Hi Bold Bakers! Happy Saint Patrick’s Day! I recently went home to Ireland and while I was there I filmed an episode of Bigger Bolder Baking with my mum, Patrica. We wanted to share a recipe that is really popular in Ireland and one that has been requested for quite some time: Banoffee Pie. Already have an account? This dessert is originally from England but is very common in Ireland. The name Banoffee comes from the combination of banana and toffee, which makes sense, right? Two ingredients that work so well together already so just imagine all of that topped with whipped cream. Yes, it’s heaven! Credit for the invention of the Banoffee Pie is claimed by Nigel Mackenzie and Ian Dowding, the owner and chef respectively of The Hungry Monk Restaurant in Jevington, East Sussex. They claim to have developed the dessert in 1971 by amending an unreliable American recipe for “Blum’s Coffee Toffee Pie” with a soft toffee made by boiling an unopened can of condensed milk for several hours.
After trying various changes including the addition of apple or mandarin orange, Mackenzie suggested banana and Dowding later said that “straight away we knew we had got it right.” Mackenzie suggested the name “Banoffi Pie”, and the dish proved so popular with their customers that they “couldn’t take it off” the menu.
Want more Irish recipes? Get my Mum’s Hot Cross Buns. And check out my Traditional Bread & Butter Pudding recipe or my Homemade Irish Soda Bread.
