Banana Cream Pudding with Chocolate Garnish (Dairy Free, GF)
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
A creamy delicious banana pudding featuring a toasted pecan crust and a whipped coconut cream topping with chocolate garnish.
Author:
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • For the Base:
  • 175g (1¾ cup) pecans, toasted
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • ⅛ tsp ground ginger
  • pinch salt
  • 2 Tbsp maple syrup
  • For the Banana Pudding Filling:
  • 3 ripe bananas, mashed
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • 2-4 Tbsp maple syrup (depending on personal pref/ripeness of bananas)
  • 200 mL (1 cup) full fat coconut milk (make sure it is well blended as fat and water separate, I use hand mixer to blend)
  • 3 Tbsp tapioca starch (not pearls! the starch looks just like flour)
  • *nb: this will make 2 cups of banana cream pudding to be divided between 4 servings (1/4 cup each) -- a 2 cup capacity serving glass/stemware is ideal to accommodate the layers.*
  • For the Coconut Cream:
  • 1 can (400 mL/ 14 oz) full fat coconut milk, refrigerate for at least 24 hours beforehand
  • optional: 1 tsp vanilla, 1 Tbsp, or to taste, maple syrup
  • For the Chocolate Garnish:
  • 3 oz chocolate of choice (nut/fruit free will create a smoother appearance) -- I am using a dark chocolate bar - but any chocolate of preference, including chocolate chips, works.
Instructions
  1. For the chocolate garnish line a small baking sheet (or similar) with parchment paper. Melt about 3 oz of chocolate of choice in a sturdy pot over lowest heat on the stovetop, stirring constantly and being careful not to burn. Once melted, use a spoon to create 4 (or more) drizzle designs on the parchment. You do not need any special equipment (piping bag etc) -- this is just a freehand drizzle. Tip: try moving in two directions -- up and down and then across, working fairly quickly to keep the chocolate moving along (avoiding large globs of chocolate). Slide the tray with your drizzles into the freezer until serving time.
  2. To make the pecan base: toast pecans dry (no oil needed) in a roomy skillet over low-medium heat, shaking the pan now and then, just until they begin to deepen in color and become fragrant (taking care not to burn). Transfer to blender and add cinnamon, ginger and salt and blend until small crumbs appear. Add syrup and blend again to integrate. Divide pecan base among 4 serving glasses reserving about 1 Tbsp for garnish. You can tap down gently to flatten the base but avoid overly compressing as it will become too hard in the fridge -- or simply leave loose crumbles for the base without pushing down (this creates a nice wave effect when banana filling is added).
  3. To make the Banana Pudding: combine bananas, vanilla, cinnamon and 2 Tbsp of maple syrup in blender and blend until smooth (there may still be little banana nipples which is fine). Taste and decide on more maple syrup. Add coconut milk and blend again and then add tapioca starch and blend to integrate.
  4. Transfer banana mixture to a pot on stove and heat over low-medium setting for about 1 minute -- nb: you will not be bringing mixture to a boil -- tapioca starch has a lower temperature set point than other starches -- you are merely heating until the mixture increases in volume as the starch expands, making sure you are mixing the whole time to avoid sticking/burning on the bottom, this should not take very long. You will know you have gone too far if the mixture drops in volume (falls) and the texture changes. If this happens, simply use a spoon to transfer banana mixture (it will likely be too thick to pour but it will still taste good).
  5. Top each of the pecan bases with the banana pudding dividing it among the 4 glasses (there should be about ¼ cup pudding in each). Allow the pudding to cool for 10 minutes or so before wrapping and refrigerating to set for about 2 hours (nb: variations in starch used/heating methods may affect time needed to set). You can also chill/set overnight.
  6. For the coconut cream topping you will need to refrigerate the can of coconut milk for at least 24 hours (there's really no shortcut here). When you're ready, open the can of coconut milk and invert the hard cream (it should be mostly hard, leave any liquid behind) into a bowl and then use hand mixer (or equivalent) to whip into cream - working out any hard bits to softness.
  7. Top each pudding with some cream and then sprinkle with reserved toasted pecans, as desired. Add a slice of banana and chocolate drizzle garnish from the freezer (it will come to room temp quickly). Enjoy!
Recipe by Inspired Edibles at https://www.inspirededibles.ca/2021/02/banana-cream-pudding-with-chocolate-garnish.html