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Banoffee pie is a classic English dessert, often found on pub lunch menus! As it’s a no-bake recipe, this pie is super easy to assemble for a last-minute family pudding. The usual components are a buttery biscuit base topped with condensed milk caramel, sliced bananas and whipped cream. It’s usual to sprinkle some shaved chocolate on top too.
As you can imagine, there are many components in a banoffee pie which are difficult to veganise, the most challenging being the condensed milk caramel. However, Carnation has released a Vegan Condensed Milk Alternative (made with a blend of oat and rice flour) which is approved by the Vegan Society. It can be used to make vegan versions of nostalgic desserts like banoffee pie and millionaire’s shortbread!
How to store banoffee pie
It is best to store banoffee pie in the fridge for a few hours before serving as this will help to firm up the caramel making it easier to slice and serve.
Why is my pie runny?
This is probably down to not cooking the caramel for long enough to allow it to set. A good way to find out what texture your hot caramel will be when set is to dot a small amount onto a plate and place into the fridge. Check the caramel after a few minutes when it is completely cool. The texture of the cooled caramel should be soft enough to swipe with your finger but not runny.
Why is my caramel so hard?
This is likely from cooking the caramel for too long meaning too much liquid has evaporated from the caramel, making it set up like hard toffee. To rectify, gently warm the caramel in a pot over a low heat until melted then stir in 50ml of water to loosen. You can use the method described above to check the texture of the caramel.
Vegan Banoffee Pie
Ingredients
Crust:
- 250 g Lotus biscoff biscuits
- 75 g Vegan butter alternative melted
Filling:
- 50 g Vegan butter alternative
- 50 g soft light brown sugar
- 370 g (1 tin) Carnation Vegan Condensed Milk Alternative
- 45 ml plant-based Vegan whipping cream
- 25 g cornflour
Toppings:
- 2 bananas peeled and sliced
- 225 ml plant-based Vegan whipping cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- 15 g Vegan chocolate shavings
Instructions
For the biscuit crust:
- Blitz the biscuits in a food processor until you get a fine crumb. Alternatively, place them into a heavy-duty sandwich bag and bash with a rolling pin until crushed.250 g Lotus biscoff biscuits
- Mix the melted butter into the crushed biscuits. Tip into a 20 cm loose-bottomed tart tin (or shallow cake tin) and press out evenly and firmly over the base and up the sides of the tin.250 g Lotus biscoff biscuits, 75 g Vegan butter alternative
- Chill the biscuit crust until completely set (at least 30 minutes, or up to overnight).
For the filling:
- Place the vegan butter alternative, sugar and Carnation Vegan Condensed Milk Alternative into a medium pot.50 g Vegan butter alternative, 50 g soft light brown sugar, 370 g (1 tin) Carnation Vegan Condensed Milk Alternative
- Place the cornflour into a small bowl and gradually stir in the plant-based vegan whipping cream, 1 tbsp at a time, until fully combined and smooth. Add this mixture to the pot as well.25 g cornflour, 45 ml plant-based Vegan whipping cream
- Heat the pot over a medium-low heat, stirring often, until the vegan butter alternative has fully melted. Now increase the heat and bring to a rapid boil, stirring constantly until the mixture reaches 115°C and has turned a golden brown colour – around 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, leave to cool for a few minutes and then stir in 60ml of water.
- Pour the caramel into the chilled biscuit crust and place back in the fridge to set for 1-2 hours.
When ready to serve:
- Lay the sliced bananas over the set caramel.2 bananas
- Whip the plant-based cream in a medium bowl until you get soft peaks then stir in the vanilla extract/paste. Spoon the whipped cream over the bananas, swirling it to make it look pretty, then sprinkle with the vegan chocolate shavings. Now slice into 12 and serve!225 ml plant-based Vegan whipping cream, 1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste, 15 g Vegan chocolate shavings
Notes
