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Black Bottom Banana Cream Pie

Black Bottom Banana Cream Pie

This is the best of both worlds: chocolate custard, vanilla custard, and bananas in a ginger crust, topped with heavy cream!

Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword banana pie, chocolate pie, cream pie, pie
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
chill time 6 hours
Total Time 6 hours 35 minutes
Servings 8

Ingredients

Crust:

  • 1 1/4 cups gingersnap crumbs about 25-30 cookies
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted

Filling and Topping:

  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 2 1/2 cups milk divided
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 4 ounces dark or bittersweet chocolate chopped
  • 1-2 medium bananas sliced
  • 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
  • 3-4 tablespoons powdered sugar
  • chocolate shavings for garnish

Instructions

Crust:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and place the rack in the middle of the oven. Lightly grease a 9-inch pie plate.

    Combine gingersnaps with sugar and salt. Pulse in a food processor until no chunks remain. Add melted butter and pulse a few more times. Press the crumbs evenly into the pie plate. Bake for 10 minutes, until the crust is lightly browned. Let cool completely. Set aside.

Custard:

  1. In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch, egg yolks, and 1/2 cup of milk. Whisk until smooth. Whisk in the remaining 2 cups of milk.

  2. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, for about 5 minutes, until the custard is thickened. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the butter and vanilla until the butter is melted. Pour half of the vanilla custard into a medium bowl and set aside.

  3. Whisk the chopped chocolate into the custard in the saucepan until the chocolate is melted. Let cool.

  4. Once the custard is cooled, spread the chocolate custard evenly into the pie crust and top with the sliced bananas. Spread the vanilla custard over the bananas to cover completely. Refrigerate the pie for 6-8 hours or overnight.

Garnish and serve

  1. Before serving, whip the cream with powdered sugar. Gently spread whipped cream on top of the pie. Use a grater or vegetable peeler to make chocolate curls or finely chop chocolate and garnish.

Recipe Notes

  • Do not use a pie plate that is too deep. About  1 1/2 inch deep works best. 
  • I use Trader Joe's dark chocolate bars for the chocolate layer and also for the chocolate  garnish. 
  • For milk, I prefer whole or 2%. 
  • Be patient when making the custard layer. Cook the custard over medium heat, stirring or whisking constantly. The custard will thicken after it is cooked  and will also thicken a bit more after cooling. Lay a piece of plastic wrap over the custard after it has slightly cooled to prevent a layer from forming on top of the custard. 
  • It is extremely important to allow the crust and the custard to cool completely before assembly. Make sure to allow enough time for cooling and chilling the pie after assembled. 
  • To make ahead, prepare the crust (up to 3 days)  early and the custard the day before serving. On day of serving  or the night before, assemble the pie and chill for 6-8 hours. The crust can also be frozen for up to three months.