Best-ever Banoffee Pie

When it comes to banoffee pie you just have to forget the calorie counting – bananas, cream, chocolate, what's not to like? Use a deep tin so there's plenty of room for the filling.

Best-ever Banoffee Pie

Info

Serves
12 people

Ingredients

Toffee filling

  • 115g butter
  • 115g soft dark brown sugar
  • 397g can sweetened condensed milk

For the topping

  • You'll need 23cm loose-based tart tin – must be about 4cm deep to contain the filling
  • 5 ripe but firm medium bananas
  • 450ml double cream
  • 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
  • 25g plain dark chocolate, coarsely grated, or chocolate curls

Biscuit base

  • 75g butter
  • 300g chocolate oaty biscuits, such as Hobnobs

Method

  1. To make the base, melt the butter in a small pan. Break the biscuits into chunky pieces and blitz them to crumbs in a food processor. With the motor running, add the melted butter and blend until thoroughly mixed. Alternatively, put the biscuits in a strong plastic food bag and bash with a rolling pin. Tip the crumbs into a bowl and stir in the melted butter.

  2. Tip the biscuit mixture into the centre of your tart tin and press it firmly into the base and sides. Make sure the mixture is evenly distributed, especially where the base meets the sides. Chill for 30 minutes until set.

  3. To make the toffee filling, melt the butter in a non-stick saucepan and stir in the sugar. Cook over a low heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar has dissolved and the butter and sugar look smooth with no oil floating to the surface. Add the condensed milk and bring to a gentle simmer, stirring constantly. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring, until the mixture turns a deep, creamy caramel brown. Pour the toffee gently onto the biscuit base and quickly smooth over the surface. Leave to chill for at least 1 hour and up to 8 hours before topping.

  4. Just before serving, lightly whip the cream. It should stand in very soft peaks – any thicker and it will look over-whipped when mixed with the bananas. Diagonally slice 4 of the bananas and scatter half of them over the toffee. Fold the rest lightly into the cream and spoon gently on top.

  5. Slice the remaining banana and put it in a bowl with the lemon juice. Toss very gently – this will stop the banana turning brown. Decorate the top with the lemony banana slices, poking them into the cream randomly, then sprinkle the pie with grated chocolate or decorate with chocolate curls. Serve the pie in fairly thin slices, as it is very rich.

  6. TIP:

    Make the chocolate curls by melting dark chocolate and pouring onto a flat surface. Leave until set, then scrape the chocolate carefully with a long, sharp knife held at a slight angle, until it curls up towards you. Alternatively, run a swivel-peeler down the back of a bar of cooking chocolate.