Banoffee pie

Yes, this month's Sugar High Friday entry is not for the faint-hearted.

This diabetic nightmare takes inspiration from my beloved memories of the English banoffee pie--the English may be guilty of soggy chips, but their supermarket bakeries had me loitering every time.

What is a banoffee pie? Think biscuit base, with a thick blanket of caramel, layered with slices of fresh banana and smothered in peaks of fresh whipped cream. Think banana toffee goodness. Think about how many you can sneak into the trolley without your flatmates noticing.

So with the nearest Sainsburys about 16,000 miles away, it was time to introduce this little baby to a new Antipodean generation. And we'll break the ice with a handful of toasted macadamias so we don't scare the locals.

Banoffee pie with macadamia nuts


1 400g tin sweetened condensed milk (use 2 if you like extra caramel)
200g oat biscuits
30g butter, softened
3 medium bananas
50g roasted macadamias, roughly chopped
300ml carton single cream
chocolate powder or shaved dark chocolate for dusting

Place unopened tin of condensed milk into a saucepan and pour in enough boiling water so it reaches at least halfway. Place lid on saucepan and boil for about two hours, topping up water as necessary. The tin will not explode as long as you keep the lid on, and the water topped up.

Meanwhile crush the biscuits by bashing them in a sealed ziplock bag, or use a foodprocessor. Transfer to a small bowl and add enough butter until the crumbs start sticking together.

Transfer the crumb mixture into a 24cm flan dish or a springform tin. It will be much easier to serve if you use a tin which has a removable base. Pat mixture down evenly and tightly with the back of a spoon, ensuring you have a strong enough wall around the edges. Place tin in fridge to chill.

Whip the cream until soft peaks form and chill until required.

When the two hours is up, remove the tin and place in cold water for about 5 minutes to cool slightly. Open tin carefully and pour into the tart base, taking care not to consume too much of it due to rigorous finger-lickin' "quality control" (it tastes like the gooey caramel out of boxed chocolates!).

Place a layer of sliced bananas on top. Scatter with roasted macadamia chunks.

Follow with a generous slathering of fresh cream.

Dust with chocolate powder of shaving of dark chocolate (I used Lindt 85% cocoa dark chocolate).

Enjoy.



And as proof that great minds must think alike, Saffron made banoffee pie on the same night I did! Freaky!

Don't forget, you can check out Life in Flow for a round-up of all the Tantalising Titillating Tempting Tarts for this month's Sugar High Friday!