Banana Cream Pie

Banana Cream Pie is delicious in any form, but this one is my favorite. I use Nilla Wafers for the cookie crust because it reminds me of the banana pudding dessert I loved as a little girl. They were usually topped with a few of those crisp cookies and I still love the combination.

It has come to my attention thanks to my desk calendar that March 2^nd is National Banana Cream Pie Day.  I don’t usually go out of my way to celebrate all of these random holidays, but I’m happy to make an exception for this one.  The first Friday in March seems like more than enough reason to share a recipe for banana cream pie with you.

In the past, banana cream pie isn’t something that I have made very often.  I don’t have a compelling reason; I just tend to create berry filled pies when I bake pie.  We always have a freezer full of our homegrown raspberries and the childhood memories of my grandmother’s berry pie are so thick that any other type of pie has a difficult time competing for my attention.

When my husband remarked about how much he loves banana cream pie, I decided to dust off my recipe, dream up a few improvements, and make one as a surprise for him.  With my recipe in hand, I grabbed a pencil and prepared to make a few changes. Before I began baking, there were a few key decisions to make. 

First, I needed to decide what sort of crust to make.  While I was considering the differences between a traditional pie crust and a cookie crumb crust, I had a delicious idea.  What if I made a cookie crust with crushed Nilla Wafers instead of the traditional graham crackers?  Suddenly, I was excited at the thought of a banana cream pie that would incorporate the flavors of one of my favorite childhood treats.   A pie inspired by banana pudding parfaits topped with whipped cream and served with a few Nilla Wafers on the side was bound to taste scrumptious and remind me deliciously of my childhood.

With the crust decisions made, I moved on to the question of the filling.  Some recipes for banana cream pie call for a vanilla custard filling while others add in banana flavoring.  I don’t have banana flavoring in my pantry and preferred the idea of leaving artificial flavors out of the mix, so I decided to create a rich vanilla bean custard and layer it over the banana slices while it was still slightly warm in the hopes that the warmth from the custard would help to infuse the subtle and delicious flavor of the ripe banana slices.

If I was going to make changes to the crust and the custard, I decided that I might as well try something a little different with the whipped cream layer.  When I shared my tried and true recipe for chocolate cream pie on our Facebook page for Valentine’s Day, a member of our 1840 Farm Community asked if I had heard that using powdered sugar instead of granulated sugar led to cream that whipped more quickly and held its peak longer. I hadn’t, but this banana cream pie provided me with the perfect opportunity to put that theory to the test.

After a little research, I discovered that the trace amount of cornstarch added to powdered sugar to help it keep its silky texture was the reason for this effect. The cornstarch lends body and strength to the whipped cream and helps to keep it from breaking down and weeping as it is stored in the refrigerator. I decided to make a Chantilly cream using powdered sugar.  I knew that even if it didn’t come together more quickly or show any signs of holding its shape longer, it would be delicious and a perfect topping for this banana cream pie.

The crust, custard, and whipped cream came together simply and the pie looked delicious when I slid it into the refrigerator to chill.  When my family discovered it in the fridge, they were just as eager as I was to cut into it and taste this new version of banana cream pie.  I’m not one to stand on tradition, so I cut a small slice and we gathered around the plate with spoons in hand.

From the very first bite, I knew that this banana cream pie was going to be our new standard for banana cream pie.  Every bite was filled with the comforting flavors of those banana pudding parfaits from my childhood. It was so delicious, a delightful combination of texture and taste with just enough sweetness to accentuate the banana without overpowering it. It was all that I had hoped for and more.

While it wasn’t a very scientific experiment, the powdered sugar Chantilly cream did indeed hold its shape for days and was just as thick and delicious on the last night as it was on the first.  I’ll definitely be testing it out on my next chocolate cream pie and other recipes that call for whipped cream.

When we ate the last night of banana cream pie for dessert, we were all sorry to bid it farewell.  I know that it won’t be long before I find myself making this recipe again.  I hope that you will be making it to share with your friends and family right along with me.

If you’d like to learn more about the tools and ingredients I use when making this recipe, you can find them right here:

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Banana Cream Pie

Jennifer from 1840 Farm

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: 8 people

Author: Jennifer from 1840 Farm

Ingredients

For the Crust:

• 2 cups crushed Nilla wafers cookies
• ¼ cup powdered milk
• ¼ cup butter , melted
• 2 Tablespoons heavy cream

For the Custard Filling:

• 4 large egg yolks
• ½ cup sugar
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup cornstarch
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 ½ cups milk
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
• 4 ripe bananas

For the Chantilly Cream:

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 Tablespoons powdered sugar

Instructions

For the Crust

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Crush the cookies into fine crumbs by hand with a tart tamper, rolling pin, or in a food processor. Transfer the crumbs to a medium bowl with the powdered milk. Add the melted butter and heavy cream. Stir until the crumbs are evenly moistened. Transfer the crumb mixture to a pie plate and gently press it to cover the bottom and sides of the pan.
• Transfer the pie plate to the preheated oven. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove the plate from the oven and allow the crust to cool to room temperature.

For the Custard Filling

• In a medium saucepan, combine the egg yolks, sugar, brown sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Whisk the ingredients together until they form a thick, smooth mixture. Slowly add the milk, whisking to fully combine and prevent lumps from forming. Place the saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer, stirring often to prevent the mixture from scorching on the bottom of the pan. Simmer until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
• Remove the pan from the heat. Add the butter and vanilla and stir until the butter is melted and the mixture is smooth. Allow to cool slightly as you prepare the bananas, stirring occasionally to prevent a skin from forming on the surface.
• Peel the bananas and slice into ½” thick slices. Arrange one third of the banana slices evenly on top of the cooled pie crust. Add half of the custard filling and spread it to the edge of the crust. Add another third of the banana slices followed by the remaining custard, spreading it to cover the banana slices. Add the last of the banana slices in a layer on top of the custard.

For the Chantilly Cream Topping

• Place the cream and powdered sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl. Using a whisk attachment for your stand mixer or beaters for a hand mixer, beat the cream and sugar on high speed until it forms stiff peaks.
• Transfer the whipped cream to the pie, spreading it gently to evenly cover the banana slices. Chill the pie until you are ready to serve.

Tried this recipe?Mention @1840Farm or tag #1840FarmFood! We can’t wait to see what you make!