Banoffee Coffee Sundae
Serves 4
The best dinner party recipes are ones that maximise fun for the guests and minimise stress for the host – and this is one of those. A make-your-own-sundae situation at the end of a dinner party will never grow old (we are all children at heart). In this case, you’ll recognise the elements of a banoffee pie, made a little more grown up with some bitter flavours (espresso ice cream, a splash of rum, cocoa nibs). Place all the elements down the middle of the table, and let your guests get creative.
Balancing elements
Coffee (bitter), cocoa nibs (bitter), salted caramel (bitter/salty/sweet), rum (bitter)
Good to know
· I’ve included a recipe for a no-churn ice cream, which would need to be made the day before you intend to serve, but store-bought coffee ice cream would also work brilliantly in this recipe – likewise with the caramel sauce.
· If I’m serving a crowd, I like to lay out the different elements in the middle of the table so that people can make their own sundaes.
· The majority of the elements can be prepared in advance, but it’s best to whip up the cream last minute.
Ingredients
For the espresso no-churn ice cream
300ml (10fl oz/11/4 cups) double (heavy) cream, fridge-cold
175g (6oz/generous ¾ cup) condensed milk
2 tbsp instant espresso powder (I use Nescafe)
2 tbsp dark rum
¼ tsp ground cardamom
For the cinnamon cream
150ml (5fl oz/2/3 cup) double (heavy) cream, fridge-cold
¼–½ tsp ground cinnamon, to taste
For the salted caramel sauce
[INSERT]
For the sundae
12 digestive biscuits (Graham crackers)
4 ripe bananas, peeled and cut into slices on the bias, 1cm (1/2in) thick
Espresso ice cream (above)
Cinnamon cream ( above)
Salted caramel sauce (above)
Cocoa nibs, to garnish
Equipment
Sundae glasses (or dessert coupes/bowls)
Method
To make the ice cream, whisk together all the ingredients in a medium bowl until the mixture reaches soft peaks, then transfer to a freezer-proof container and freeze overnight.
To make the cinnamon cream, whip the double cream and ground cinnamon to soft peaks.
To serve, present all the different elements in bowls down the middle of the table and allow everyone to make up their own sundaes. Here’s how I would compile mine: crush a couple of digestive biscuits into the bottom of a sundae glass, spoon over some caramel sauce, then top with slices of banana. Add a scoop of the espresso ice cream, followed by a spoonful of the cinnamon cream, then drizzle over more caramel sauce and shower with cocoa nibs.