Bake Off Recipe: Paul Hollywood’s Banoffee Pie

Famed for its indulgent combination of banana and toffee, banoffee pie was created over 50 years ago by two Brits, Nigel Mackenzie and Ian Dowding. The pair had been experimenting with an American recipe for ‘coffee toffee pie’ at a restaurant in East Sussex, but decided to throw in a layer of bananas – and so the now-beloved pudding was born. Before long, the dish was popping up on restaurant menus all over the world.

Last night, Paul Hollywood challenged the contestants of Great British Bake Off to create their own version – and you can give it a go too with his recipe, below.

Great British Bake Off Technical Challenge No. 7: Banoffee Pie

The original banoffee pie, a British dessert developed in the 1970s, has a pastry crust, rather than a biscuit base. And that’s exactly how Paul wanted this one ─ a nostalgic take on the original ‘banoffi’ pie, with a beautiful finish that makes it fit for an elegant party dessert.

Ingredients:

For the pastry

• 250g plain flour
• Pinch of salt
• 125g unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
• 2-3 tbsp ice-cold water

For the caramel

• 200g caster sugar
• 200g double cream
• 225g unsalted butter, cubed
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ tsp crushed sea salt

For the topping

• 2 large ripe bananas, cut into 1cm thick slices
• 300ml double cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 15g icing sugar, sifted
• 10g 70% dark chocolate, very finely grated

Equipment

• 23cm straight-sided, loose-bottomed tart tin
• Baking beans or rice
• Sugar thermometer
• Cake-decorating turntable
• Large piping bag fitted with a large ribbon nozzle

Method:

1. Make the pastry. Tip the flour and salt into a mixing bowl. Add the chilled, diced butter and cut the butter into the flour using a round-bladed knife or palette knife. Using your hands, rub the butter into the flour until there are only very small flecks still visible.
2. Make a well in the centre of the mixture, add the ice-cold water and, using the knife, cut the wet ingredients into the dry, then gather the pastry into a ball. Flatten the pastry into a disc, cover and chill until firm.
3. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured work surface to a neat disc, about 2-3mm thick and large enough to line the base and sides of the tin. Carefully line the tin, then trim any excess from the top and prick the base with a fork. Chill for about 30 minutes in the fridge or 15 in the freezer.
4. Heat the oven to 190°C/170°C fan/375°F/Gas 5. Line the pastry case with baking paper and baking beans or rice, and place it on a solid baking sheet. Bake for about 25 minutes, until the edges are golden. Remove the paper and beans or rice and bake for a further 10 minutes to dry out the base. Leave the pastry case to cool.
5. Make the caramel. Heat the caster sugar in a saucepan over a medium heat, swirling the pan from time to time, until the sugar dissolves and turns an amber colour. While the caramel is cooking, bring the cream to a simmer in a separate pan over a medium heat, then immediately remove it from the heat and set aside.
6. Once the caramel is amber-coloured, carefully pour in the warm cream (be careful as it will splutter) and stir to combine. Add the butter, stirring continuously, until it forms a smooth caramel. Increase the heat to high and boil until the mixture reaches 106°C/223°F on a sugar thermometer.
7. Immediately remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the vanilla and salt, then pour the caramel into a heatproof jug (to halt the cooking process) and leave to cool until just warm.
8. Pour the caramel into the baked pastry case and place it in the fridge, until set.
9. Make the topping. Arrange the banana slices over the set caramel, sitting them snugly together to make an even layer. Place the tart on the decorating turntable.
10. Lightly whip the cream with the vanilla and icing sugar until it just holds its shape. Spoon the cream into the piping bag fitted with the large ribbon nozzle.
11. Starting from the outside edge, pipe 5cm-diameter semi-circular petals around the edge of the pastry. Continue piping petals in concentric circles until you reach the middle of the pie. The top should look like a large flower head.
12. Finish the top of the pie with a sprinkling of very finely grated chocolate to help define the petals.

Recipe from thegreatbritishbakeoff.co.uk