What’s the idea? Inspiration. One Sunday afternoon long ago, I was browsing the web and I came across a beautiful no-bake dessert. I had all the ingredients to make it including salted caramel sauce which we used to keep in jars in the fridge. So, I made it. To this day, it’s one of my favorite banana desserts.
But… salted caramel sauce? Isn’t banoffee made with toffee? Caramel is made with sugar and milk or cream while toffee is made with sugar and butter. Caramel is chewy; toffee is hard.
The sauce used here is melted sugar and butter. Off the heat, cream is whisked in and the mixture is cooked a bit longer. Is it toffee or caramel? The way toffee is used to make classic banoffee, it’s more caramel than toffee. We can go on ad inifinitum debating whether it’s toffee or caramel, but why don’t I just give you the recipe so you can make this sweet at home, and call it whatever pleases you.
Banoffee With a Tropical Twist
Ingredients
Salted caramel sauce
- ½ cup brown sugar firmly packed
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ½ cup whipping cream
- ¼ teaspoon salt
To make the dessert
- 4 ripe bananas peeled and sliced
- 8 tablespoons toasted coconut flakes (available in some groceries and in most health stores)
- whipped cream
- dark chocolate shaved
Instructions
Make the salted caramel sauce
- Place the sugar, honey and butter in a sauce pan.
- Set over medium-high heat and cook, swirling the pan occasionally but without stirring, until the sugar melts completely.
- Off the heat, carefully pour in half a cup of cream. Stir to combine.
- Heat just until bubbles form along the edges.
- Cool to room temperature.
Assemble the banoffee
- Place a tablespoonful of toasted coconut at the bottom of each of four glasses.
- Follow with a tablespoon of cooled salted caramel sauce.
- Add the sliced bananas then another tablespoonful of toasted coconut.
- Pour in two to three tablespoonfuls of salted caramel sauce.
- Top with whipped cream and sprinkle with shaved dark chocolate.
- Serve immediately.
