One more stop on the Banana ingredient in this little ingredient game that we are up to this winter: Banoffee Waffles, with Banana Cream, Salted Caramel + Toffee Crunch. I hadn’t actually intended to make these — I thought maybe Banoffee Doughnuts, but then I didn’t want to wait for yeast to do it’s thing so I went with these instead. They are sweet — between the pudding cream layer, the salted caramel and the toffee bits, this will definitely send you to sugar overload. I even intentionally made the waffles and whipped cream fairly neutral to cut the sweetness. Maybe better as a dessert than a breakfast thing. They are delicious, just very sweet, so if that is your thing…
Ingredients
for the waffles
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoon vegetable oil or melted butter
for the pudding layer
1 cup whole milk
2 large egg yolks
1 large egg
3 tablespoons corn starch
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon banana extract
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 very ripe banana, mashed
for assembly
2 normal ripe bananas, sliced
1/2 cups heavy cream (very cold)
1/2 cup salted caramel sauce (you could make your own, but I used store bought)
1/4 cup toffee bits (optional)
You will also need a waffle iron; I have one of those mini-Dash ones.
Directions
First, make your banana pudding layer as it should cool at least to room temperature. In a medium-sized saucepan, heat the milk just until boiling point. In a separate bowl, combine the egg yolks, egg, corn starch, sugar and salt using a whisk. Once the milk has reached scalding point, pour 1/2 of it to the egg mixture, in a slow and steady stream, whisking continuously so you don’t cook the eggs. Once you tempered the egg mixture, return it to the saucepan with the remaining milk and continue cooking, whisking constantly, until it thickens. Cook for another 1-2 minutes to make sure there isn’t any cornstarch after taste. Once it’s done, add in the banana extract, mashed banana and butter and whisk until everything is combined, silky and smooth. Strain the pastry cream to a clean bowl through a sieve, to get rid of any cooked egg bits and lumps. Cover with plastic wrap touching the surface to prevent skin forming. Let it cool at room temperature for about an hour.
Make whipped cream by placing the 1/2 cup of heavy cream in a small bowl and whip with a electric hand mixer or immersion blender until you have still peaks. Keep in the fridge until ready to use. Have the salted caramel sauce and toffee crunch (if using) ready. This makes assembly easier.
Time to make the waffles. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
Whisk the egg, milk, and melted butter or oil in a separate bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until just incorporated. Don’t overmix. Grease the waffle maker with butter or coat with a light coat of cooking spray. Pour 3 tablespoons of batter onto the waffle maker and cook until golden brown.
To assemble, place the waffle on the bottom, layer with the banana pudding, followed by banana slices, salted caramel sauce, whipped cream, a little more salted caramel and toffee crunch. Serve immediately.
