Black Bottom Banana Coconut Cream Pie

When He wants Coconut Cream Pie, but She wants Banana Cream Pie.  And well, chocolate.

This easy to make, lusciously layered pie is the result of trying to make everyone happy.  And it worked.

The ease comes with the fact that only the pie shell is baked.  The rest is made on the stove top, layered, and then allowed to chill till perfectly set.

It All Starts with the Pie Shell

Use my trusty Perfect Pie Crust recipe, and you will have a tender, flakey crust for this beauty of a pie.  You will line a pie plate by rolling out the pastry and then lowering it into the plate.  Allow the sides of the pastry to fall down the sides.  Allowing for ease at this stage will mean that the shell won’t shrink while baking.  Trim the pastry so that there is a half inch (1.25 cm) over the edge of the plate.  Fold this overhang under, creating a clean edge for the pie. Crimp as desired.  Whether pinching the edges with your fingers, or simply using a fork to create a hatched pattern. 

You will line the pie shell with parchment paper.  My favourite way is to cut out a large square, and fold it into quarters.  Then keep folding from the centre point till you have a tight, narrow triangle.  Then trim the top paper away.  When you open it up (rather like opening up a paper snowflake) and you will have a large circle that can fit into the pie shell.  Fill it with beans or pie weights and bake in the lower third of the oven till starting to turn golden and dry out.  Remove the paper and weights, and continue baking till baked through, and golden brown.  Set it aside to cool on a wire rack.

Chocolate Ganache

Most chocolate ganache is a combination of heated cream and chocolate. When brought together so that the chopped chocolate can melt and be whisked into a velvety cream, it can start off pretty soft, but as it cools, it becomes more firm, making it great for frosting a cake, or making truffles. For the classic chocolate to cream ratio for ganache check out the Chocolate Ganache  being used as a dipping sauce for my Liege Waffles Recipe.

The ganache for this pie has the addition of butter melted with the cream and chocolate.  This ensures that the final ganache more richness, perfect in this pie.

Banana Layers

You will use two medium bananas for this pie.  Make sure they are ripe, but not over-ripe.  You won’t need to worry about them turning brown, since they will be covered, either by pastry cream, or by whipping cream.

Pro Tip: when laying out the banana slices, avoid placing a banana slice in the very centre of the pie.  This will make it easier to cut neat slices for serving.

Pastry Cream

This is a classic custard pastry cream which can be used in a multitude of settings.  Heating milk, whisking in starch, eggs and butter, and flavourings will create the perfect pudding base. The base flavour here is vanilla.  If you chose to reduce the arrowroot starch or cornstarch by one tablespoon you will have a delightful vanilla pudding which can be served all on it’s own!  As it cools it will firm up.  For this pie I do add an extra tablespoon of starch, since I want it to keep its shape when sliced into.  

Adding shredded coconut not only adds texture and flavour, it also adds a bit more stability to the pastry cream, again a great way to ensure that the pie filling will not spread out or deflate.

Topping

Top the coconut cream and bananas slices with whipped cream slightly sweetened with icing sugar.  The icing sugar contains cornstarch which acts as a stabilizer for the whipped cream, helping it to keep its shape, even days later. Make sure the top layer of bananas isn’t too close to the edge, so that when you spread out the whipped cream on top, you can cover all the bananas, but still leave a little bit of the coconut cream filling exposed, as a hint of what is inside.

Finish the pie with shaved chocolate if so desired.  I think it pays a great nod to the chocolate hidden underneath.  Just use a vegetable peeler or sharp knife to create shavings off of a block of semi or bitter-sweet chocolate.

Final Thoughts

Make sure you allow time for the filling to set.  As it cools with the shredded coconut, the coconut will absorb the moisture from the pudding, giving more substance to the filling.  It will also soften appropriately, making it a classic coconut filling that will be a joy to eat.  While three hours is the minimum, letting it chill longer is a good thing.

Feel free to use your favourite pie pastry recipe, or even a store-bought pie shell.

Feel free to omit the chocolate ganache base, and the chocolate top, and sprinkle the finished pie with toasted coconut instead.

Like I mentioned above, the pastry cream pudding filling is great on it’s own.  For when you are feeling like vanilla pudding.

This pie will keep for up to four days in the fridge.

If you make this Black Bottom Banana Coconut Cream Pie, please be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! It’s always lovely to hear from you guys, and I always do my best to respond to each comment or question. And of course, if you do make this recipe, and you post it on Instagram, don’t forget to also tag me so I can see! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is such a treat.

The pastry cream recipe is inspired by a recipe found in Tartine, one of my favourite baking books.

Love Jen

5 from 1 vote

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Black Bottom Banana Coconut Cream Pie

A layer of luscious chocolate ganache is hidden underneath a creamy combination of coconut pastry cream and sliced bananas. No need to choose, you can have both with this incredible diner-style pie!

Course Dessert

Cuisine North American

Keyword banana cream, black bottom, chocolate ganache, coconut cream, pastry cream

Prep Time 1 hour

Cook Time 40 minutes

Chilling Time 3 hours

Servings 8

Ingredients

• 1 9- inch pie shell home-made or storebought, crimped

Chocolate Ganache

• 30 g (or 2 tbsp) butter
• 60 ml (or 1/4 cup) heavy cream
• 100 g (or 4 oz) chopped dark chocolate

Pastry Cream Filling

• 480 ml (or 2 cups) whole milk
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 115 g (or 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp) granulated sugar
• 35 g (or 5 Tbsp) arrowroot starch or cornstarch
• 2 large eggs
• 60 g (or 1/4 cup) butter
• 110 g (or 1 1/4 cups) unsweetened shaved coconut
• 2 bananas

Whipped Cream Topping

• 240 ml (or 1 cup) heavy whipping cream
• 2 tbsp icing sugar
• 75 g (or 3 oz) dark chocolate for garnish

Instructions

Pie Shell

1. Line the pie shell with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or beans. Bake in a 375F oven on a rack in the lower third of the oven until the surface is light brown, about 25 minutes, depending on your oven. Remove the weights and parchment and return the pie shell to the oven to finish baking until dry and starting to turn golden brown, another 5-8 minutes. Check the dough while it is baking, If it puffs up, gently pierce with a knife to release the air. Set aside to cool completely before filling. This can be baked and cooled the day before you want to fill it.

Chocolate Ganache

1. Place the chopped chocolate in a bowl. Combine the cream and butter in a small pot over medium heat. Bring to a steaming simmer. Pour this over the chopped chocolate and swirl to cover the chocolate evenly. Cover the bowl with a pot lid and let it steam for five minutes. Remove the lid. Starting from the centre, use a whisk to combine the three ingredients working outwards till completely smooth. Set aside to cool a little.
2. Spread the chocolate ganache evenly in the bottom of the cooled pie shell.

Pastry Cream

1. Pour the milk into a medium heavy bottom sauce pan. Add the vanilla and salt and warm over medium-high heat. Bring it to just under a boil, stirring occasionally to make sure that the milk isn't scorching on the bottom of the pan. Remove from the heat to cool slightly. It shouldn't be extremely hot for the next step.
2. In a medium bowl combine the sugar and arrowroot starch with a whisk. Add the eggs and whisk till smooth. Place the bowl on a damp dish cloth, this will keep the bowl still for the next step.
3. Slowly ladle 1/3 cup of the milk into the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Add another 1/3 cup the same way. Go slowly keep the eggs moving so that they won't curdle and start cooking from the heat of the milk.
4. Pour this egg-milk mixture back into the pan with the remaining milk, whisking all the while.
5. Return the sauce pan to medium heat, and continue whisking till it thickens, about two minutes. You need the starch to heat fully to thicken properly, so the mixture must come just under the boiling point. You may see some large bubbles plop, but don't let them become constant or vigorous or the pastry cream will curdle and separate. Remove from the heat and then pour the pastry cream into a clean cold bowl. Let it cool for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to release any heat from inside the pastry cream. Once it has cooled to 140F (60C) it is ready for the next step.
6. Cut the butter into four squares, and add them one at a time to the pastry cream. Whisk the butter in until it has melted and is smooth throughout the pastry cream. Repeat with the remaining squares.
7. To cool the cream, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, pressing it directly against the surface of the pastry cream. This can be made in advance and stored in the fridge till needed.

Assemble

1. Whip the cream till soft firm peaks appear. Add the icing sugar and continue whipping at medium high speed till medium firm peaks are achieved. This can be prepared and stored in the fridge till needed.
2. Combine the shredded coconut with the cooled pastry cream. Slice one banana into 1/4 inch slices and arrange over the chocolate ganache. I always leave the centre empty of a banana slice, so that it will be easier to cut slices from the pie for serving. Pour the coconut pastry cream over the banana covered chocolate ganache. If your pie shell won't hold all the pastry cream, place the remaining coconut pastry cream into a small bowl and chill for a personal snack.
3. Arrange the slices from the second banana, making sure not to have them too close to the out edge. Again, leave the centre banana free. Press these gently into the pastry cream.
4. Use an offset spatula to spread the whipping cream over the pie, covering all the banana slices, but leaving the outer edge of the pastry cream exposed, for visual appeal.
5. Store in the fridge for at least three hours to let the pastry cream set correctly. This will allow the coconut to absorb the moisture from the pastry cream, thickening the cream, and softening the coconut.
6. Before serving create shavings of chocolate by scraping a knife or vegetable peeler across room temperature chocolate. Sprinkle these over the whipped cream.
7. This pie is best served chilled. It can be stored in the fridge for up to four days.

8. See Blog post for more details and suggestions.