Chocolate cream pie is one of my sister-in-law’s favorite desserts so every time I see her I make a point to make one. I was home visiting family for Easter last week so chocolate cream pie was on the dessert menu! This pie is chocolatey, rich and a wonderful dessert for any occasion .
The Recipe
by volume                          by weight
1¼ cups sugar                     247 grams sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch                144 grams cornstarch
1 teaspoon salt                    4 grams salt
3 cups milk                        720 grams milk
4 egg yolks                        72 grams egg yolks
3 ounces unsweetened           84 grams unsweetened
chocolate                           chocolate
3 tablespoons butter             42 grams butter
1 tablespoon vanilla               12 grams vanilla
prebaked 9″ pie shell             prebaked 9″ pie shell
Directions
Mix the sugar, cornstarch, and salt with a whisk until thoroughly combined.
before
after
Gradually add milk and whisk.
Cook over medium heating whisk constantly until the mixture thickens. While whisking, pour about one half of the thickened milk mixture into the egg yolks and then pour all back into the saucepan (this is known as tempering) and return to the heat.
Boil and stir constantly for one minute.
The mixture will become thick. It is important to whisk vigorously during this time to prevent the mixture from scorching on the bottom of the pan.
Remove from the heat and add chopped chocolate, butter, and vanilla.
Stir until chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is smooth. Pour immediately into prebaked pie shell. (There will be little air bubbles from the whisking but they will disappear and the filling will be smooth and creamy.)
Cover the surface of the pie with plastic wrap (this prevents pudding “skin”) and refrigerate until cold, at least 4 hours.
,When you are ready to put the whipped cream on the top, peel the plastic back gently using a sideways motion. Don’t pull the plastic straight up because you might damage the top of the pie.
Top with sweetened whipped cream and grated chocolate ( I use a vegetable peeler to make mine).
Be sure to seal the cream to the edge of the crust so you have a nice, finished look to the pie.
I like lots of whipped cream on chocolate cream pie so I whipped an entire pint of heavy cream with 1/4 cup powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon of vanilla for the top of this pie.
You can see that the crust is nice and flaky — especially on the bottom! Enjoy!
Alternatives
I like whipped cream in every bite of pie but if you would rather have less, whip a cup of heavy cream with 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar and a dash of vanilla and pipe or spoon just around the edge. When I sold these in my bakery, I used a star tip to pipe a fancy design on the top. You can also use chocolate curls on the top instead of grated chocolate or dust lightly with cocoa powder. Whatever you finally choose will be delicious!
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