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Banana Cream Pie

Banana pastry cream, loads of bananas, banana flavored whipped cream, and served up in a vanilla wafer cookie crust. Let's go bananas!
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Author: Portlandia Pie Lady

Ingredients

Banana Cream Filling

  • 1-1/3 cups sugar
  • 1/3 cup cornstarch
  • 1-1/2 cups heavy cream
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 6 drops banana oil (or 1/2 teaspoon banana extract)
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 3 large egg yolks
  • 2 large whole eggs

Bananas For Filling & Whipped Cream Topping:

  • 3 large ripe bananas
  • 2 cups heavy whipping cream
  • 1/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 2-3 drops banana oil (optional)
  • 1 9-inch prepared vanilla wafer or graham crust

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, whisk together egg yolks, eggs.
  • Mix cream, milk, sugar, cornstarch, banana oil and vanilla in a large saucepan over medium heat until steamy but not thickened yet; whisking while cooking to dissolve sugar and keep mixture from sticking to bottoms and sides of pan. This should take about 4-7 minutes depending on your pan/stovetop. 
  • Whisk in 1 cup of the hot steamy cream mixture into the beaten eggs to temper and then pour all back into the saucepan.  
  • Whisk constantly and bring mixture to simmer until it thickens, about 5 minutes. Pour into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap pushed onto surface to prevent a skin and place in refrigerator for a few hours to cool (about 4 hours or overnight).

Pie Assembly

  • Spread about 3/4 cup cooled custard over bottom of the cooled crust. Arrange banana slices over custard, pressing down slightly into custard, leaving space between bananas so filling will keep bananas from oxidizing. Repeat with custard and bananas, making custard the last layer. Cover with plastic wrap and chill.  (If doing 3 layers, leave a 1-inch margin around pie without bananas.
  • Whip whipping cream with sugar and banana flavoring (if desired) until medium to soft peaks form, spread over pie & pipe extra around sides.  

Notes

Banana Oil to Banana extract substitution:  6 drops flavored oil (about 1/8 teaspoon) equals about 1/2 teaspoon extract, a 1:4 ratio. Flavored oils do NOT cook out or evaporate like extracts, which is why extracts are added at very end of cooking.