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Chocolate Banana Cream Pie with Flaky Chocolate Pie Crust sliced on white plates on marble background.

Chocolate Banana Cream Pie

A flaky chocolate pastry crust filled with a layer of sliced bananas, smooth vanilla pastry cream topped with a layer of rich chocolate cream, and finally, a fluffy cloud of freshly whipped cream and chocolate curls.
Yield: 1 9-inch pie (about 8 servings)
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours

Ingredients

For Pie Crust:

  • 1 ½ cups / 187 g all purpose flour
  • 3 tablespoons / 19g dark or Dutch process cocoa powder
  • 2 tablespoons / 16 g powdered sugar
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ½ cup / 113 g 1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
  • 2 tablespoons / 24 g unflavored vegetable shortening*, chilled and cut into cubes
  • 3-5 tablespoons ice water

For Filling:

  • ⅔ cup / 133 g granulated sugar
  • 3 tablespoons / 24 g all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons / 16 g cornstarch
  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 2 cups / 480 g whole milk
  • 4 large egg yolks
  • 2 tablespoons / 28 g unsalted butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¼ cup / 45 g dark chocolate (50-70%), finely chopped
  • 2 large bananas, sliced
  • 1 ¼ cup / 300 g heavy cream
  • 3 tablespoons / 36 g granulated sugar
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla
  • ⅛ teaspoon guar gum, optional*
  • chocolate curls, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

  • For crust, sift together flour, cocoa powder, sugar, and salt in a mixing bowl. Sprinkle butter cubes and shortening over flour, then use a pastry blender to cut in the fat until it forms pea-sized pieces. You can also use a food processor or blender for this step if you like!
  • Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and sprinkle over 3 tablespoons of the ice water. Mix with a fork until the dough starts to clump. Sprinkle over more water, a teaspoon at a time, until no more dry bits remain. Give the dough a good knead or two until it comes together in a rough, shaggy ball.
  • Wrap tightly in plastic wrap, flattening slightly into a disk. Refrigerate for at least 30-60 minutes or overnight.
  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Roll out pie crust on a lightly floured surface and gently drape into a 9″ pie pan, crimping edges as desired. Freeze for at least 10 minutes prior to baking (or while your oven is preheating).
  • Line crust with crinkled parchment paper and fill full with weights (I like using granulated sugar, but dried rice or beans works well too!) Bake for 15 minutes or until sides and edges appear dry (bottom may still be a bit wet looking).
  • Carefully remove weights and lining, then poke surface and sides with a fork or toothpick to prevent puffing. Bake an additional 10-15 minutes until entire crust has a matte finish and is no longer shiny. Remove from oven and set on a wire rack to cool completely.
  • For filling, in a medium saucepan, mix sugar, flour, cornstarch and salt. Whisk in 1 cup of milk until smooth, then heat over medium heat until mixture starts to steam and bubble around the edges.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the remaining cup of milk. Temper the egg mixture by slowly drizzing in about 1/2 cup of the hot milk mixture while you whisk. Pour the now-warm egg yolk mixture into the larger saucepan with the rest of the milk mixture.
  • Return saucepan to low heat and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture starts to bubble and thickens to the consistency of pudding, about 3 to 5 minutes.
  • Remove from the heat and stir in butter and vanilla until fully melted and smooth. Separate out half of the filling, and add chopped chocolate to the other half, stirring until chocolate is melted and fully incorporated (the residual heat should be more than enough to fully melt it).
  • Arrange a single layer of banana slices in the bottom of the cooled pie crust. Pour plain filling on top, smoothing into an even layer over the bananas. Pour chocolate filling on top of that, again smoothing into an even layer all the way to the edges. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour until fully cooled.
  • Whip cream until frothy. Whisk sugar with guar gum (if using). With the mixer running, slowly pour in sugar, then increase speed and beat until cream holds medium peaks. Stir in vanilla. Gently spread whipped cream on top of chilled pie. If desired, transfer a portion of the whipped cream to a piping bag if you want to pipe rosettes for decoration. Garnish with chocolate curls if desired.

Notes

  • *You can use all butter in your crust if you like, but I find a little shortening helps ensure a more tender crust that's easier to work with.
  • *A tiny bit of guar gum in the whipped cream helps stabilize it. If you want to make your pie ahead of time I highly recommend this addition!