Banoffee Protein Mousse Pie

This Banoffee Protein Mousse Pie is everything you want for dessert: Creamy and decadent, with a flavour somewhere between banoffee pie and tiramisu due to the hint of instant espresso powder in the mousse and the almond scented crunchy crust.
On top of all that, it is incredible for weight loss, has no cream in it whatsoever, but instead 12g protein per portion with only about 250 calories. No really.

 

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• Why You Will Love This
• The Ingredients
• The Process
• Meal Prep

Why You Will Love This 

High Protein

When thinking of ways to include more protein in my diet, I found that pre-shaking a protein powder I enjoy with a low amount of liquid, gives me a custard like consistency and flavour, ideal to add to all kinds of things, without ruining them with chalky protein clumps.

Not sponsored. Not affiliated: I use MyProtein Whey, lots of different flavours, no weird texture. Just plain creamy and lovely. I have no negative reaction to the whey, despite being lactose intolerant. Your mileage may vary, so while I highly recommend giving this a try, you can use whatever protein powder you love. So while I whipped up a quick banoffee themed protein yoghurt for breakfast one day, I thought “Could I make this into a pie?”.

Why Do I Add Protein?

You mean apart from the well known physical benefits of protein for the body like helping you to build muscle, keeping your bones strong and increasing satiation, meaning you stay fuller for longer and with that can maintain your weight easier?

Lesser known is, that it also effects the brain by helping it to effectively transport information through neuropathways using the amino acods found in Protein.
This even has been shown to help protect from age related dementia.

If you’d like to read more about how and why I use protein, I wrote a blog post about it.

Having My Banoffee Pie And Eating It Too

I don’t know about you, but one of my all-time favourite desserts, which I only found after I moved to Ireland, is Banoffee pie. Now with all the cookies, butter, caramel and cream on top, the classic version of this has over 500 calories per piece. Not ideal when trying to lose weight! Also, the nutrition of it leaves lot to be desired.

So, I came up with this version, using a whole food almond based crust from one of my favourite cookbooks “At Home in the Whole Food Kitchen: Celebrating the Art of Eating Well“*, swapping the refined sugar Caramel into Date Caramel for better nutritional value and using 0% fat greek yoghurt together with protein powder, to make a mousse, replacing the cream.

Optional Caramelized Almonds

And, because I made this again for Christmas, I added some optional caramelized almonds on top, to gve it a German Christmas Market Vibe. Not that you need them to make it over the top delicious, but hey, while you are at it you might as well, right? 

The Ingredients

Almond Crust

• Almonds – The almonds are half finely processed and half chopped, which gives this crust a lovely crunch.
• Olive Oil – This binds the crust and will make it bake very crisp in the oven.
• Maple Syrup – The sweetener. Not much, but enough to have the Almond crust taste like very delicious biscuits.
• Whole Spelt Flour – Adds nutty taste and binds the ingredients into a proper crust.
• Almond extract – This is optional, but adds even more delicious almond flavour.

Date Caramel

• Dates – I’m using Medjool dates most of the time, but any date will do. If using Medjool dates, you’ll need about 10 that you remove the stone from. Simply break them open lengthwise and pick it out. If using other types of dates, weigh about 160g/ 5.6oz after removing the stones, which gives you the same amount.
• Salt – I’m using Malton salt for this recipe instead of my usual kosher salt, as I love the flavour it gives. And you can sprinkle the pretty little crystals on top later, if you like. You can use any salt here. Just adjust the taste to your liking.
• Water – You’ll need about 1/4 cup of drinking water to add to the food processor* when processing the dates. If you want a creamier, milder caramel, you could also use plant milk or regular milk. Just be aware that regular milk will spoil faster, as it’s not cooked for this recipe.
• Optional – I haven’t used any flavour additions for this, since I feel it tastes just perfect as it is. But if you like, you could add a few drops of vanilla essence or even almond or cinnamon, to vary the flavour.

 The Protein Mousse

• Soy Milk and 0% fat Greek yoghurt – I knew I wanted to include the protein, for nutrition and flavour, but wondered how I could get it to a whipped cream like consistency. Using 0% fat Greek yoghurt and Soy milk would keep the calories low, but how to make it into the mousse like consistency I had in mind?
• I checked online for vegan options, but none was giving me exactly what I wanted, so I turned to gelatine to stabilise the pie
• Protein and sweetness in one addition – Due to the protein powder, I only needed to add 1 tsp Honey, to get the sweetness I wanted. I know this sounds incredibly low, but trust me on this. Or don’t trust me, but instead try the mousse when you mixed all the ingredients. If you aren’t purring with pleasure, add more of whatever you feel it needs.
• I’m also including instant espresso powder and an optional hint of Almond essence, to give a lovely contrast to the creamy sweetness of the mousse and bananas. 
• The end result is creamy decandence resembling whipped cream with Tiramisu notes. No one will even believe you when you tell them it’s low calorie.

The Process

Almond Crust

Preheat your oven to 350°F/175°C and line a springform with parchment paper.

• Toast your almonds in the oven for 8 minutes, stir them, toast for another 5-8 minutes or until they smell fantastic and are slightly browned in the middle.
• Leave the oven on, while you mix the crust.
• Add half of your almonds to the food processor together with the oats and process until you have the consistency of breadcrumbs. Don’t overprocess or you get accidental almond butter.
• Chop the remaining almonds roughly, to keep some crunch in the base.

• Add the almond-oat mix and all remaining ingredients to a bowl and stir until everything is well incorporated.
• Spread the almond base into your springform and bake for about 14-18 minutes or until golden brown and your kitchen is filled with heavenly almond aroma.
• Let the base cool while you mix the filling. You can prepare it the day before if you want to get ahead.

Date Caramel

• Soak Dates – To soften them, soak your dates for 10 minutes by covering them with hot water. If you have very fresh Medjool dates, you can skip this step. But for any other type or slightly older dates, I would pre-soak to make them easier to process.
• Process – Add the dates, water and a pinch of salt to your food processor or high speed blender. Blend until you have a really creamy caramel like mass. Taste, add water or salt, depending on your taste and how soft you want this to be.
• Transfer to a lidded jar for storing

Protein Mousse

• In a separate mixing bowl, combine the Greek yogurt, Soy milk, protein powder, honey, almond- and vanilla extract. Mix well until smooth.
• Dissolve the gelatine powder in 2 tbsp cold water, stirring thoroughly, until no powder or clumps remain. Heat in the microwave for 10-15 seconds until liquid.
• Stir a tablespoon of the yoghurt mix into the gelatine to temper it.
• Grab a hand mixer or pour the yoghurt-protein mix into a blender. Start mixing or blending while drizzling the liquid gelatine into the mix. Continue until you have a foamy mix.
• Or do this by hand with a whisk if you want some additional exercise.

Optional Caramelised Cinnamon Almonds 

• If you decide to make the almonds (2 cups will make much more than you need, but once you’ve tried them you’ll want to snack on them. So reduce at your own risk.) get a nonstick pan. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
• Add sugar, cinnamon and vanilla together with 1/4 cup water to your pot and let it come to a boil. Once it bubbles energetically, add the butter (careful, this will splatter) and the almonds and keep stirring.
• Cook the mix while stirring until it becomes first a syrup, then stringy and then crystallizes onto the almonds. This will take a few minutes. 
• Pour the almonds onto your prepared baking parchment and separate with a fork if needed. Let them cool before trying them.

Assembly

• Spread a layer of date caramel evenly over the crust.
• Slice the bananas and arrange them on top of the date caramel layer. Or half lengthwise and spread until the crust is covered.
• Pour the prepared protein mousse filling on the crust (make sure the springform is still around it) over the bananas, ensuring it covers them entirely.
• Place the pie in the refrigerator to set for at least 2-3 hours or until the mousse is firm.
• Once the mousse has set, remove the pie from the refrigerator. Gently slide a knife around the sides to losen it from the springform and lift off the ring.Carefully slide the pie onto a serving platter or cake stand.
• Optionally, you can garnish the pie with additional banana slices, a drizzle of date caramel, or some melted dark chocolate.
• Decorate your Banoffee Protein Mousse Pie with the caramelised almonds. (Optional)
• Look at the nutrition. Then try a piece of pie. Be baffled. Look at the label again. Have another piece.

Note:
The Nutrition for this Banoffee Protein Mousse Pie is calculated without the caramelized almonds, as they are optional and make much more than you’d need to decorate.

It’s utterly delicious without them. But the almonds take it over the top entirely.

Meal Prep

This pie is best consumed within about 3-4 days of preparation to enjoy its fresh flavours and textures. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator.

The date caramel makes more than needed, as it’s tricky to get less of it properly creamy in the food processor. Plus it is so delicious, that you’ll want to eat it with all kinds of things. Try dipping fruit into it or use it in my Protein Banoffee Pie Yoghurt.

Here Are Some Other Protein Desserts You Might Enjoy:

Strawberry Protein Mousse Pie

Mango White Chocolate Cheesecake with Protein

Lemon Poppy Sourdough Zucchini Bread with Protein

Now I’d love to hear from you in the comments!

Have you tried this? Did you enjoy it?
What other recipes would you like to see?

If you enjoyed this recipe, please share. It helps me a lot.