Banana Cream Pie with Salted Caramel and Ganache
- Total Time: 5 hours
- Yield: 6-8 1x
Description
If you’re celebrating a banana-lover in your life, this multi-layer pie is well worth the time and effort.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- One fully baked and cooled pie crust in a pie dish (In essence: roll out your pie crust and shape into your pie dish. Line with parchment and pie weights - I use dried beans - and bake in a 375F oven for 20 minutes, until lightly browned even in the middle. Remove the parchment and weights and bake for 5-10 minutes more, until golden brown all over.)
- Around 1/2 cup (120 ml) slightly salted caramel (recipe below)
- 3 oz. (85 g) dark chocolate, plus more for garnish shavings (if desired)
- 1 cup (8 oz.) (240 ml) plus 3 tbsp. (1 1/2 oz.) (45 ml) heavy cream, divided
- 1 batch pastry cream, at least slightly cooled (recipe below)
- 2 ripe bananas
- A few tbsp. granulated or powdered sugar, to taste, for sweetening whipped cream
For the Salted Caramel
- note: this is about 3 times as much as needed for the pie - I don't like to scale the recipe down too much because melting the sugar gets a little trickier, but it's not really a problem because who doesn't want extra homemade caramel sauce around?)
- 2/3 cup (5 1/2 oz.) (160 ml) heavy cream
- 1/4 vanilla bean (or 1 tsp. vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste)
- 1 1/4 cups (8 3/4 oz.) (300 ml) granulated sugar - this cannot be larger grained/raw sugar (including the organic sugar they sell at Trader Joe's) - the grains will not melt properly
- 1/4 cup (2 oz.) (60 ml) water
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 2 tbsp. (30 ml) light corn syrup
- 3/4 tsp. lemon juice
- 3 tbsp. (2 oz.) (90 g) butter
For the Pastry Cream
- 2/3 cup (4 2/3 oz.) (160 ml) sugar
- 4 tbsp. (1/4 cup | 1 1/4 oz.) (60 ml) cornstarch
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 2 1/2 cups (20 oz.) (600 ml) whole milk
- 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla or vanilla bean paste
- 4 egg yolks + 1 whole egg
- 3 tbsp. (45 g) butter
Instructions
For the Salted Caramel
- Infuse cream and vanilla: Heat cream and vanilla (if using a bean, split lengthwise and scrape inner seeds into cream) over medium-high heat in a small saucepan. When bubbles form around the outside and the cream begins to steam, reduce heat to low.
- Make caramel base: Combine sugar, water, salt, and corn syrup in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Stop stirring but continue to cook until the mixture is amber, around 7-10 minutes. If it starts to darken in certain places, swirl the pan to distribute the caramel that is cooking more quickly. Remove from the heat.
- Add cream: Immediately pour the cream into the sugar syrup. It will boil vigorously and be extremely hot, so be careful. Using a long-handled rubber spatula or other heat-resistant utensil that will be easy to clean, stir until it stops bubbling and becomes smooth. Add the lemon juice and let sit for 10 minutes.
- Add butter: Cut your butter into 4 small pieces and whisk them into the warm caramel individually, stirring after each addition.
For the Pastry Cream
- Combine most ingredients: Whisk together sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a medium saucepan (preferably one with curved sides, which will make it easier to scrape the bottom). Gradually whisk in the milk and vanilla, then the egg yolks and whole egg. Whisk until no streaks of yolk remain.
- Cook until thickened: Stirring constantly with a rubber spatula, cook over medium heat until it just begins to bubble, somewhere around 10 minutes (depending on your stove and pan). Make sure to constantly scrape the bottom and corners of the pan, since as the cream thickens it can easily collect on the bottom and scorch. Your spatula may collect some thickened cream from the bottom, but that’s okay. After a bubble forms, momentarily remove from the heat and use a whisk to thoroughly stir and smooth the cream. Bring back to the heat for 1 minute, whisking constantly.
- Strain and finish: Strain the cream through a mesh strainer into a large bowl. The strainer will catch any imperfections in the cream, liked any cooked bits of egg, and smooth out any lumps. Cut your butter into 3 pieces and whisk each one into the warm pastry cream.
For the Pie
- Make and add ganache: Finely chop chocolate and place in a small heatproof bowl. Heat 3 tbsp. (1 1/2 oz.) heavy cream in a small saucepan over medium heat, until steaming and bubbles appear around the edges. Pour hot cream into the bowl of chocolate and stir until combined. Pour into the bottom of the baked and cooled crust, smooth with a spatula, and place in the refrigerator or freezer until firm to the touch.
- Add caramel: Pour around 1/2 cup caramel over the firm ganache and smooth. It may pick up some smears of chocolate, but that’s okay. You may need to bring the caramel to at least room temperature or warmer to make it easily pour/spreadable.
- Add pastry cream: Spread prepared pastry cream over the caramel (if the caramel is warm, let sit and/or chill until slightly firm).
- Add bananas: Slice bananas into approximately 1/4? slices and place on top of the pastry cream. Press lightly down on the slices to push them slightly into the pastry cream.
- Prepare and add whipped cream and garnish: Whip the cream and sugar (adding to desired sweetness) into medium-to-firm peaks, using whatever method you prefer (stand mixer, hand mixer, whisk, etc.). Spread on top of the bananas and pastry cream. If desired, top with chocolate shavings made from dark chocolate and a knife or vegetable peeler. Chill at least 3 hours and up to 4 days before eating. (If chilling more than 6 hours or so, the whipped cream may change in texture – I would suggest making the pie up through the pastry cream step, then adding the bananas and whipped cream 3-6 hours before serving.)
- Prep Time: 4 hours
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 550
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make this pie ahead of time?
Yes, but with an important caveat from the instructions: build the pie through the pastry cream layer and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Add the sliced bananas and whipped cream only 3–6 hours before serving, as the whipped cream changes texture if chilled much longer and the bananas can discolor.
Why does the caramel recipe warn against using raw or organic sugar?
The ingredient list notes specifically that the 1 1/4 cups of granulated sugar cannot be large-grained or raw sugar — including the organic sugar sold at Trader Joe’s — because the larger grains will not melt properly and the caramel will not come together smoothly.
Why does the pastry cream need to be strained?
The instructions say to strain the cooked pastry cream through a mesh strainer to catch any cooked bits of egg or lumps that form as the cream thickens on the stovetop. This extra step is what gives the pastry cream its silky, smooth texture.
Why does the ganache layer go in before the caramel?
The ganache (3 oz dark chocolate melted with 3 tbsp heavy cream) is poured into the bottom of the baked crust first and chilled until firm before the caramel is added on top. This creates a thin chocolate base that adds another flavor layer and also acts as a barrier to keep the crust from getting soggy from the caramel.
