Banoffee Pie in a Sour Cream Pastry Crust with Espresso Whipped Cream

 



































I'm not sure what mountain of buttercream I've been hiding under for the majority of my life, but how I've never come to make Banoffee Pie before is just ludicrous.

Ok, America...you too. Let's be honest. I didn't even know about Banoffee until I moved to Dubai...it's almost a bit embarrassing to admit really. Ok to be fair, it is a traditional classic British pie, so it's not our fault. But how-oh-how is this not part of our Thanksgiving lineup, snug and chummy next to the Apple and Pumpkin? Because get ready for this...Banoffee is better than BOTH! AND it's cheaper, the filling only has three ingredients! One of which is sweetened condensed milk, so you know it has to be good.

Never mind...we learn and move on.  Banoffee...it's simple.  Banana + Toffee.  I know, right?  I didn't know what it meant at first either.  Kind of looks like a typo when you first read it.

So let's talk about this sour cream crust.  Hello new BFF.  Is that abbreviation over with yet?  What can I substitute for it?  It's just easy and sums up so much.  Anyway, this crust is soooooo forgiving.  It almost rolls itself AND jumps in your pie plate, you will love it.  I found the recipe on Mel's Kitchen Cafe, lovingly goes into detail about every step.  I suggest you go over to her page and read all about the crust.  No food processor required.  Yay, one less thing to dig out/wash/put away.


Banoffee Pie in a Sour Cream Pastry Crust with Espresso Whipped Cream
makes one single 9-inch pie crust
printable version

Ingredients

For the Crust:

1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

10 tablespoons butter, frozen

1/2 cup full-fat sour cream, plus an additional tablespoon or two if needed

 

For the Filling:

3 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into cubes

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 can sweetened condensed milk

 

For the Espresso Whipped Cream:

3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 tablespoons sugar

3/4 teaspoon instant espresso powder (not instant coffee granules)

 

Directions

Whisk together the flour, salt, sugar, and cinnamon in a medium sized bowl.
 

 

Using a large cheese grater, grate the butter into the dry ingredients.  I wrapped a piece of plastic wrap around the bottom of the cold butter to help it from slipping out of my hand (take care not to grate it like I did...)

 

Use a fork to lightly coat the butter with the dry ingredients.  Don't mush the butter down, you want to keep lots of chunky pieces to help to create a flaky crust.

 

Add the sour cream and use fork to incorporate into the butter and flour mixture.  Don't over mix, otherwise the dough will become too tough. 

 

The dough will be slightly shaggy (as Mel perfectly describes it).  At this point, it's best to work it together with your hands.  But don't over-do it.  Just shape it into a cohesive ball.  Kneading too much will result in a tough dough.

 

If you find your dough is too dry, add one small spoonful of sour cream at a time until it comes together (pressing down with the fork after each addition...I had to add about two extra spoonfuls)

 

If baking immediately, the dough is ready to be rolled out (no extra refrigeration time required, I know it's awesome).  If you'll be baking it later on, shape the dough into a disc, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 1-2 days.

 

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface, making sure to also dust your rolling pin.  Start from the center and roll outward, rotating the dough a quarter-turn after a few rolls with the pin.  Work the dough as little as possible to ensure a flaky crust.

 

I usually place my pie plate over my rolled dough to ensure large enough for my plate; also check to see if there is enough dough around the perimeter to fit up the sides of the plate.

 

Carefully roll the dough onto the rolling pin (dust with flour before hand) and un-roll onto the pie plate. 

 

Using kitchen shears, trim the excess dough around the perimeter of the pie, leaving about 1/4 inch.

 

Fold the cut overhang underneath and crimp the sides of the dough all around the pie.

 

Cover pie with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes before baking.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Remove pie from fridge and cover with baking paper.  Fill with dried beans or pie weights.  Bake for 20-25 minutes.  Remove from oven and carefully remove the weights or beans and discard paper.  Place back in the oven for 10-12 minutes, until golden.

 

Let crust cool completely on wire rack before filling.

 

 

To prepare the filling, combine the butter, sugar, and sweetened condensed milk in a saucepan.  Over low heat, bring mixture to a slow simmer, but do not boil.  Cook for 10-12 minutes or until mixture thickens.

 

 

Immediately pour the thickened filling into the cooled pie crust.  Smooth evenly with a spatula.  Refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours, or until ready to serve.

 

Once ready to serve, slice bananas and place in a large bowl.  Add the lemon juice and gently stir to coat the bananas. 

 

 

Arrange the sliced bananas in two over-lapping circles around the pie.  I like to leave a gap between the crust and the bananas so the filling shows nicely.

 

 

To prepare the whipped cream, beat the heavy cream on high speed until soft peaks form.  Add the sugar, vanilla, and espresso powder and beat again on high until the mixture becomes thick.

 

 

Add a large mound of the whipped in the center of the pie on top of the bananas (but not covering them completely!) dust with cocoa powder and serve immediately.

 

crust recipe adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

 

pie filling courtesy of Taste