Banana Cream Pie with Vanilla Whipped Cream

Introduction

The filling for this banana cream pie cooks in a double boiler, which keeps the custard smooth while the flour thickens it. Two layers of bananas dipped in lemon juice give you banana in every slice and help limit browning. It works well as a make-ahead dessert, but you need to plan for about 1 hour of chilling before you add the vanilla whipped cream.

Recipe Details

• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 35 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
• Servings: 6-8 servings

Ingredients

Pie crust

• Grandma’s Pie Crust

Pie filling

• ½ cup (100 g) white granulated sugar
• 6 tablespoons all purpose flour
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 ½ cups (600 ml) milk
• 1 egg, whipped
• 1 tablespoon butter
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 ripe bananas, sliced
• ¼ cup (60 ml) lemon juice

Pie topping

• ½ cup heavy cream
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 ½ teaspoons powdered sugar

Instructions

Pie crust

1. Prepare Grandma’s Pie Crust.

Pie filling

1. In the top of a double boiler, whisk together sugar, flour, salt and milk. Stir out any lumps.
2. Bring water to a boil in lower portion of double boiler.
3. Stir constantly until mixture is thickened, about 5 minutes.
4. Place lid on mixture and continue cooking for 10 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Beat egg in a small bowl. Add about ½ cup of hot pie filling mixture to egg in bowl and stir well. This tempers the egg so it won’t scramble when added to the hot pie filling.
6. Pour tempered egg mixture into pan of hot pie filling. Stir constantly and cook for 2 more minutes.
7. Remove from heat, add butter and vanilla. Stir until mixed.
8. Slice 2 bananas. Dip slices in lemon juice, shake off excess and distribute banana slices in the bottom of baked pie shell.
9. Pour half of pie filling over bananas in bottom of pie shell. Make sure banana slices are covered by pie filling.
10. Slice remaining 2 bananas. Dip in lemon juice, shake off excess and arrange on top of filling in pie.
11. Pour remainder of pie filling over second layer of bananas in pie shell. Cover all bananas with filling.
12. Chill for about 1 hour before adding topping.

Pie topping

1. In a large bowl, whip cream with electric mixer until peaks are just forming.
2. Beat vanilla and sugar into cream and continue mixing until peaks form in cream. Don’t over beat the mixture or it will form lumps and begin to turn to butter.
3. Spread whipped cream mixture over pie filling on chilled pie. Keep chilled until served.

Variations

• Change Grandma’s Pie Crust to a baked graham cracker crust if you want a sweeter base and a softer, more crumbly slice.
• Replace 1 cup of the milk with half-and-half for a richer filling that sets a little more softly and tastes more custard-forward.
• Swap the vanilla extract in the pie topping for almond extract, using a lighter hand, if you want a sharper flavor that stands out more against the bananas.
• Replace the top banana layer with sliced strawberries for a banana-strawberry pie that tastes brighter and slightly less dense.

Tips for Success

• Whisk the sugar, flour, salt and milk until completely smooth before the double boiler heats up, or the filling can stay lumpy.
• When you temper the egg, add the hot filling gradually and stir the whole time so the egg blends in instead of scrambling.
• Shake excess lemon juice off the banana slices before layering them into the shell so the filling does not get watered down.
• Cover every banana slice with pie filling, especially around the edges, to reduce browning.
• Stop mixing the heavy cream as soon as peaks form; if it starts looking grainy or clumpy, you have gone too far.

Storage and Reheating

Store the pie in the pie plate, covered tightly with plastic wrap or in a pie carrier, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Do not freeze it if you care about texture. The bananas release water as they thaw, and the whipped cream can turn weepy.

Do not reheat this pie. Serve it cold from the fridge, or let a slice sit at room temperature for 10 minutes if you want the filling slightly softer.

FAQ

Can you make this pie a day ahead?

Yes. Keep it chilled and covered, and expect the crust to soften a bit more by the second day.

Do you need a double boiler for the filling?

A double boiler is the safest option because it gives you gentle heat and lowers the chance of scorching. If you do not have one, set a heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water.

Why is my filling too thin?

It usually needs more time at the thickening stage or the full 2 minutes after the tempered egg is added. The filling should look clearly thick before it comes off the heat, and it will firm up more as it chills.

Can you make this gluten-free?

Yes, if you use a gluten-free baked pie crust and replace the all purpose flour with a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend. The filling may set slightly softer, but it will still slice once well chilled.