CHOCOLATE CREAM PIE

If you are looking for a rich and dense chocolate cream pie, you are in the right place. I got the chocolate cream portion of my recipe from Half Baked Harvest and the crust is from Claire Saffitz, also on my blog here!

I had never made or tried a chocolate cream pie and Thanksgiving felt like the perfect time to make something new. The Half Baked Harvest recipe calls for a chocolate crust, and even as a chocolate lover myself, I think that is a bit too much chocolate. All in all, I did love this recipe but I do think smaller slices are key since its such a rich chocolate flavor and consistency.

INGREDIENTS

CHOCOLATE CREAM

⅓ cup Cornstarch

¼ cup Cocoa Powder

1 tbs. Instant Espresso

3½ cups Canned Coconut Milk* (or 2 ½ cups Coconut Milk and 1 cup Heavy Cream)

½ cup Granulated Sugar

8 oz. 70-90% Dark Chocolate, chopped

1 tbs. Vanilla Extract

2 tbs. Salted Butter

WHIPPED COFFEE CREAM LAYER

1 cup Heavy Cream

2 tbs. Powdered Sugar

2 tbs Cocoa Powder

1 tbs. Kahlúa (or brewed espresso)

Prepared All Butter Pie Crust

Whipped Cream, for topping

*for 3½ cups Canned Coconut Milk you will need two 13.5 oz. cans

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the cornstarch, ¼ cup cocoa powder, and the espresso powder. Stir in 1 cup milk.

2. In a medium pot, combine the remaining 2½ cups milk and the sugar over medium heat.

3. Gently boil until the sugar dissolves, then add the chocolate milk mix. Cook, stirring continuously, until the mixture thickens and is pudding-like, 5-8 minutes.

4. Remove from the heat and whisk in the chopped chocolate, then the vanilla and butter.

5. Pour the chocolate cream into the prepared crust.

6. Using an electric mixer, whip the cream, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, and Kahlúa until soft peaks form. Spread the whipped coffee cream over the pudding. Cover the pie and chill 4 hours or up to 5 days.

7. When ready to serve, make the whipped cream for topping. You want it to be soft peaks so it has just enough structure. Spread the cream over the pie. If desired, top with chocolate curls. Slice and enjoy!

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First things first, you are going to want your pie crust all ready to go and completely baked. The fillings for this pie do not require any baking, so make sure you have a completely cooked AND cooled crust.

If you need a recipe, my tried and true is Claire Saffitz's Flaky All-Butter Pie Crust, which I have on the blog here!

In a medium bowl, whisk together the cornstarch, ¼ cup cocoa powder, and the espresso powder.

Stir in 1 cup milk. The mixture will continue to thicken, that is supposed to happen!

In a medium pot, combine the remaining 2½ cups milk and the sugar over medium heat.

Gently boil until the sugar dissolves, then add the chocolate milk mix.

Cook, stirring continuously, until the mixture thickens and is pudding-like, 5-8 minutes.

Continue cooking until the mixture is thick enough that when you run a spatula down the center, it leaves a clear path or exposes the bottom of the pot.

Remove from the heat and whisk in the chopped chocolate, then the vanilla and butter.

Pour the chocolate cream into the prepared crust.

Using an electric mixer, whip the cream, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, and Kahlúa (or brewed espresso) until soft peaks form.

My pie has a much lighter cream layer because I accidentally omitted the cocoa powder. The original recipe doesn't clearly distinguish the cocoa powder going in this layer so I totally missed it lol. I was wondering why my layer was so much lighter.

Anyways, I don't think it would change the flavor that drastically as much as the color! You'll end up with another deeper chocolate flavored layer of whipped cream. Visually a win lol. So don't miss that step like I did!!

Spread the whipped coffee cream over the pudding. Cover the pie and chill 4 hours or up to 5 days.

When ready to serve, make the whipped cream for topping. You want it to be soft peaks so it has just enough structure. Spread the cream over the pie. If desired, top with chocolate curls.

Slice and enjoy! As I mentioned above, you definitely want smaller slices of this pie as its really dense and rich.

This recipe is truly sooo easy to make, especially if you have a pre-made crust. It doesn't take a ton of dishes and a bunch of steps. I found it to be fairly simple for the at home baker!

I really can't imagine this exact recipe with a chocolate crust so I highly recommend sticking to an all-butter crust to add some dimension to the chocolate flavors.

My next chocolate cream pie I really want to try a more light mousse-like version! So stay tuned, if that also feels like something you would want to try.

If you plan on saving this recipe for later via Pinterest, feel free to use this image!

Please tag me if you end up making this recipe, I would LOVE to see how it turns out!!