Banoffee pie was invented in Sussex in 1971 by a chef named Ian Dowding, who had run out of dessert options and started improvising with bananas and toffee. Fifty years on, it’s a permanent fixture in pubs from Cornwall to Cairns, mostly because the four-component formula (biscuit, toffee, banana, cream) cannot be improved upon by adding things, but it absolutely can be improved by stirring three tablespoons of bourbon into the toffee layer.
That’s this version. The bourbon doesn’t make it boozy; it adds warmth, depth, and a slight savoury edge that cuts through the sweetness. The pie still tastes like a banoffee. It just tastes like a banoffee that’s been to a few more places.
Why this works
Bourbon and banana share flavour compounds (specifically isoamyl acetate, the same one that gives bananas their banana-ness). When you add bourbon to a banana dessert, you’re not adding a foreign flavour; you’re reinforcing the existing one with a slightly more complex backbone. It’s the same reason rum-and-banana works.
Use a decent bourbon, not bottom-shelf. The dessert lifts about a tier in proportion to the bourbon’s quality.
Bourbon Banoffee Pie (The Adult Version of a Classic)
Ingredients
- 250 g digestive biscuits or graham crackers, crushed
- 125 g unsalted butter, melted
- 400 g dulce de leche shop-bought or homemade
- 3 tbsp bourbon Maker's Mark, Buffalo Trace, or any decent bourbon
- 3 large bananas, sliced
- 1 tsp lemon juice to keep the bananas from browning
- 600 ml thickened cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp icing sugar
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder or grated dark chocolate to dust
Instructions
- Make the base: combine crushed biscuits with melted butter. Press firmly into the base of a 23cm pie dish or springform tin. Refrigerate 30 minutes to firm up.
- In a bowl, whisk dulce de leche with bourbon until smooth. Spread evenly over the chilled base.
- Toss banana slices in lemon juice. Layer over the dulce de leche.
- Whip the cream with vanilla and icing sugar to soft peaks. Don't over-whip; you want it to dollop, not sit stiff.
- Pile the cream over the bananas. Use a spoon to make peaks and swirls.
- Dust with cocoa powder or grated dark chocolate.
- Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving so the layers settle. Slice with a knife dipped in hot water for clean cuts.
Nutrition
Notes
Loved This Recipe?
You'll love my Recipe Books!Serving suggestions
Cold from the fridge with a strong coffee on the side. Or a small glass of bourbon, neat, ice optional. Or a small glass of dessert wine if you want to pretend this is fancy.
Leftovers keep two days in the fridge. The cream gets a bit weepy by day three so eat it before then. Not usually a problem.