Banoffee buns

I’m going to start by saying that if you’re not making these buns you are missing out! They are SO good!

It’s made of a SUPER fluffy bun dough made with the tangzhong method, filled with vanilla caramel sauce and banana creme diplomat or in other words light, creamy banana cream. Dipped in a vanilla ganache glaze and topped off with chocolate shavings and a caramelized piece of banana 🤤

This bun is a mix between a Swedish Semla (in Finland we call it a laskiaispulla) and a danish “Fastelavnsboller”.

If you’re not familiar with semla it is a traditional Swedish bun, but found all over Scandinavia nowadays. It is a fluffy cardamom dough ball that is filled with almond cream/marzipan and topped with whipped cream. Absolutely delicious as a classic!

And the Danish Fastelavnsboller is also made of a fluffy cardamom dough that is filled with a whipped cream and normally a glaze or sugar coating. There is so much room for creativity with these pastries and I wanted to make a banoffee flavored one.

Glazed with a vanilla ganache glaze, chocolate shavings and a caramelized banana slice

What is a banoffee bun?

This banoffee bun is my version of a Scandinavian bun (like a danish Fastelavnsboller/ Swedish semla)

It is made with a fluffy cardamom spiced dough, filled with vanilla caramel sauce and a light banana cream.

I’m using the classic flavors of a banoffee cream pie (without the cookies) and that’s what makes it a banoffee flavored bun. Banana + vanilla cream + caramel

You can make these buns in so many different flavor combinations so your creativity is the limit here.

Filled with a vanilla caramel and vanilla banana cream

What is tangzhong?

Tangzhong is a Japanese bread making method where you cook a small portion of flour and water or milk to a paste like consistency (this pre-gelatinous the starches). This is used in doughs to give a very fluffy, moist texture thats stays fresh for longer.

Ingredients you’ll need for banoffee buns:

For the dough:

Flour: white wheat flour (type 550)

Sugar: I use regular white cane sugar

Water: I use regular tap water for the dough and for the tangzhong

Milk: I use cows milk in this recipe but feel free to substitute it for plant based milk if you want to make the dough vegan

Butter: use a good quality butter. If you want to make this dough vegan you can substitute the butter for margarine

Fresh yeast: In use fresh yeast in this recipe (1 Cube= 42g)

Salt: adds flavor and balance to the dough

Cardamom: this recipe uses coarsely ground cardamom that is used in most Scandinavian bun doughs. Cardamom has an intense flavor but it doesn’t overpower the banana flavor in this recipe.

Vanilla: I used Vanilla Dream beans and powder (use the best quality vanilla you can find)

For the vanilla ganache glaze:

White chocolate: use a good quality chocolate ( I used a Swiss chocolate “Cailler”)

Whipped cream: with at least 35% fat to get a stable whip and best flavor

Glucose sirup: I use it in the vanilla caramel sauce to add a smooth texture to the caramel

Vanilla: I used Vanilla Dream pods and powder (use the best quality vanilla you can find)

Butter: adds creaminess and stability to the ganache

For the Banana cream:

Bananas: use very ripe bananas for the best sweetness and intense flavor and for the caramelized piece on top

Whipped cream: with at least 35% fat

Gelatine: to give stability to the banana cream

Lemon juice: adds balance to the sweetness of the bananas and also helps with the oxidization of the bananas

For the vanilla pastry cream:

Milk: I used whole fat milk

Sugar: use white cane sugar

Vanilla: I used Vanilla Dream pods and powder (use the best quality vanilla you can find)

Maizena: also known as Cornstarch. This adds thickness and stability to the pastry cream

Butter: adds creaminess and stability to the cream

For the decoration:

White and milk chocolate: use a microplane grater to get fine shavings on top ( I used Cailler)

Fresh banana: cut into slices, dipped in white sugar and caramelized

How to make Banoffee cream buns:

Step 1: Make the dough

Make the dough first (see recipe) to allow to dough to relax, rise and proof. This allows the gluten in the dough to relax and it will result in a dough that’s easy to work with and it’ll have a tender, fluffy crumb.

Step 2: Make the caramel

Make the caramel because it need time to cool down. I like to make the caramel a day or more in advance. It has a really long shelf life so it can easily be make in advance.

Step 3: Make the vanilla pastry cream / creme patissier

Make the vanilla pastry cream so it has time to cool down and thicken. You can make the pastry cream a day in advance as well. Make sure to cover it with cling film so it doesn’t form a skin on top

Step 4: Make the banana puree

Making the banana puree is a quick step. The banana cream will cool down rather quickly but make sure it is completely cooled before making the banana cream