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

 

Halawa & Pistachio Tart with Cornflake Cruch

 

I'm always trying to come up with new ways to incorporate Halawa into desserts (also sometimes called Halva).  I feel it has such huge potential, yet is completely underated (and under-used in desserts).  The first time I wanted to bake with it I couldn't even find a recipe that calls for it as an ingredient (now there are loads...on my recipe page!)  

Hashems

 

The first time I came across halawa in the grocery store I asked my husband how it was inteded to be eaten...he shrugged and said as a kid they ate it on bread (he's Lebanese).  This peaked my interest (and recipe radar) so it's like the Arab version of Nutella, I squealed?!   Yes, Halawa is Nutella's Arab cousin, awesome.  

 

However let's not be too quick to generalize, the Turk's are also big consumers of Halawa (although they refer to it as Halva) as are people in east and central Europe, central and west Asia, and the Jewish world too...now that the UN is happy, let's discuss Halawa.

 

Halwani Bros Co.

 

Halawa is basically sweetened tahinni, aka sesame paste which is also one of the main ingredients in hummus.  The paste is mixed with a simple syrup and cooked to a hard crack stage, similar to making a caramel.  Halawa is most often sold in blocks or comes sealed in tubs.  Traditionally pistachio's or pine nuts are mixed in with halawa, however my favorite flavor is the chocolate swirl, I mean come on look at that.....



image from El Bawadi

 

Halawa melts quite easily and can be incorporated into desserts in a multitude of ways.  Add melted halawa to cake batter or buttercream, sprinkle it over a cake,  or swirl into some home made ice cream, really the possibilities are endless.  Leftovers can be stored in an air-tight container at room temperature for about a month or so.  You may see some of the oil begin to separate, just give it a stir and it's ready to go. 

 

I would love to hear how you grew up eating halawa, please leave me a note in the comments below.

 

Halawa & Pistachio Tart with Cornflake Cruch

makes one 9-inch tart

printable version

 

For the crust:

1 1/2 cups crushed graham cracker crumbs

2 tablespoons sugar

6 tablespoons (3 ounces) unsalted butter, melted

1/8 teaspoon salt

For the filling:

1 cup pistachio halawa

½ cup sweetened condensed milk

¼ cup corn syrup

2 tablespoons rose water

2 tablespoons sugar 

For the corn flake crunch:

1 ½ cups cornflakes

¼ cup slivered raw pistachios

1 ½ tablespoons sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

1/8 cup milk powder

2 ½ tablespoons melted butter

 

Directions

 

First prepare the cornflake crunch which will be used as the garnish/topping.  This can be made ahead of time and kept in an air-tight container at room temperature for a couple of days.

Preheat oven to 275F.  Line a large cookie sheet with baking paper or a slip mat.  Place the cereal in a large bowl and gently crush to about half the original size using your fingers.

Add the pistachios, sugar, salt, and milk powder to the cereal; toss to combine.

 

Pour the melted butter over the mixture and stir to form small clusters. 

 

 

 

 

Spread the mixture evenly on pan and bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove from oven and place pan on wire rack to cool completely.

 
To prepare the crust, combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and salt in a medium sized bowl. *(as you can see I substituted butter biscuits as I didn't have any graham crackers on hand.  Measurements remain the same)

*Note: if you don't feel like digging out the food processor with it's one million attachments (like me) simply place the graham cracker crumbs (or biscuits) in a zip lock bag (release the extra air inside) and crush with a rolling pin.

 

Pour melted butter over the mixture and use a fork to combine, gently pressing the crumbs together making sure they are evenly coated with the butter.  The mixture should resemble wet sand. 

 

 

Transfer the mixture to a pie pan and press firmly into the bottom and sides of the pan.  Use a metal measuring cup to ensure the sides and bottom are packed well.  This also helps to create an even surface.

 

Place pan in the freezer to firm, about 30-45 minutes.   Once the crust is firm, proceed to preparing the filling.  Additionally, ensure the cornflake crunch is ready to go as you will need to sprinkle it immediately after pouring the filling so it will stick to the top (as it hardens quite quickly.

I used an 8 inch pan although recipe calls for a 9 inch...used the extra crumbs to make a separate single tart...for myself...of course.

To prepare the filling, combine the halawa, sweetened condensed milk, corn syrup, and sugar in a medium sized saucepan.   

 

Cook on medium heat until mixture is melted, stirring often as to not let the milk burn.

Remove from heat and add rose water. Stir to combine.

 

Immediately pour halawa mixture into the prepared crust.  Use the back of a spatula to smooth the top. 

 

 

 

Before the halawa filling sets, sprinkle the cornflake crunch over the top while still soft.  Refrigerate until set, about 2 hours.  Serve cold and keep any leftovers refrigerated.

 

 

Cornflake crunch adapted from ‘Momofuku Milk Bar’ Cookbook via MarthaStewart

100th post! And a very special cake for my favorite 3 year old

Happy 100th to me!  Phew, I'm beat...and a bit chubbier too (well to give myself some credit I've had two kids since I've started this blog so I'm claiming baby-weight...for now).  And after all this baking, man have I accumulated a serious collection of baking equipment...and useless sprinkles...and cake frosting tips that I have no idea do what....and pie weights that I've never used...oh and two rolling pins...you know in case you need one for each hand.

And the absolute best part about my 100th post is I get to share my son's 3rd birthday cake.  He's my champ, my beloved taste-tester, and the reason I get up every morning...at 6am that is...and well, sometimes 5am too. 

Now, if you're a follower of the blog, you may have noticed that I am NOT a 'let's make a cake shaped like a purse or Disney character' kind of girl.  No, I like my food to taste what it looks like.  Not that I'm knockin cake decorating, fondant design/sculpture, or sugar craft.  The artisans who can create cakes that look like shoes are no doubt in a league of their own, one that I could never be drafted into.  I'm an old school baker.  I like to swirl my frosting and end it there.  Just means you get to cut the cake that much faster.

However, with that said.  I still do have a 3 year old.  And although I'm pretty sure he'd be happy with any cake I'd put in front of him so long as it had a candle smushed in it, it was still his third birthday.  And since 3 is a pretty big deal, I figured he deserved a cake worthy of his awesomeness.

And since my cake decorating skills are not expert level 5...a dirt cake seemed do-able.  And the best part?  If you've got a corner that looks iffy, just plow it over, crumble some Oreo's on top and stick a truck next to it.  Boom, looks like you did that on purpose.  Yeh this was my kind of cake...one that is forgivable.

Here's what you'll need:

Two 9x13 chocolate cakes
Half a batch of Marshmallow Butter Cream Frosting
Chocolate Buttercream
Oreo crumbles (I used about 10-12 cookies)
Chocolate covered nuts/fruit (that look like boulders/rocks)
3-5 toy trucks
Fondant (if you want to add your child's name) including yellow and black gel food coloring

Getting Started:

First, bake and cool both of your cakes.  These can be made a couple of days ahead of time.  Simply cool the cake, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and tin foil and refrigerate until ready to assemble.  Actually, I would recommend refrigerating the cakes even if baking them the same day you are planning to assemble the cake.  When chilled, they're easier to frost.

Assembly:

As you can see in the photo below I have one entire 9x13 cake in the background.  I cut up the second cake to make the ramps and raised levels.

I suggest you stack your upper layer and upper ramp prior to frosting the middle layer (the yellow buttercream) so you can eyeball it's location.  I had a photo of this but it was terribly blurry...sorry.  Once you have the second layer and upper ramp in its temporary position, frost around the front of it with the chocolate buttercream (as shown below). 

Remove the upper layer and upper ramp and frost the section behind the chocolate frosting you just placed with the yellow buttercream. 

 

Now you can place the upper layer and Ramp 2 back in it's place permanently:

 

Crumb coat this beast like there is no tomorrow.  Black Joe Cake is super soft and moist, and crumbs like crazy.  It's okay, the crumbs will show in the crumb layer, but that is the point!  Now refrigerate until the crumb layer is slightly firm, about 30 minutes.

 

Cover entire cake with another layer of frosting.  Not going to lie, I swirled and swirled and swirled some more.  All those corners can drive you mad.  I remember once watching Martha Stewart frost a cake.  You know she's Ultimate Mrs. Perfection, right?  She kept swirling and spinning the cake around and finally said 'at some point you must just stop.' And she's right.  It's almost impossible to perfect this with buttercream.  Just try to get it as smooth and even as possible.  If you have a corner you're just not happy with, don't worry.  Look what happens next.....

 

Oreo crumbs fix everything!  I found the best way to pull off the corners to make them look 'under construction' was to take a fork and gently pull at the cake.  Remove the cake you scrapped and cover with Oreo crumbles.  You can't screw this part up.  The messier it gets, the more realistic it looks.  And what kid doesn't want a mess for his birthday?

 

I also sprinkled green dusting sugar around the edges to have the appearance of grass.  If I were to do this again, I might instead dye flaked coconut green for a more realistic look. 

 

Don't forget to fill your little dump trucks with candy that look like 'boulders'.  We chopped some into pieces to look even more messy.  Did I mention my husband helped me with the whole cake?  Besides the engineering (ramps) he was in charge of making our sons name out of the fondant including coloring it with the yellow and black food coloring gel, rolling/cutting out the circles and letters.  He was in man heaven.

 

 

 

Recipes

 

Black Joe Cake (you will need two for the construction cake; the recipe below is for one 9 x 13 cake)

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 3/4 cups granulated sugar

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 cup cocoa powder, sifted

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup sour cream (remove from fridge about 20 minutes prior to baking)

1/2 cup canola oil

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup strong, brewed coffee (cooled to room temperature

 

Directions:

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Grease and flour a 9x13 cake pan.  Set aside.

Sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa, and salt.  Whisk to combine.

In the bowl of a stand up mixer (or using a hand mixer) combine the sour cream, oil, eggs, vanilla, and coffee.  Beat on medium until well combined. 

Add the dry ingredients to the wet in 3 additions, beating well and scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 40 minutes.  Remove from oven and place pan on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes.  Run a butter knife around the edges of the cake and place plate on top of pan and invert.  The cake SHOULD come out...if it doesn't slightly tap on the bottom of the pan with your knuckles while inverted.  If it still doesn't come out, invert back and run a knife around the edges again, making sure all sides are loose.

Once removed from pan, allow cake to cool completely on a wire rack.  Wrap first with plastic wrap and then aluminum foil and refrigerate until ready to assemble.

 

 

 

Marshmallow Buttercream (you will only need about half to 3/4 of this frosting for the Construction Cake.  The remainder can be refrigerated for up to a week, or frozen for 2 months)

 

Ingredients:

8 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature

1 (7 ounce) jar Marshmallow Creme

2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 

Directions:

 

Cream butter until it's light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.  Add the marshmallow creme and beat until well combined, about 2 minutes.  Add powdered sugar and beat for another 2 minutes.  Add vanilla extract and beat until combined.

 

 

 

Chocolate Buttercream

 

Ingredients:

1 pound unsalted butter, room temperature

3 tablespoons milk

12 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled to lukewarm

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 cups powdered sugar, sifted

 

Directions:

 

In the bowl of a stand up mixer (or hand mixer using a large bowl) beat the butter until creamy, about 3 minutes.  Add the milk and carefully beat until smooth.  Add the melted chocolate and beat well, about 2 minutes.  Add the vanilla and beat for 3 minutes.  Gradually add the sugar and beat on low until creamy.

 

 

 

cake concept from virgie and hats

Marshmallow Buttercream courtesy of Baked Bree

Chocolate Buttercream courtesy of More from Magnolia: Recipes from the World-Famous bakery and Allysa Torey's Home Kitchen