Banoffee buche
Sometimes, finesse has no place. It's perfectly reasonable to crave bold and authentic flavours and textures. Simplicity has its charm. It’s comforting, even soothing for the senses. However, this doesn’t mean compromising on taste and enjoyment. The banoffee perfectly fulfils this role, ensuring guaranteed success.
Ingredients
For the caramel cream
- 150g caster sugar
- 30g plant-based margarine
- 100ml soy cream
- 150ml soy milk
- 5ml vanila extract
- 10g cornstarch
For the biscuit base
- 140g speculoos biscuits
- 20g plant-based margarine
Other ingredients
- 2 small ripe bananas
- 300ml whipping cream
- Cocoa powder
Instructions
Caramel sauce
- In a saucepan, melt the sugar over low heat without stirring.
- If the sugar becomes too dark, turn off the heat to let it melt slowly without burning.
- Once the sugar is fully melted and forms a smooth caramel, add the margarine while keeping the heat low and whisk to combine.
- The caramel will thicken. Pour in the preheated soy cream and whisk continuously to avoid lumps.
- Cook for a few more minutes over medium heat, then pour the mixture into a small dish to cool.
- In another saucepan, mix the soy milk with the vanilla and cornstarch. Heat over medium heat to create a cream.
- Combine this cream with the caramel, whisk well, cover with plastic wrap (touching the surface), and chill until ready to assemble the dessert.
Biscuit base
- Crush the biscuits into a powder using a blender, for example.
- In a bowl, mix the crushed biscuits with the margarine using your hands.
- On a board lined with parchment paper, use a Yule log mold and remove the top part that will shape the base.
- Flip it onto the parchment paper so the larger side faces you.
- Firmly press the biscuit mixture inside to form the base and freeze to harden.
- Once firm, unmould and trim 1 cm from the edges.
Assembly
- In a silicone Yule log mould, place the decorative mat (diamond pattern) inside.
- Whip 150 ml of cream until stiff and fill half of the mold, spreading the cream up the sides.
- Add one banana, sliced into rounds, and cover with caramel cream.
- Whip the remaining cream and add it on top, leaving a 3 cm border.
- Add the second banana, also sliced, then cover with a thin layer of caramel cream and finish with the remaining whipped cream.
- Gently press the biscuit base on top to integrate it with the cream. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 4 to 5 hours.
- Unmould onto a serving plate, smooth the sides, and dust with cocoa powder before serving.
Note: The cream is light and cannot handle temperature changes. If taken out of the freezer after 4 hours, it should be consumed quickly.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 388Total Fat: 27gSaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 2gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 58mgSodium: 125mgCarbohydrates: 36gFiber: 1gSugar: 24gProtein: 4g
A little history: bûche & banoffee
Bûche de Noël (Yule log). The bûche traces back to the old European custom of burning a decorated “Yule log” at midwinter for luck. As open hearths disappeared in the 1800s, French pâtissiers reimagined the tradition as a rolled sponge cake, iced and combed to look like bark, often finished with meringue mushrooms and holly.
Banoffee. “Banoffee” is a portmanteau of banana + toffee. The flavour combo became famous in 1971 at The Hungry Monk restaurant in Jevington, East Sussex, where owner Nigel Mackenzie and chef Ian Dowding paired bananas with a silky toffee made from caramelised condensed milk to create banoffee pie.
Bringing them together, this banoffee bûche fuses a classic French festive showstopper with a distinctly British flavour icon.
