Banana Cream Pie

This banana cream features a flaky homemade pie crust, a thick pastry cream, sliced bananas, and a fresh whipped cream topping. To take it up a notch, there’s also layers of gooey salted caramel sauce throughout the pie. You definitely want to try this!

5 from 5 votes

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Prep Time: 1 30

Cook Time: 30

chilling time: 4

Total Time: 6

Servings: people

Equipment

9" deep-dish pie pan
Food processor

Ingredients

Homemade Pie Crust:

1 and ½ cups all-purpose flour, (I used unbleached)
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 large egg yolk, cold
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold and cut into small, even pieces
3 tablespoon ice water

Pastry Cream:

1 cup whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 large egg yolks
¾ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup cornstarch
½ teaspoon salt

Salted Caramel Sauce:

⅔ cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoon water
½ cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
¼ teaspoon salt

Whipped Cream Topping:

1 cup heavy whipping cream, cold
½ cup powdered sugar
¼ teaspoon salt, optional
½ teaspoon vanilla extract, optional

Assembly:

3-4 medium bananas, cut into ¼"-thick round slices

Instructions

Homemade Pie Crust:

Cut the butter into small pieces first and then leave it in the fridge so it stays cold.
To the bowl of a food processor*, add the flour, sugar, salt, and cold egg yolk, and pulse to combine. Add the cold butter pieces and pulse for 10-15 seconds or until the mixture is evenly coated. Add ice and water to a glass then measure out one tablespoon of water at a time and add it to the food processor. Pulse just until the dough comes together. Mine needed 3 tablespoons of water.
Gather up the dough and form it into a ball. Flatten it into a round disc and wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before rolling out the dough.
Lightly dust a clean surface and a rolling pin with flour. Take the dough out of the fridge, sprinkle it on both sides with a little bit of flour, and roll the dough out to a 12" circle. Flip the dough and sprinkle with more flour every so often to keep it from sticking.
Drape the dough over a 9" deep-dish pie dish. Trim the excess, and leave about ½" overhang of dough around the edges. Fold the overhang under to create a thick rim around the outside, then use your fingers to crimp the edges. Use a fork to poke several holes in the bottom of the dough.
Place the pie in the freezer for about 30 minutes and begin preheating your oven to 425°F.
Once your oven is ready, take the pie out of the freezer and cover the dough with a layer of parchment paper. Add a layer of aluminum foil on top of the parchment paper and press it securely around the sides of the pie dough. Fill the foil with pie weights or dried beans/rice and bake the pie for 15 minutes.
Take the pie out of the oven, remove the weights, foil, and parchment paper, and continue baking for 12-14 minutes longer, or until golden brown on the bottom. Cover the sides loosely with aluminum foil to prevent them from burning.
Take the pie out of the oven and let cool completely before filling.

Pastry Cream:

In a large bowl, add the egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, and salt, and whisk until smooth. It will look like a thick yellow paste.
In a medium saucepan, add the whole milk, heavy cream, and vanilla extract. Place the pan over medium heat and bring the liquid to a gentle simmer. Carefully pour the hot liquid into the bowl with the yolks, whisking the yolks constantly as you do to prevent them from curdling. Once all of the liquid is added, whisk until very smooth, and then pour everything back into the saucepan.
Place the pan back over medium heat and bring the mixture to a boil, whisking constantly. Lower the heat slightly and continue to cook and whisk until very thick. Make sure it’s not at all runny or it won’t set in the pie.
Remove from heat and strain the cream through a sieve and into a bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, press the plastic wrap onto the surface of the pastry cream to prevent a film from forming on top. Let the pastry cream cool completely for at least 2 hours before adding it to the pie crust.

Salted Caramel Sauce:

Spray the sides of a medium saucepan with non-stick spray. Add the granulated sugar and water to the pan and whisk over low heat until the sugar is dissolved. Once dissolved, increase the heat to medium, stop whisking completely, and let the sugar cook until it reaches a golden amber color. This will take about 10 minutes. Keep an eye on it as it cooks because the sugar can go from perfectly caramelized to burnt in a matter of seconds.
While the sugar is cooking, add some heavy cream to a bowl and heat it in the microwave for about 30 seconds. Once the sugar reaches a dark amber color, take it off of the heat and immediately pour in the heavy cream to stop the cooking. The caramel will bubble up violently at first and then settle as the temperature evens out.
Add the unsalted butter and place the pan back over low heat, whisk until the butter is melted and the sauce is smooth. Pour the sauce into a bowl, stir in the salt, and let cool. The longer it cools the thicker the sauce will get.

Assemble:

Add a single layer of sliced bananas to the bottom of the pie crust, then cover them with about half of the caramel sauce. Allow to cool for 30 minutes.
Pipe or spread the cooled pastry cream over the bananas inside the pie crust. Use a spatula to spread it out smoothly and evenly inside the pie crust. Add more sliced bananas on top of the pastry cream and then drizzle with more caramel sauce. Save any extra sauce for serving.
Cover the pie with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight(recommended) before adding the whipped cream topping.

Whipped Cream Topping:

In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the cold heavy whipping cream for about 1 minute until it's starting to thicken. Add the powdered sugar, salt, and vanilla extract (if using), and continue to beat for another minute or until it's thick and billowy.
Pipe or spread the whipped cream over the top of the pie. Keep the pie in the fridge until you're ready to slice and serve.
Slice and serve with more caramel sauce drizzled on top. Store leftovers in the fridge for 1-2 days.

Notes

*A food processor is the best and easiest way to make pie dough. If you don't have one, a pastry blender is a very inexpensive tool and is the next best option.

If the caramel seizes when you add in the heavy cream, place it over low heat, cook and stir until melted and smooth.

If you notice any clumps of crystallized sugar in the caramel sauce, strain it through a sieve and into a bowl before adding the salt.

Make-Ahead:

The pie dough can be made ahead of time and kept in the fridge for 3 days. Once baked, it will stay fresh in the fridge for 2-3 weeks.

The pastry cream will stay fresh, covered, in the fridge for up to 5 days.

The homemade caramel sauce can be made ahead of time and kept in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-4 weeks.

Nutrition

Banana Cream Pie

Equipment

Ingredients ½1x2x3x

Homemade Pie Crust:

Pastry Cream:

Salted Caramel Sauce:

Whipped Cream Topping:

Assembly:

Instructions

Homemade Pie Crust:

Pastry Cream:

Salted Caramel Sauce:

Assemble:

Whipped Cream Topping:

Notes

Make-Ahead:

Nutrition

Ingredients