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Caramel Banana Cream Pie


Caramel Banana Cream Pie
Caramel Banana Cream Pie

Since my kids had such success with their Chocolate Pudding Pie this week, some brown speckled bananas on the counter top were all the inspiration I needed to create this over- the-top, creamy custard caramel and banana pie for dessert last night. Okay, I admit that I also had some leftover homemade caramel sauce in the fridge from ice-cream sundaes a few days ago which shortened the prep time, but I only take that as a good excuse to always have homemade caramel sauce at the ready at all times! This recipe only uses about a cup of the caramel sauce but it is very difficult to make in small batches, so you will definitely have some left over to use on sundaes or apple pie in the next couple of weeks. It never survives at our house; I doubt it will at yours.

This was a spectacular combination of sweet caramel and creamy banana that reminded me of Banoffee Pie but perhaps even just a little richer, if that's possible. Even with the irresistible caramel sauce playing so well against the ripe bananas and crumbly graham crust , I still think the star of the show is the luscious, velvety vanilla custard that serves as the base for all that deliciousness to be delivered to the taste buds. 

Originally published on June 29, 2012.

Caramel Banana Cream Pie


Lightly grease a 9 or 10 inch glass pie pan and preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Mix together:

1 1/3 cups graham crumbs
1/3 cup melted butter
3 tbsp sugar
Press evenly into the bottom and sides of the greased pie plate, then bake for 10 minutes at 325 degrees F before cooling completely.

Vanilla Custard

Scald in the microwave or on the stove top:

3 cups whole milk

Microwave works best as there is no chance of burning the milk.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan combine

1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp flour
2/3 cup sugar
pinch of salt

Over medium low flame slowly add 1 cup of the scalded milk, whisking constantly. As you notice the filling beginning to thicken, add another cup of the scalded milk continuing to stir constantly until it begins to thicken again. Add the final cup of scalded milk, stirring constantly. Continue to cook over medium low heat until mixture begins to slightly thicken. At this point remove from heat and pour about a half cup of this mixture onto

3 slightly beaten extra large egg yolks

whisking constantly. Pour the egg mixture immediately back into the pot, continuing to constantly stir. Cook for an additional two or three until the filling reaches pudding consistency and remove from the flame. The mixture should just be beginning to boil at this point.

Stir in

4 tbsp butter
3 tsp vanilla extract

Cool almost to room temperature before pouring 1/3 of the custard into the baked pie shell. Add a layer of sliced ripe bananas, followed by another third of the vanilla custard, another layer of sliced bananas and the last of the vanilla custard. Pour about 1 cup of caramel sauce over the top and chill for about 3 hours or overnight in the fridge. Garnish with Vanilla Whipped Cream.

Vanilla Whipped Cream

1 cup whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp icing sugar

Combine and beat to soft peaks and spread or pipe on top of the cooled pie. Garnish with sliced bananas and a drizzle of caramel sauce.

Caramel Sauce

2 cups sugar
2/3 cup butter cut in small cubes
4 tbsp water
1 cup whipping cream

Begin by mixing the sugar and water in a large saucepan. NOTE: I use a large saucepan of about 3-4 quarts or larger because the sugar foams up when you add the butter and cream so make sure you have a large enough pot.

Boil the sugar and water over medium heat until the mixture begins to turn a light amber color. It is very easy to burn this mixture which can happen very quickly once the proper color is achieved, so have your butter and cream at the ready, as timing is crucial for this recipe.


When the color is right, quickly add the butter and stir quickly until the butter is melted. Remove from the heat immediately and pour in the whipping cream, stirring constantly until the sauce is uniformly smooth. Cool completely. Store in an airtight plastic container or in a mason jar.

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