Cinder Banoffee Pie
I'd never tried making honeycomb before, but this recipe was surprisingly easy and, given the quantities of butter and sweet things involved, unsurprisingly delicious. The recipe I used mentioned that it's also called 'cinder toffee', which gave me the idea of combining it with a banoffee pie I'd been meaning to make. The results were fantastic; there's something magical about the combination of smooth banana-y creaminess and sweet golden crunch. The recipe is reasonably time-consuming but not particularly difficult, and I can promise that the pie is worth it.
Ingredients
For the crust:
75g wholemeal flour
75 plain flour
2tbsp dark brown sugar
2tsp mixed spice
pinch salt
75g softened butter or margarine
50ml cold water
For the cinder toffee:
50g butter
100g sugar
2tbsp golden syrup
1tbsp honey
2tsp bicarbonate of soda
For the banana filling:
1 banana
a couple of spoons of the toffee
100g Greek yoghurt
50ml skim milk
1tsp vanilla essence
For the banana slices:
2 bananas
2tsp mixed spice
Instructions
For the crust:
- sieve both flours, the salt and the mixed spice into a mixing bowl.
- add the sugar and butter or margarine and mix gently, either by hand or with a dough hook, while gradually adding water until everything comes together; it should be soft but not sticky.
- wrap the pastry in clingfilm and chill in the fridge for 20-30 minutes. When it's almost finished, turn the oven on to preheat to 190°C.
- take the pastry out of the fridge and roll it out to about 5mm thick, then press it into a lightly greased medium-sized tart tin, trimming the spare edges.
- cover the pastry in foil and fill with baking beans. Bake blind for about 45 minutes, until dry and crisp.
For the cinder toffee:
- melt the butter, sugar, honey and golden syrup in a large saucepan over a low heat.
- when the sugar is fully dissolved, set aside one or two spoonfuls to put in the banana filling, then turn up the heat; the toffee should bubble up quickly. Let it boil for three to four minutes, until the colour darkens slightly. Don’t stir, but if the colour looks particularly uneven, swirl the pan around to mix it.
- while it boils, oil a small baking tray.
- take the pan off the heat and, wearing oven gloves, add the bicarbonate of soda and stir quickly. The mixture will bubble up and double or triple in size; as soon as it stops expanding, pour it into the tray and leave for 15-20 minutes to harden and cool down.
- turn the tin upside down and hit the underside a few times to turn out the toffee. It will probably break up to some extent at this point. To break it further (you want a mixture of little nuggety pieces, smaller chips and powder) you can either take the sensible, mess-free route of putting it in a sealed plastic bag and hitting the bag with a rolling pin, or, if you’re like me, you can seize the chance to get your mortar and pestle out and pretend you’re a 15th-century alchemist.
For the banana filling:
- slice a banana and microwave it for about a minute, to soften it, then mash (as thoroughly as possible) with a fork.
- add the two spoonfuls of toffee and mash them into the banana, then let the mixture cool completely in the fridge.
- stir in the yoghurt, vanilla essence, and milk; the mixture should be thick and creamy.
For the sliced bananas:
- preheat the grill to 200°C.
- slice the two bananas diagonally and arrange the slices on a baking tray. Sprinkle with mixed spice.
- place under the grill for 3-4 minutes, until just beginning to brown.
To assemble:
- pour the banana filling into the crust and arrange the banana slices on top, pressing them into the filling.
- sprinkle the cinder toffee liberally over the top of the pie, and serve cold.
Ingredients
For the crust:
75g wholemeal flour
75 plain flour
2tbsp dark brown sugar
2tsp mixed spice
pinch salt
75g softened butter or margarine
50ml cold water
For the cinder toffee:
50g butter
100g sugar
2tbsp golden syrup
1tbsp honey
2tsp bicarbonate of soda
For the banana filling:
1 banana
a couple of spoons of the toffee
100g Greek yoghurt
50ml skim milk
1tsp vanilla essence
For the banana slices:
2 bananas
2tsp mixed spice
Instructions
For the crust:
- sieve both flours, the salt and the mixed spice into a mixing bowl.
- add the sugar and butter or margarine and mix gently, either by hand or with a dough hook, while gradually adding water until everything comes together; it should be soft but not sticky.
- wrap the pastry in clingfilm and chill in the fridge for 20-30 minutes. When it's almost finished, turn the oven on to preheat to 190°C.
- take the pastry out of the fridge and roll it out to about 5mm thick, then press it into a lightly greased medium-sized tart tin, trimming the spare edges.
- cover the pastry in foil and fill with baking beans. Bake blind for about 45 minutes, until dry and crisp.
For the cinder toffee:
- melt the butter, sugar, honey and golden syrup in a large saucepan over a low heat.
- when the sugar is fully dissolved, set aside one or two spoonfuls to put in the banana filling, then turn up the heat; the toffee should bubble up quickly. Let it boil for three to four minutes, until the colour darkens slightly. Don’t stir, but if the colour looks particularly uneven, swirl the pan around to mix it.
- while it boils, oil a small baking tray.
- take the pan off the heat and, wearing oven gloves, add the bicarbonate of soda and stir quickly. The mixture will bubble up and double or triple in size; as soon as it stops expanding, pour it into the tray and leave for 15-20 minutes to harden and cool down.
- turn the tin upside down and hit the underside a few times to turn out the toffee. It will probably break up to some extent at this point. To break it further (you want a mixture of little nuggety pieces, smaller chips and powder) you can either take the sensible, mess-free route of putting it in a sealed plastic bag and hitting the bag with a rolling pin, or, if you’re like me, you can seize the chance to get your mortar and pestle out and pretend you’re a 15th-century alchemist.
For the banana filling:
- slice a banana and microwave it for about a minute, to soften it, then mash (as thoroughly as possible) with a fork.
- add the two spoonfuls of toffee and mash them into the banana, then let the mixture cool completely in the fridge.
- stir in the yoghurt, vanilla essence, and milk; the mixture should be thick and creamy.
For the sliced bananas:
- preheat the grill to 200°C.
- slice the two bananas diagonally and arrange the slices on a baking tray. Sprinkle with mixed spice.
- place under the grill for 3-4 minutes, until just beginning to brown.
To assemble:
- pour the banana filling into the crust and arrange the banana slices on top, pressing them into the filling.
- sprinkle the cinder toffee liberally over the top of the pie, and serve cold.