Dark Chocolate Cream Pie
Inspired by techniques from America's Test Kitchen and NYT Cooking.
Deep chocolate custard set in a flaky blind-baked crust, crowned with lightly sweetened cream and curls of dark chocolate.
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Method
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Equipment
- 23 cm pie dish (about 4 cm deep)
- rolling pin
- baking paper and baking beans
- mixing bowls
- heavy saucepan
- whisk
- fine sieve
- electric hand mixer
- vegetable peeler
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 592 kcal |
| Protein | 9.4 g |
| Carbohydrate | 47.5 g |
| of which sugars | 21.9 g |
| of which free sugars | 16.2 g |
| Fat | 41 g |
| of which saturates | 24.6 g |
| Fibre | 3.2 g |
| Salt | 0.69 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
1.6 g High Protein needs ≥ 10 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
Metric · 8 servings
Pastry
- 180 g plain flour
- 12 g caster sugar about 1 tbsp
- 3 g fine sea salt or table salt about ½ tsp
- 120 g cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 4 tbsp ice-cold water plus 1 tbsp more if needed
Chocolate filling
- 70 g caster sugar
- 30 g cornflour
- 10 g cocoa powder
- 1.5 g fine sea salt or table salt about ¼ tsp
- 4 large egg yolks
- 720 ml whole milk
- 140 g dark chocolate (60-70%), chopped
- 40 g unsalted butter, softened
- 2 tsp vanilla
Topping
- 240 ml cold double cream
- 10 g icing sugar
- 15 g dark chocolate, for shaving
- 1
Make and chill the dough. Combine the flour, sugar and salt, then work in the butter until it looks like coarse crumbs with a few pea-sized lumps. Add the cold water a spoonful at a time, mixing with a fork until it just clumps. Shape into a flat disc, wrap it and chill 1 hour.
- 2
Bake the case. Roll out to about 3 mm, line the pie dish, trim and crimp, then chill for 30 minutes. Heat the oven to 190 °C (170 °C fan) and blind bake with paper and beans for 20 minutes. Remove the beans and bake 10-12 minutes more, until deep golden, so the base cannot turn soggy. Let it cool completely.
- 3
Start the filling. Whisk the sugar, cornflour, cocoa and salt in the saucepan, then whisk in the yolks to a thick paste. Pour in the milk gradually, whisking out any lumps; adding it slowly is what keeps the custard silky.
- 4
Thicken. Cook over a medium heat, whisking and scraping the corners, until the custard bubbles thickly, then keep it bubbling for 1 minute more (it should pass 82 °C). Remove from the heat and stir in the chopped chocolate, butter and vanilla until glossy.
- 5
Fill and chill. Push the custard through the sieve straight into the cooled case and smooth it. Lay cling film right on the surface and chill for at least 4 hours, until firm enough to slice.
- 6
Finish. Whip the cream with the icing sugar until it holds soft peaks, swirl it over the pie and shave the chocolate over with the vegetable peeler. Keep cold until serving.
Storage
Refrigerate, covered, for up to 2 days; add the cream topping on the day of serving if you can. Do not freeze.
