I always end up finishing the leftovers over a couple of days, and the cream is the far bigger concern for longevity, not the bananas. I wouldn't make it a day ahead if you had guests coming, but I wouldn't worry about finishing it right at the last minute. Though equally, it's such an easy dessert to make that it doesn't matter if you are finishing it right before serving. Make your base (whether pastry as this recipe, or the more traditional crushed biscuit base) in advance, even add your caramel, and then right before serving whip your cream, slice your bananas and assemble.
myarra 9th-Nov-2012 11:45 am (UTC)
Looks and sounds delicious!
I'm confused by this part of the ingredient list though:
225g/8oz/1 cup butter
50g/2oz/1 cup butter
cakecrumbs 9th-Nov-2012 12:04 pm (UTC)
I actually have no idea what that is. I think that was me messing up the list. Doh. I should write recipes when half asleep. xD I'll fix that now.
vic_vega66 9th-Nov-2012 12:36 pm (UTC)
I think I've died and gone to food heaven... Delish. I've copied the recipe down and will give that a try next week.
cakecrumbs 10th-Nov-2012 12:34 am (UTC)
Awesome. :] You should let us know how it goes!
mabith 9th-Nov-2012 01:51 pm (UTC)
The ones I've seen in English cookbooks are constructed a bit differently, and have less caramel, so maybe that's the main difference between Boston and regular (like this: http://threemanycooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/BanoffeePie33.jpg?9d7bd4).

It does always sound excellent, but I've never bothered to make one. I think partly because I can see the look my grandma would give me if I told her I was making a pie full of caramel.
fifthrow 9th-Nov-2012 07:43 pm (UTC)
Partly yes, English banoffee pie has way less caramel.

The main difference is that the English version doesn't have a pastry case, but crumbled/packed biscuits and butter - this makes it tangier, adds crunch and is less 'soft' and mushy all the way through. Like a no-bake cheesecake base - but banoffee pie doesn't 'hold together' very stongly when dished out (not sliced). It has more of a trifle / tiramisu thing going on.

It's also layered more evenly. And more banana.

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/8183/banoffee-pie
fifthrow 9th-Nov-2012 07:44 pm (UTC)
sorry OP - I forgot to add that yours does look absolutely delicious. Way more attractive also. Just different!
cakecrumbs 10th-Nov-2012 12:40 am (UTC)
Thank you both for that info! I love the idea of less caramel. Caramel is one of my favourite things on the planet, but this is so rich and sweet that you need to have a small slice. More banana and less caramel sounds like a much better balance to me! Will have to try the traditional version some time. I've never seen it sold in a bakery or restaurant over here before so I'll probably have to make it.
nimrod_9 9th-Nov-2012 02:49 pm (UTC)
Never heard of it! It looks fab! And anything caramel....well I'm in!!! Thanks for sharing it!
cakecrumbs 10th-Nov-2012 12:42 am (UTC)
Ditto that one - anything with caramel is a yes for me!

My pleasure. :]
tsuki_no_bara 9th-Nov-2012 04:18 pm (UTC)
i thought "boston banoffee pie" might be a cross between a boston cream pie and a banoffee pie, which would be... weird (i mean, boston cream pie is technically a cake). this looks DELISH. and also gorgeous.
cakecrumbs 10th-Nov-2012 12:43 am (UTC)
I'm going to have to check out this Boston cream pie thing. Cream pie is another thing I hear Americans mention a lot, but I've never seen one or tried one.
crystales_dm 9th-Nov-2012 05:02 pm (UTC)
OMG that looks totally nom! I HAVE to try this asap! Thanks for a lovely recipe!
cakecrumbs 10th-Nov-2012 12:44 am (UTC)
Thank you for the lovely comment!
cappyhead 9th-Nov-2012 06:02 pm (UTC)
The banoffee pies I've seen before have first crust, then a layer of bananas, then the caramel poured on top. Maybe the reverse makes it "Boston"?
cakecrumbs 10th-Nov-2012 12:44 am (UTC)
I love the idea of a layer of bananas. I feel that would cut through the richness a lot better.
hisietari 9th-Nov-2012 06:50 pm (UTC)
Oooh God. Ooooh my God. This is... this... I need to sit down. Hold on, I'm sitting. Can I lie down? In that pie? Yes?
cakecrumbs 10th-Nov-2012 12:45 am (UTC)
Totally! Though I should warn you it will probably get a bit sticky!
spirited_lizard 9th-Nov-2012 10:16 pm (UTC)
This looks like it was sent from heaven! Oh yummy!
cakecrumbs 10th-Nov-2012 12:45 am (UTC)
Thank you!
owl_eyes_4ever 10th-Nov-2012 12:04 am (UTC)
That looks...incredible. Thanks for sharing this!
cakecrumbs 10th-Nov-2012 12:46 am (UTC)
Thanks. :D My pleasure entirely.
velvetunicorn 10th-Nov-2012 12:19 am (UTC)
This looks soooo good! I've always wanted to try banoffee pie as well. I think I first heard of it in Love Actually but it took me forever to figure out what she was saying. Thank goodness for Come Dine with Me! lol I learn so much from that show.

I've never seen a version with chocolate though. That looks so yummy!
cakecrumbs 10th-Nov-2012 12:48 am (UTC)
I have been meaning to watch Love Actually since it came out (mainly because I'm in love with Keira Knightly) but have yet to do so. I should totally go watch it to hear the reference! I actually have no idea how 'banoffee' is pronounced since I've only ever seen it written down.
velvetunicorn 10th-Nov-2012 02:44 am (UTC)
you really must watch it! It's my favourite holiday movie and the only one that really gets the ensemble cast right. Added bonus for you: Keira is the one who says banoffee!



Edited at 2012-11-10 02:45 am (UTC)
brokenbulbs 10th-Nov-2012 01:59 am (UTC)
I had never heard of a Banoffee pie until this post, and I was super excited because I thought it was banana+coffee, which is like the best combo ever. Maybe I will have to make up my own version of a Banoffee pie :].
hylasims 10th-Nov-2012 09:20 am (UTC)
ahshdhdjsjfhshsh. This looks sooooo yummy :Q___
kiniaaa 10th-Nov-2012 11:01 am (UTC)
omnomnomnomnomnom.
feral_puppy 11th-Nov-2012 04:31 am (UTC)
That looks amazing. I really want to make this. Is it hard to slice it? I'm just thinking, with all that toffee, it must be hard to get a slice out in one piece.
starrdust411 11th-Nov-2012 10:05 pm (UTC)
This looks amazing, and sounds pretty easy. I'll definitely have to try my hand at this recipe in the future. Thanks for sharing :)
kmazzy 13th-Nov-2012 09:22 am (UTC)
your pastry crust looks so perfect!!! how did you get it like that? it's incredible!
pamieam 14th-Nov-2012 08:15 am (UTC)
This is amazing, love it. This is definitely delicious.
cweb 17th-Nov-2012 06:16 am (UTC)
That version looks delicious.

If you are interested, here's the original recipe from the Hungry Monk. You can also substitute apples for the bananas if you are allergic.


http://www.hungrymonk.co.uk/banoffi_pie/
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rachelpage 8th-Mar-2013 06:41 am (UTC)
This is a great fall treat! Super easy and a real crowd pleaser!
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