Banoffee cheesecake is a decadent take on a traditional banoffee pie. It has a baked graham cracker crust topped with a banana cheesecake filling, dulce de leche, sliced bananas, whipped cream, and chocolate curls. This banoffee cheesecake pie is creamy with a crunchy crust and pillowy cream on top.
Banoffee is simply the combination of banana and toffee, and this recipe takes the classic banoffee pie ingredients and turns them into a cheesecake! It uses a standard cheesecake base with ripe bananas mixed in for added banana flavor. This bonus that dulce de leche adds is that it's super thick so it doesn't thin out and run all over the cheesecake.
Banana desserts are a classic flavor all year round and this banoffee dessert is no exception. The cream cheese, warm spices, and banana are a classic combination, just like in this banana cake.
For more banana recipes, try:
Jump to:
Why You'll Love This Recipe
Banana - This recipe takes the traditional flavors of banoffee pie - banana and toffee - and makes it into cheesecake form. Banana is used twice, mixed into the cheesecake filling and sliced on top of a luscious layer of thick dulce de leche.
Rich Cheesecake - Classic cheesecake filling is hard to beat, and this version takes the classic New York-style cheesecake base and adds ripe banana. It is thick, creamy, and sweet.
Dulce de Leche - Toffee is a key component of banoffee pie, but in this recipe, rather than make your own toffee from scratch, you'll use store-bought dulce de leche. Not only does this step save you time, it's also helpful because the dulce de leche is extra thick so it won't melt off the cheesecake.
Ingredients
- Graham crackers. I find that Nabisco brand gives the most structurally sound crust.
- Cream cheese. Use full-fat, Philadelphia brand for best flavor and texture.
- Sour cream. This adds extra tang to the cheesecake and extra creaminess.
- Corn starch. Cornstarch helps with the structure of the cheesecake and absorbs any extra moisture from the bananas.
- Dulce de Leche. This can usually be found in the international aisle of grocery stores, but if you can't get your hands on any, you can make your own with a can of sweetened condensed milk. Instructions on this are below the substitutions and variations section.
- Bananas. Two very ripe bananas are mixed into the cheesecake batter, and two just ripe bananas get sliced for the banoffee topping.
- Heavy whipping cream. Very cold cream gets whipped to a soft, spreadable consistency that goes on top of the banana slices.
See recipe card for full ingredients list and quantities.
Substitutions and Variations
- For the addition of coffee flavor, add 1 teaspoon of espresso powder to the whipped cream.
- Make your own dulce de leche by boiling a can of sweetened condensed milk (see below).
- Substitute Lotus biscoff cookies in place of graham crackers for added warm spice flavor.
- Swap full fat greek yogurt for the sour cream.
Boiling Condensed Milk for Dulce de Leche
While most grocery stores now carry cans of dulce de leche (usually in the international aisle in the Mexican section), if you can't find any, you can make your own!
To make homemade dulce de leche, simply buy a can of sweetened condensed milk and cook it until it gets dark, thick, and delicious.
There are a few ways to make dulce de leche from sweetened condensed milk. Be sure to read each method carefully to figure out which is best for you!
A quick note - you'll need to plan for this so it can be made and have time to cool. It's best to make the dulce de leche the same day as the cheesecake as they both need an overnight rest period.
How to Make This Recipe
Cheesecake tip - Use the lowest mixer speed possible to make the cheesecake batter. Using a high speed and beating in air can cause the cheesecake to sink and crack. lpful tips in between steps, if available.
One: Mix together the ingredients for the cookie crumb crust until moistened and the crumbs hold together when pressed.
Two: Transfer the crumbs to a 9" springform pan and press it the whole way up the sides, into the corners, and bottom.
Bake and cool.
Crust tip - Use a ⅓ cup measuring cup with straight sides to press the crumbs into the crust.
Three: Mix together the cream cheese, sugar, and cornstarch until smooth.
Four: Mash the very ripe bananas with a fork until they're as smooth as possible.
Five: Mix the bananas into the batter and scrape down the sides again.
Six: Whisk the eggs, the drizzle them into the batter while mixing on low speed. Scrape down he sides again.
Seven: Add the vanilla and sour cream and finish mixing the batter together by hand.
Eight: Pour the banana cheesecake batter into the prepared crust and spread evenly.
Texture tip - The batter will still look slightly chunky due to the bananas. Just be sure all ingredients are incorporated.
💌 Save This Recipe
Water bath - This recipe doesn't use a traditional water bath. Add a casserole dish of boiling water to the bottom of the oven. The steam from the water does the same job as the water bath, without any water potentially seeping into the pan.
Baking & Cooling - The cheesecake gets baked low and slow for one hour, then cools in the oven with the door cracked, sits at room temperature for 30 minutes, then goes the fridge overnight. A slow cooling process prevents sinking and cracking.
Nine: Beat the heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla until medium peaks form.
Ten: Spread the dulce de leche all over the top of the cheesecake.
Hot Tip! If there's any condensation on top of the cheesecake after chilling, use a paper towel to gently pat the moisture away before spreading on the caramel.
Eleven: Add the sliced bananas to cover the caramel.
Twelve: Top the bananas with the whipped cream, making decorative swoops with a spoon or spatula.
Making chocolate curls - Pull a vegetable peeler along the side of a room temperature chocolate bar. Do this slowly so the curls can form. Add the curls to the fridge before sprinkling onto the whipped cream.
Expert Tips
- Use room-temperature cream cheese, sour cream, and eggs for the ingredients to combine smoothly. Adding cold ingredients can result in lumpy batter.
- Use very ripe, dark-spotted, or black bananas for the filling. If your bananas aren't quite ripe enough, bake them (in the peels) at 250℉ for 10 minutes then cool to help them ripen.
- For best results, use Philadelphia brand full-fat cream cheese.
- If water droplets form on top of the cheesecake after cooling, place a paper towel on top to absorb them before adding the dulce de leche.
- Using a room-temperature chocolate bar produces the best curls with a vegetable peeler.
- Clean off the knife between each cut to keep the slices from getting messy. Batter on the knife pulls off the cheesecake and toppings onto other pieces.
- Add plastic wrap or folded parchment to cut sides of the cheesecake to keep anything from spilling over the sides.
Recipe FAQs
The cheesecake is done when you tap the pan and there is a slight jiggle in the middle. It should not be sloshy.
This can be due to over whipping or cooling the cheesecake too quickly. Cool in stages as the recipe states to avoid cracking.
It's actually best to do this as cheesecake needs time to cool overnight. Up to a day before serving, add the dulce de leche, bananas, and whipped cream and store in the fridge uncovered.
Storage
Store the banoffee cheesecake uncovered in the fridge for up to 4 days. Any banana pieces exposed to air will start to turn brown on day 2, but will still taste fine.
Add a piece of plastic wrap or parchment paper to the cut sides of the cheesecake. This helps keep the toppings from sliding down the edges.
Freezing Cheesecake
After the cheesecake base is chilled, wrap the entire cheesecake in a few pieces of plastic wrap, and aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 6 months.
Unwrap completely and thaw in the refrigerator for 3 hours. Add the dulce de leche, bananas, and whipped cream before serving.
More Cheesecake Recipes You'll Love
What to Know When Cooking with The Cozy Plum
- All recipes are created with Diamond Crystal kosher salt, the least salty variety of kosher salt. If using Morton's, you'll need to cut the amount of salt in half as it's 2x as salty. This will be the same for sea salt. Please do not use table salt.
- Switch between Cups vs Metric using the toggle on the recipe card. Baking by weight using a digital scale will always produce the most accurate results.
- Scale the recipe using the '1X' '2X' '3X' buttons on the recipe card. Note that this does not make an adjustment for baking times, only quantities.
- If you'd like to make the recipe in a different pan, use the pan size converter.
Did you make this recipe? Share it with us! Tag @thecozyplum on Instagram & Facebook and leave a star rating ⭐️ below!
📖Recipe
Banoffee Cheesecake
Equipment
- Stand mixer with paddle attachment, or handheld mixer
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
- 2 cups graham cracker crumbs about 2 sleeves
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
Cheesecake Batter
- 24 oz full fat cream cheese very soft room temperature
- ¾ cups granulated sugar
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 2 large bananas very ripe, mashed
- 3 large eggs room temperature (whisked)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup full-fat sour cream room temperature
Topping
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream cold
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 13-15 oz dulce de leche
- 2 large bananas perfectly ripe and yellow, sliced ¼” thick
- semi-sweet chocolate bar for chocolate shavings, optional
Instructions
Graham Cracker Crust
- Preheat the oven to 350F and grease a 9” springform pan and line the bottom and sides with parchment paper.
- Combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, cinnamon, salt, and melted butter in a bowl with a fork and mix until completely combined and the crumbs are completely moistened.2 cups graham cracker crumbs, ⅓ cup granulated sugar, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, ½ cup unsalted butter
- Add the crumbs to a 9” springform pan and press the crust into the bottom and the whole way up the sides of the pan. Be sure it’s very compact.
- Note: a ⅓ cup dry measuring cup with straight sides is great for this job.
- Bake the crust for 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely. Reduce the oven temperature to 315℉. Place an empty 9x13" pan on the very bottom rack of the oven.
Cheesecake Batter
- To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or using a hand mixer on the very lowest setting), add the cream cheese and mix on low speed until broken down and creamy. Scrape down the sides.24 oz full fat cream cheese
- Add the sugar and cornstarch and mix on low speed until combined and smooth. Scrape down the sides again.¾ cups granulated sugar, ¼ cup cornstarch
- Add the mashed bananas and mix to combine.2 large bananas
- With the mixer running on low speed, slowly pour in the whisked eggs. Continue mixing until you can no longer see streaks of eggs. Scrape down the sides.3 large eggs
- Add the vanilla and sour cream and use a rubber spatula to mix it into the cheesecake batter until fully incorporated. Switch to a rubber spatula and finish mixing by hand, being sure to get to the very bottom of the bowl.1 tablespoon vanilla extract, ¾ cup full-fat sour cream
- Note: the batter may look slightly lumpy from the bananas.
- Set a pot of water to boil (about 6-8 cups). This will get poured into the 9x13" pan in the oven prior to baking.
- Add the cheesecake batter into the cooled crust and spread evenly. Gently tap the pan on the counter a few times to remove any air bubbles.
Baking
- Pull out the bottom oven rack and fill the casserole dish with the boiling water. Carefully push the rack back in, taking care not to slosh water over the sides.
- Close the door and allow the oven to come back to temperature for a few minutes.
- Add the cheesecake to the center rack of the oven and bake for 1 hour. The cheesecake is done when the edges are set and the center still has a slight jiggle (but should not be sloshy). Tap the side of the pan to test this. If it’s still sloshy, bake for another 10-15 minutes.
- Once done, turn off the oven and crack the oven door. Allow the cheesecake to cool in the oven for 1 hour. Then, transfer to the counter to cool for another 30 minutes to one hour.
- Transfer to the refrigerator (uncovered) and chill for at least 6 hours, but overnight is best.
Topping
- Add the whipped cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or in a bowl with a handheld mixer) and whip over medium-low speed until it begins to thicken. Increase the speed to medium-high and whip until soft-medium peaks form. Set aside.1 cup heavy whipping cream, 2 tablespoons powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Note: If the cheesecake has any condensation on the surface, gently pat a paper towel over top to remove it.
- Spread the dulce de leche evenly over top of the cheesecake, then layer the banana slices on top.13-15 oz dulce de leche, 2 large bananas
- Spread the whipped cream over top of the bananas, making decorative swoops.
- If desired, add chocolate shavings (by scraping a vegetable peeler on the side of a chocolate bar) on top of the whipped cream before slicing and serving.semi-sweet chocolate bar
Claire says
I made this and got told by 2 people it was the best cake they had ever eaten. I used biscoff cookies for the base which tasted great but was a bit hard. The cake was even better the next day!
Callan Wenner says
Hi Claire, so happy to hear this! The biscoff cookies do tend to get more caramelized than graham crackers - you could try adding some cinnamon to a graham cracker crust if you'd prefer!