I am racing to finish revisions on my next novel set in England, and so my mind naturally goes to…dessert.
With Susan and Jeff.
Banoffee pie is a popular dessert in Great Britain. The first time my husband and I had it was not in the UK, however, but in Minnesota, when we were invited to dinner at Jeff and Susan’s house. Jeff is from England, and Susan had kindly learned to make the pie for him—and for grateful guests like us. We were instant fans of the sweet dessert and sought it out with delicious success on our next trip to England.
Poster by Nicole Donaldson.
What is Banoffee pie you ask?
I would describe it as something like a banana cream pie with a layer of rich toffee goodness in a cookie (“biscuit” in the UK) or graham cracker crust. Original recipe here and one of many variations here. If you like bananas and the taste of sweetened condensed milk, you will like the pie. If you don’t, take a pass.
Fair warnings:
1. Boiling a can of sweetened condensed milk can be dangerous. (Instead, you may want to substitute a can of ready-to-scoop La Lechera Dulce de Leche, available in supermarkets with an ethnic foods aisle.)
2. Eating too much of this pie can be dangerous. (Be prepared for a sugar rush, followed by the need for a long nap.) 🙂
Banoffee was invented at the Hungry Monk pub in England, which sadly closed its doors a few years ago, though the famous pie lives on in tradi
tional as well as new forms, like Banoffee Häagen-Dazs ice cream.
I was reminded of this dessert again recently, at a youth fundraiser at our church. Our pastor’s wife, Cami, made Banoffee for the pie auction. (She and her husband had lived in England for a few years, during his studies.) My hubby and I bid on the pie with eager determination, and we—and the youth fund—were both big winners that day. 🙂 It was delicious!
Banoffee pie by Cami, and eaten by me!
Have you had Banoffee pie? What’s your favorite dessert? Do I have to go back to those revisions now?
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I’ve never had Banoffee Pie, but I’m in the process of writing out some recipes for friends as a surprise gift. Meat, fish, vegetarian, desserts, baking, and all manner of things. Bannoffee Pie is one of the recipes that I have written out. My dad was born in England. I was born in New Zealand and now live in Australia. So there’s any number of recipes that I can send that they may not have heard of.
When I was younger, I loved Pavlova. It’s a meringue, topped with whipped cream and then topped by fresh fruit. I’ve since grown out of that. I find it too sweet now.
I don’t know if you’ve had the next dessert. Trifle. It has sponge cake, jello, custard, whipped cream, fruit and alcohol if liked. I grew up eating this. I really like it.
I only just got out of hospital 4 days ago and have been told I’m not allowed carbohydrates anymore or fruit. So no more desserts for me unless it’ diet jello. Just as well I like it.
Your gift of recipes sounds like fun, Trish. I’m sure they’ll be enjoyed! Sorry to hear you’ve been given the no-go to sweets, but glad you’re out of the hospital. And yes, I like trifle, too, though I haven’t made it in ages. Take care of yourself!
Oh my goodness Julie! Thank you for the link. I think! Lol! Since I saw you post the picture I’ve wanted to try this. Now I must. Especially since my daughter loves London and England. This will be a fun project for us to do together. I wonder if the caramel sweetened condensed milk they have now in the store is the same as boiling it? I think I may have found a new favorite! I can just tell by the ingredients. I’m a huge fan of all things caramel/toffee. And I think shortbread would make a yummy crust too.
Hi Nancy. I don’t know about caramel sweetened condensed milk, except for the type I mentioned. Interesting. But yes, I think shortbread crust would be good, too. If you make one, I hope you (and your daughter) enjoy it!
I have never heard of Banoffee pie. Wow! I enjoy pie and cherry cheesecake, too. Well, actually, there are a lot of desserts that I enjoy. My weight shows the results of all that enjoyment. haha!
Me, too, Melissa. Me, too! 🙂
If only I didn’t need to loose weight, Julie….Thanks for sending temptation my way. As for your dreaded revisions, I feel your pain.
You always look great to me, Lynn! Hope your revisions are going well, too.
YUM!! I’d never heard of this pie, but it sounds delicious!
Praying your revisions go smoothly, Julie (with your talent and expertise they’ll probably be a piece of cake—-er, PIE!) 😉
Thanks for sharing with us today.
Hugs from Georgia (where our weather seems to change every 5 minutes!),
Patti Jo 🙂
Patti, you are as sweet as Banoffee pie, and I mean it! I appreciate your prayers so much!
To tell the truth I love Homemade apple pie with vanilla ice cream. I know it is old fashion but my second favorite is a new pie I tried last year and would love to find it again. It was a salted caramel pie and it was delicious. I love to bake and am looking for a recipe similar to that one.
Mmmm…. Both sound good to me. Thanks for commenting, Leann.
I have never had this, but think it sounds lovely. After reading your blog post I thought I’d pop over to the English Kitchen blog and see if she had a recipe for this. She did! I’ll have to try this.
http://theenglishkitchen.blogspot.co.uk/2010/06/banoffee-pie.html
It’s music to my ears to hear about you making the final revisions for your new book. 🙂 There’s nothing like a great, well-researched, thick Regency novel.
Thanks, Sylvia. I’ll go and check out “The English Kitchen.” Sounds like a place I’d LOVE. 🙂
Thanks so much Julie for remembering the pie we made for you. I am impressed.
I can also recommend the Pavlova and Trifle mentioned by Trish. The trifle is especially good with a little Sherry added.
Hi Jeff, yes we remember that dinner fondly, for the delicious food and conversation, too!
Triffle! I love triffle and when my Mom and I were visiting Ynysybwl, Wales (where she was born) she made it with Birds Custard. YUM!! My Mom’s recipe is easy and light. She takes angel food cake and layers that with the custard,( or vanilla pudding) fruit (usually frozen raspberries and when they thaw the juices soak the cake) and whipped cream. A couple layers and instant English dessert.
The pie looks very delicious and dangerous!