The Banoffee Pie was possibly my favourite dessert growing up in NZ.

I’m a self confessed caramel addict so anything like Sticky Toffee Pudding or Salted Caramel Slice or Banoffee and my name is all over it!

I literally thought that if I picked a restaurant based on its availability of Banoffee Pie, then it had to be the most popular dessert and therefore an iconic one. So can you imagine my surprise when I made it in Ecuador (for Americans and Europeans btw) and they thought I couldn’t spell or say Coffee properly ?

Let’s settle this once and for all… Banoffee is a combo of two words: Banana and Toffee. Kinda like Brangelina or Bennifer or even Tomkat, where they make a stupidly good genetically gifted union, but are just as delicious, individually.

Here’s my raw, unprocessed, dairy-free, gluten-free, cheezecake version of the ‘classic’ Banoffee Pie…

BANOFFEE CHEEZECAKE

For the crust:
1 cup dry walnuts
1 cup pitted dates
2 tablespoons extra virgin coconut oil, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla powder
1/3 teaspoon Himalayan salt

For the banana cream:
2 cups soaked cashews (from 1.5 dry)
3 medium bananas, peeled
1 cup extra virgin coconut oil, melted
1/8 cup maple syrup
Juice of 1 lemon

For the toffee top:
2 cups pitted dates, soaked
1/3 cup extra virgin coconut oil, melted
2 tablespoons almond butter
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/3 teaspoon Himalayan salt

Optional:
Chocolate drizzle, melt store bought or use this recipe>>

-Transfer all the crust ingredients except coconut oil into a food processor and process till broken down enough to resemble rice. Add the coconut oil and process again till you have a sticky ball. Transfer onto a 9 inch cake tin (make sure the base can be removed or line the dish with cling film to pull it out later). Distribute the mixture evenly using your hands and press it firmly down using your fist.

-After soaking the cashews overnight, transfer all cream ingredients into a blender and blend on high. (TIP: if you don’t have time, soak cashews in hot water for 2 hours). Scrape down the sides of blender jug and blend again until creamy. Pour the mixture over crust and transfer to the fridge for 2 hours or freezer for 1 hour.

-Make sure the dates are nice and soft before blending. (If they are already gooey and sticky, you might not need to soak overnight. If they are quite dry or you don’t have ‘overnight’, try soaking in hot water for 2 hours.) Transfer all the toffee ingredients into blender or food processor and blitz on high till creamy. Scoop this mixture onto the semi-set banana layer and spread as evenly as you prefer. Transfer to the fridge for a minimum of 1 hour, preferably 3.

-If you’re drizzling with chocolate, slice the cake into 12-16 portions first, separate the slices by a few millimetres and drizzle away. Store in the fridge at all times.

Let me know how yours turns out in the comments below…