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Chocolate Cream Pie

Recipe video above. This is a magnificent yet surprisingly straight forward pie that can be made days in advance of serving. A biscuit base, filled with a creamy pudding / chocolate custard filling and topped with clouds of cream that's made entirely from scratch. No pudding mix around here!

Prep Time
25 mins
Cook Time
25 mins
Cooling / refrigeration
15 hrs
Total Time
55 mins
Servings: 10 - 12
Calories: 521 kcal
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Crust:
  • 25 Oreo biscuits , whole with filling in tact (244g / 8.5 oz) (Note 1)
  • 60g / 4 tbsp unsalted butter , melted
Filling:
  • 1/4 cup cornflour / cornstarch
  • 2/3 cup caster sugar (superfine sugar)
  • pinch of salt
  • 2 cups milk (whole or reduced fat, not zero fat)
  • 1 cup cream (pouring or thickened/heavy), or sub with milk (Note 2)
  • 4 egg yolks from large eggs (Note 3 for leftover whites)
  • 2 tbsp / 30g unsalted butter , cut into 1cm / 0.5" cubes
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 150g/ 5 oz dark 70% cocoa chocolate or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (Note 4)
  • 75g/ 3 oz milk chocolate , finely chopped (Note 4)
Whipped cream
  • 1 1/2 cups thickened / heavy cream , for whipping
  • 2 tbsp white sugar
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Optional garnish
  • chocolate , for grating (optional decoration)

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (160° fan-forced).
  2. Cut round paper - Cut a round piece of baking / parchment paper, the size of the pie dish (to prevent skin forming on custard). (Note 5)
Oreo cookie crust:
    Cup of Yum
  1. Blitz - Break up Oreos roughly by hand and place in a food processor. Blitz into crumbs (~10 sec). Add butter, blitz to mix through. Mixture should resemble wet sand. (No food processor? Bash in ziplock bag with a rolling pin).
  2. Press - Pour into a 23cm / 9" pie dish. Spread crumbs out and press firmly into the base and up the walls using your hands, spatula or something flat.
  3. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven - the crust will be slightly puffed. Press down gently using a rubber spatula (makes it even crustier!) then allow to cool on the counter before filling.
Filling (see video, it's helpful):
  1. Whisk dry, then wet - Place cornflour, sugar and salt in a large saucepan. Whisk to combine. Add milk, cream and yolks. Whisk to combine.
  2. Heat to thicken - Turn heat onto medium high. As the mixture warms up, whisk every now and then, but not constantly. As the liquid starts to get hot at around the 3 - 5 minute mark (you'll see steam), turn the stove down to medium low and start to whisk constantly. You will feel and see the mixture start to thicken. Got lumps? See Note 6!
  3. 45 second whisk - When you see slow, lazy bubbles (~6 minutes, you will need to pause whisking to see bubbles), whisk constantly for 45 seconds then take it off the stove.
  4. Chocolate and butter - Add butter, chocolate and vanilla. Whisk until chocolate melts and filling is smooth.
Assembling / setting custard
  1. Pour hot filling into pie crust, filling it right to the top, smooth surface. Gently place round baking paper on surface. (Surplus custard? Note 7)
  2. Cool on the counter for 2 hours then refrigerate for 12+ hours to allow the custard to fully set.
  3. Whipped cream - Beat whipped cream ingredients in a bowl on high for 2 to 3 minutes until softly whipped.
  4. Topping - Carefully peel back paper. Pile on the whipped cream, then grate chocolate across the surface.
  5. Serving - Keep the pie in the pie tin. Cut and serve!

Notes

  • Oreos - You will need 2 standard Oreo packets. There are 14 in each packet so you'll use all of one packet and all but 3 in the 2nd packet.
  • Plain chocolate biscuits/cookies, like Arnott's Chocolate Ripples, can also be used though the colour is not as an intense dark chocolate brown.
  • Cream - I like to add cream into the filling because it makes it just that touch more creamy and rich however, most chocolate custards / crème pâtissières are made with just milk. So you can just use milk if you wish - the filling may take 30 seconds or so longer to thicken.
  • Leftover egg whites - Here's my list of what I do with them and all my egg white recipes can be found in this recipe collection.
  • Chocolate -I make this with a combination of dark and milk chocolate because the dark provides that intense chocolate flavour and the milk lightens the colour of the filling so it contrasts with the dark crust. You could make this entirely with milk or dark chocolate. 
  • Australia: For the 70% cocoa, Plaistow from the supermarkets is fine, Lindt is great! US: Ghirardelli is great too.
  • Chips or melts can be used as well, for a better quality option. However, I recommend using chocolate purchased from the baking aisle, not eating chocolate, as some brands are designed to not melt very well!
  •  Cutting round - See recipe video at 55 seconds here. Fold a sheet of baking/parchment in half, then half again. Keep folding to make a long thin triangle with a pointy end. Measure how large your pie dish is by placing the tip of the triangle above the centre of the pie tin. Cut off the end, then unfold. Voila! Neat circle!
  • Lumpy custard? That's ok! If you get them while on the stove, take it off the stove and whisk vigorously, this will remove most. If you've still got lumps after the chocolate is melted through, just strain the custard into the pie crust. 
  • Surplus custard? You might, it depends how high up the wall of the pie tin your crust goes. If you go all the way up you should use it all. If you have spare, just pour into a little ramekin and have a secret custard pot for yourself! (Maybe do this anyway 😈)
  • Storage - This pie will keep for around 3 days, then I notice the base starts softening a bit. Keep in the fridge. 
  • Stabilised cream - To prevent the cream from weeping, add 100g / 1/2 cup mascarpone into the cream, then beat until whipped. This will stabilise it so it doesn't deflate for 2 - 3 days. More on stabilised cream here.
  • Nutrition per serving assuming 12 slices.

Nutrition Information

Serving 173g Calories 521cal (26%) Carbohydrates 44g (15%) Protein 6g (12%) Fat 38g (58%) Saturated Fat 22g (110%) Polyunsaturated Fat 2g Monounsaturated Fat 11g Trans Fat 0.3g Cholesterol 142mg (47%) Sodium 114mg (5%) Potassium 186mg (5%) Fiber 2g (8%) Sugar 32g (64%) Vitamin A 1069IU (21%) Vitamin C 0.3mg (0%) Calcium 98mg (10%) Iron 3mg (17%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 10- 12

Amount Per Serving

Calories 521

% Daily Value*

Serving 173g
Calories 521cal 26%
Carbohydrates 44g 15%
Protein 6g 12%
Fat 38g 58%
Saturated Fat 22g 110%
Polyunsaturated Fat 2g 12%
Monounsaturated Fat 11g 55%
Trans Fat 0.3g 15%
Cholesterol 142mg 47%
Sodium 114mg 5%
Potassium 186mg 4%
Fiber 2g 8%
Sugar 32g 64%
Vitamin A 1069IU 21%
Vitamin C 0.3mg 0%
Calcium 98mg 10%
Iron 3mg 17%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.