Decadence of the Banoffee

Banoffee pie

I remember first hearing about the Banoffee Pie while I was watching an episode of Master Chef Australia. I remember very clearly that it was a team challenge and one of teams decided to make that. During the final tasting the judges were so thrilled with how the pie turned out. On television that day, it looked beautiful, rustic and terribly scrumptious. However, as always, the minute the episode finished, everything about the pie was tucked away in to the far reaches of my mind… until recently.

I had bought two cans of condensed milk from the market over a month ago thinking that I will use it to make something. It happens so often that a recipe calls for an ingredient which invariably is never in your pantry. I had decided that I needed to think ahead and to avoid that situation, bought two cans of condensed milk; and of course Mr. Murphy at his best, I never came across a recipe that called for a can of condensed milk.

Two days ago, my husband, while trying to find something to munch on in the pantry, suddenly discovered the two cans of condensed milk. He was so happy to see them and upset at the same time because he knew that once opened, the can of condensed milk would disappear in no time. He loved condensed milk that much! As I saw the level of condensed milk lowering over the two days, I decided that it was time. I needed to use it to make something. Hence the search began for a recipe that required condensed milk. A quick Google search later, there it was, among the various images of gorgeous desserts on Google search – the banoffee pie! I couldn’t take my eyes off it. I knew it was a sign and it was the day that I made the pie. 

I quickly gathered the ingredients, which fortunately aren’t too many. I realized that I do not own a pie tin, so it would have to be a slightly improvised form of the pie. (I think the Master Chef Judges would be happy about that. ;)) The Banoffee pie, as the name suggests, is a combination of Banana and Toffee. You can make the toffee by caramelizing sugar with butter or as I made it – using the can of condensed milk.

The one negative part about the pie that I must warn you about is that it takes really long to make. This is solely because the condensed milk needs over two hours to caramelize into toffee. Once that is taken care of, it is perhaps the easiest dessert to make.

What you will need

400g of condensed milk (i.e. 1 can)

Cookies (perhaps a few types with a thick texture. This is because when you crush it for the base, it will give it a little crunch against the smoothness of the toffee, banana and whipped cream. I used a cookie with resins and dried berries which gave it a wonderful edge)

Melted butter (enough to blend in the cookie mixture)

Whole Cream ( to make whipped cream)

2 Bananas 

Chocolate shavings

  1. Start off by dunking the entire tin of condensed milk in boiling water and leaving it there for over two hours. It is very crucial that the entire tin is always submerged in water else the can could explode. Keep refilling the water when need be. After about 2-2.5 hrs, take the tin out and let it cool thoroughly before opening it. What you get is a beautiful caramel sauce that you cannot resist putting in your mouth immediately.
  2. For the base of the pie, crush some cookies in a zip lock bag with a rolling pin. Remove the mixture into a bowl. Pour in the melted butter and mix well. Place this mixture into the pie tin and flatten it out with the help of a spoon and refrigerate it.
  3. Once cooled, cut bananas into thin slices and place it over the base.
  4. Pour the cream into a bowl and whip it with an electric beater to make whipped cream. Put this cream over the bananas. Use a spoon to smooth it out and cover the entire pie.
  5. Garnish with chocolate shavings

Refrigerate for at least an hour before you serve.

The Banoffee pie is not for the faint hearted. The toffee, whipped cream and the banana balanced with the wonderful crunch of the cookie, is a fabulous treat for anyone with a sweet tooth, and if you don’t have a sweet tooth, I assure you, after this you will have one.

PS- This is an update a day after making the pie. A chilled banoffee pie is the best thing in the world! Not too sweet and truly decadent! 

4 Replies to “Decadence of the Banoffee”

  1. These photos are so nicely taken!!

    1. Thankuuuu!!! Just starting out so there’s plenty of room to grow 🙂

  2. […] on the sweets people! (Check out this link if you like Banoffee Pie! […]

  3. […] the most versatile. There are so many desserts that I have made in them, my favorite being the banoffee pie. It is something about these glasses that enhances the beauty of any dish and makes it so […]

Comments are closed.