Happy Monday! Today is The Lion King‘s 30th anniversary and we’re celebrating with Rafiki’s Squash Banana Pie! Inspired by Rafiki’s song in the film, this banoffee pie has a graham cracker crust, a caramel banana filling, and a whipped cream topping!
Banoffee pie is one of my favorite British desserts! The structure is a little similar to a banana cream pie, but it’s much more decadent. I love the combination of rich caramel and fresh bananas! For this recipe, I looked to two of my favorite British bakers — Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood for inspiration for the base pie. I then added a cooca powder Simba to the top of the pie, in the style of Rafiki’s drawing!
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Overall, this pie is pretty easy to make! Start by combining the graham cracker crumbs and melted butter to make the crust. When the mixture feels like wet sand, press it into a tart pan with a removable bottom. If you only have a cake pan or other pie pan, that’s okay! Just grease the pan and line it with a piece of parchment paper. Make sure to the firmly press the crust into the pan and then place it into the refrigerator to chill while you make the filling.
For the filling, combine the brown sugar and butter in a small saucepan over medium low heat. Once the sugar has dissolved, add the dulce de leche and salt. Bring it to a boil, stirring constantly. Let it cook for five minutes, until there are large bubbles and the mixture has thickened slightly. Remove from the heat and let it cool for five minutes.
Once the caramel sauce has cooled slightly, stir in the banana pieces and pour the mixture into the crust. Use a spatula to smooth it out and then return the pie to the refrigerator to set (30-60 minutes).
To decorate, make the whipped cream by whipping the heavy cream to soft peaks. Spread it over the top of the caramel bananas. Then, use a stencil and cocoa powder to add the Simba design! I used my Cricut to cut out a stencil, but there are also some premade ones available online.
Enjoy Rafiki’s Squash Banana Pie! Happy 30th Anniversary to The Lion King!
If you’re looking for more Lion King treats, check out my recipe for Timon & Pumbaa’s Grub Cups!
Rafiki’s Squash Banana Pie
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
- 6 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 ¾ cups graham cracker crumbs
Caramel Banana Filling
- 9 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2/3 cup light brown sugar
- 1 13.4 oz can dulce de leche
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4-5 ripe bananas, cut into rounds
Topping
- 1 ¼ cups heavy cream
- 1-2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
Equipment
- 1 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom
- Simba stencil
Instructions
Crust
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In a medium bowl, combine the melted butter and the graham cracker crumbs. Stir until the crumbs are fully coated and the mixture has the consistency of wet sand.
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Firmly press the mixture into the tart pan. Place the tart pan on a baking sheet and then transfer to the refrigerator to chill.
Filling
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Meanwhile, combine the butter and the sugar in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir until the sugar has dissolved and then add the dulce de leche and salt.
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Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. Let cook for 5 minutes, until there are large bubbles and the mixture has slightly thickened.
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Remove the mixture from the heat and let cool for 5 minutes.
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Add the bananas to the caramel mixture, stirring until they’re fully coated.
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Pour the banana caramel filling into the crust, using a spatula to spread the filling into an even layer.
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Return the pie to the refrigerator to set (30-60 minutes).
Decoration
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When you’re ready to serve the pie, whip or beat the heavy cream to soft peaks.
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Spread the whipped cream over the banana caramel filling.
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Place the stencil on top of the whipped cream and gently sift the cocoa powder over it to make the Simba design.
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Carefully remove the stencil and enjoy.
Recipe Notes
adapted from Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood