Chocolate Silk Pie
This Chocolate Silk Pie is a much requested flavor from friends, customers and family. It is smooth and creamy, intensely chocolate and makes you want just another sliver after the first slice! There is the richer chocolate base filling, then a mousse layer spread over it that affords a unique taste and texture variation. We highly recommend our Sturdy Whipped Cream for this pie, both to maintain needed structure and to allow more decorating opportunities.
This is a cooked filling on the order of a pastry cream, so there are a few techniques to pay attention to.
Make sure ingredients that are mixed together are thoroughly mixed.
Use a whisk. This pie would be very difficult to make well without a good balloon whisk.
When cooking your filling, moderate heat or even a double boiler will give you the best control over clumping. Once your filling begins to bubble take it off of the heat. Residual heat will melt the chocolate pieces and butter.
Trust the chemistry of cornstarch in this pastry cream. This recipe needs chilling time to firm up to slice-ability. Don't make this pie and expect to serve it the same day, it will not have set up. Wait a day and you will have a pie that receives rave reviews.
Cool the filling before pouring it into the pastry shell to reduce denseness and help the filling retain a lightness that gives this pie a lovely mouth feel.
A favorite at our farmers' markets. Chocolate cookie crust with a rich, dark chocolate filling, but it doesn't stop there. Add a fluffy chocolate mousse layer and a full topping of rich whipped cream. Grab your fork!
- 2 Eggs (Large)
- 3 tbsp Cornstarch
- 3 tbsp Cocoa Powder
- 16 floz Whole Milk
- 8 floz Half & Half
- 2/3 cup Sugar
- 10 oz Dark Chocolate Chips (60% Cocao)
- 1 oz Butter (cut into small pieces)
- 1.5 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 4 cup Whipped Cream* (Sturdy Recipe)
In a separate small bowl, whisk together eggs, cocoa, cornstarch and Half & Half until smooth.
In a non-reactive saucepan combine the milk and sugar.
Heat over medium heat just until steaming. Turn heat to low.
Using a 1/4 cup measure 2 times, add the hot milk mixture to the egg mixture, stirring well with each addition.
Pour the warmed egg mixture into the rest of the milk and increase heat to medium.
Whisk constantly to prevent lumps or sticking.
Cook filling until mixture thickens and begins to bubble.
Once mixture bubbles, remove from heat.
Whisk in the chocolate, vanilla and butter.
Divide the chocolate filling:
Pour 12 oz. of filling (about 1 1/2 cups) into a small bowl and cover immediately with plastic wrap, "skin to skin" - plastic wrap against the filling. This prevents a crust from forming that would create lumps when filling is stirred later.
Pour remaining filling into a larger bowl and cover this filling, skin to skin, with plastic wrap.
Cool both fillings in refrigerator for 1 hour.
Remove larger bowl from refrigerator and pour filling into the prepared pie crust. Cover closely with plastic wrap and return to refrigerator to cool, with the smaller bowl of filling, at least 3 hours or overnight.
- Mousse Layer
In a medium size bowl gently fold 1 to 1.5 cups of Sturdy Whipped Cream into the reserved 12 ounces of pie filling.
Spread evenly over the cooled pie filling for the mousse layer.
Spread 1 cup of Sturdy Whipped Cream evenly over the top of the mousse layer.
Decorate pie with remaining Sturdy Whipped Cream. This whipped cream will pipe well so large decorator tips can be used to finish.
Garnish with raspberries, strawberries or chocolate curls.
Return pie to refrigerator for 1/2 hour to regain firmness and allow Sturdy Whipped Cream to fully set.