Our pumpkin pie is also that little bit different because it’s a banana pumpkin pie. Kids love the natural sweetness of banana that comes through with the pumpkin and packs it with flavour.
So get in the spirit of Halloween (or Thanksgiving) and make your first pumpkin pie of the year!
Summary
Prep: 15 minutes
Cooking: 50 minutes
Ages: Toddlers to Teens
Difficulty: Easy peasy
Makes: 1 large banana pumpkin pie
What does pumpkin pie taste like?
If you haven’t made pumpkin pie before you might be wondering what it tastes like. It has a soft filling which sets in the oven but which is still slightly gooey, imagine a little like the filling of a cheesecake in texture, but more moist.
The subtle taste of the pumpkin comes through, along with your chosen spices. We’ve stuck to just using cinnamon so that we can keep this pumpkin pie mild for little taste buds. Other pumpkin pie recipes use spices like nutmeg, cloves and even all-spice. Pick and choose whichever you like best.
Should pumpkin pie be hot or cold?
It’s a matter of taste but we prefer pumpkin pie served warm.
The flavours come through better when it’s warm. And it’s nice to have a hot dessert on cold Autumn evenings.
Please note though, that you do have to let it cool down completely after it’s first cooked. We recommend it sits for at least 3 hours at room temperature. After that you can store it in the fridge until you’re ready to serve.
Before serving, reheat the whole pie or individual slices until warm. You can then top the slices with your favourite sides such as ice cream, whipped cream or even maple syrup.
What should I serve pumpkin pie with?
Pumpkin pie goes great with vanilla ice cream, cinnamon ice cream or even a mixed spice ice cream. Alternatively whipped cream works well as does a bit of maple syrup drizzled over it.
Ingredients
Shortcrust base
- 190 grams icing sugar
- 300 grams slightly salted butter, softened
- 2 eggs
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ vanilla pod or 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
- 500 grams plain flour
Makes: 2 pie bases
For the leaf decorations:
- Leaf shaped cookie cutters
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- water
Banana and pumpkin filling:
- 1 can pumpkin puree (425 grams)
- 1 ripe banana
- 3 large eggs
- 200 grams light Muscovado sugar
- 160 mls coconut cream
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons cornflour
Makes: 1 pie filling
Instructions
Shortcrust base:
- In a mixing bowl, beat your softened butter and icing sugar together for a few minutes until they form a thick liquid paste.
- Add your eggs and salt. Scoop out your vanilla from the pod or add the vanilla essence. Beat again until well combined.
- Finally, add your flour and mix it well. You may have to knead it with your hands towards the end.
- Split the dough into two equal-sized balls and wrap them in cling film. Chill them in the fridge for 30 minutes or overnight. The dough can stay in the fridge for up to 48 hours.
- When you’re ready to begin, preheat the oven to 170°C (340°F) fan setting and grease a round pie dish that you will be making the pumpkin pie in.
- Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of plain flour over a clean, work surface. Unwrap one of your dough balls and roll it out to a large circle that is about 3mm thick.
- Using a knife, cut out a large circle which is much bigger than your pie dish base.
- Carefully lift the circle cut out into the pie dish. and push it down into the base and up the sides.
- Using scissors of a sharp knife, cut around the edges to get rid of the excess pastry.
- Bake your shortcrust base on the middle shelf of the oven for 20 minutes or until slightly golden. Remove when done and set aside while you prepare your filling.
Leaf decorations:
- Take the remaining dough. Knead it and roll it out again into a layer about 3mm thick.
- Using your leaf cookie cutters, cut out shapes of leaves.
- Use a sharp knife to score little lines down each of the leaves to make them look more realistic.
- Carefully place them on an oven tray lined with greaseproof paper.
- Beat 1 egg with some water and brush the eggwash over the top of the leaves.
- Cook them for 20 minutes at 170°C (340°F) fan setting or until golden.
Banana and pumpkin filling:
- Set the oven to 170°C (340°F) fan setting.
- In a blender, mix the pumpkin puree and ripe banana together. You can also use a handheld mixer if you prefer.
- Add in 3 large eggs, brown sugar, coconut cream, cinnamon and vanilla extract. Mix again.
- Finally add in the corn flour and combine gently.
- Pour the mixture out into the pre-cooked pastry base.
- Return the pie to the middle shelf of the oven and cook for 50 minutes. After 30 minutes, cover the pie with aluminium foil. Check it again at 40 minutes, and then at 50 minutes.
- It should be firm but still a little wobbly in the middle.
- Remove the pie from the oven when it’s ready and leave it out to cool for at least 3 hours. This is to avoid it cracking as it cools down.
- When you’re ready to serve, reheat your pumpkin pie, cut it into slices and add your favourite toppings to enjoy it with.
Perfect banana pumpkin pie – our step by step guide:
Start making your shortcrust base
First take the softened butter and beat it with the icing sugar using a handheld mixer or whisk.
Keep beating it for a good few minutes until it combines and thickens.
Add in the vanilla (or vanilla essence), eggs and salt and mix together.
Finally add in the flour and mix again. You may have to do the final kneading with your hands.
Chill your shortcrust dough
Split the dough into two equally sized balls. Each ball is enough to make 1 large pie base.
Wrap it in cling film and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes. It can stay in the fridge overnight and for up to 48 hours, if you want to make this ahead.
If you’re only making 1 pie you will probably only need one of the dough balls. If that’s the case you can pop the other ball in the freezer so that you have a shortcrust base ready to use for future pies!
Roll it out
When you’re ready to start, preheat the oven to 170°C (340°F) fan setting and grease a round pie dish with oil spray or butter.
Take the dough out of the fridge and unwrap the clingfilm.
Scatter 2 tablespoons plain flour over a clean work surface. Roll out the dough until it makes a thin layer about 3mm thick.
Make your cut outs
Cut out a large circle, a little bigger than the size of your pie dish.
Then carefully lift that circle and place it in your greased dish.
Cut around the edges using scissors or a sharp knife to make them even.
Make your leaf cut outs
With the remaining dough you can mix it together and roll it out again. Using leaf shaped cookie cutters, cut out different shaped leaves.
Carefully place them out on and oven dish lined with some greaseproof baking paper.
Bake your shortcrust base and your little leaf cut outs
With a knife or sharp kebab stick, score some lines down each of the leaves to give them some detail.
Then lightly beat 1 egg with some water and brush the tops of the leaves with the eggwash.
Bake them together with the pie base, in the middle shelf of the oven for 20 minutes or until slightly golden.
Remove and set aside for when your filling is ready.
Mix your banana pumpkin filling
In a bowl or blender, mix together your pumpkin puree and banana.
Then add in the eggs, Muscovado sugar, coconut cream, cinnamon and vanilla extract.
At the end add in the cornflour.
Pour into your pastry base
Pour the mixture into your pre-cooked shortcrust pastry base, until it’s in one even layer, just below the top of the pie dish.
Place in the middle shelf of the oven at 170°C (340°F) fan setting and cook for a total of 50 minutes.
After 30 minutes cooking time, cover the pie dish with aluminium foil.
Check on it again at 40 and then 50 minutes. It should be set but still a little wobbly. Take it out before the sides go too brown or the sugar starts to caramelise.
Let it cool completely
When the pie is ready, remove it from the oven but let it cool down completely to room temperature. This takes at least 3 hours.
This gradual cooling down is needed to stop it from cracking. When it’s at room temperature you can store it in the fridge before reheating it to serve.
A warm slice of banana pumpkin pie with vanilla or cinnamon ice cream, yum!
Perfect banana pumpkin pie
Our pumpkin pie is also that little bit different because it’s a banana pumpkin pie. Kids love the natural sweetness of banana that comes through with the pumpkin and packs it with flavour.
Equipment
-
Leaf shaped cookie cutters for decorations (optional)
-
Round pie dish
Ingredients
Shortcrust base
- 300 grams slightly salted butter softened
- 190 grams icing sugar
- 2 eggs
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ vanilla pod (or 1 teaspoon vanilla essence)
- 500 grams plain flour
Leaf decorations
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- water
- leaf shaped cookie cutters
Banana and pumpkin filling
- 1 can pumpkin puree (425 grams)
- 1 banana ripe
- 3 large eggs
- 200 grams light Muscovado sugar
- 160 mls coconut cream
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons cornflour
Instructions
Shorcrust base
-
In a mixing bowl, beat your softened butter and icing sugar together for a few minutes until they form a thick liquid paste.
-
Add your eggs and salt. Scoop out your vanilla from the pod or add the vanilla essence. Beat again until well combined.
-
Finally, add your flour and mix it well. You may have to knead it with your hands towards the end.
-
Split the dough into two equal-sized balls and wrap them in cling film. Chill them in the fridge for 30 minutes or overnight. The dough can stay in the fridge for up to 48 hours.
-
When you’re ready to begin, preheat the oven to 170°C (340°F) fan setting and grease a round pie dish that you will be making the pumpkin pie in.
-
Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of plain flour over a clean, work surface. Unwrap one of your dough balls and roll it out to a large circle that is about 3mm thick.
-
Using a knife, cut out a large circle which is much bigger than your pie dish base.
-
Carefully lift the circle cut out into the pie dish. and push it down into the base and up the sides.
-
Using scissors of a sharp knife, cut around the edges to get rid of the excess pastry.
-
Bake your shortcrust base on the middle shelf of the oven for 20 minutes or until slightly golden. Remove when done and set aside while you prepare your filling.
Leaf decorations
-
Take the remaining dough. Knead it and roll it out again into a layer about 3mm thick.
-
Using your leaf cookie cutters, cut out shapes of leaves.
-
Use a sharp knife to score little lines down each of the leaves to make them look more realistic.
-
Carefully place them on an oven tray lined with greaseproof paper.
-
Beat 1 egg with some water. Brush the eggwash over the top of the leaves.
-
Cook them for 20 minutes at 170°C (340°F) fan setting or until golden.
Banana and pumpkin filling
-
Set the oven to 170°C (340°F) fan setting.
-
In a blender, mix the pumpkin puree and ripe banana together. You can also use a handheld mixer if you prefer.
-
Add in 3 large eggs, brown sugar, coconut cream, cinnamon and vanilla extract. Mix again.
-
Finally add in the corn flour and combine gently.
-
Pour the mixture out into the pre-cooked pastry base.
-
Return the pie to the middle shelf of the oven and cook for 50 minutes. After 30 minutes, cover the pie with aluminium foil. Check it again at 40 minutes, and then at 50 minutes.
-
It should be firm but still a little wobbly in the middle.
-
Remove the pie from the oven when it’s ready and leave it out to cool for at least 3 hours. This is to avoid it cracking as it cools down.
-
When you’re ready to serve, reheat your pumpkin pie, cut it into slices and add your favourite toppings to enjoy it with.
