Chocolate Cream Pie ~ with Rich Chocolate Pastry Cream

This Chocolate Cream Pie is what happens when you take really good pastry cream, add copious amounts of bittersweet chocolate, spread all that rich, chocolate dreaminess into a crispy Toasted Almond Crust, and then top it with a mile-high layer of whipped cream.

In other words, this pie is the ultimate in rich, creamy, chocolate lusciousness.

The Secret to Making Chocolate Cream Pie that's Extra Rich and Creamy

Spoiler alert. The reason this chocolate cream pie is sooooooo rich and creamy is because the filling incorporates copious amounts of melted chocolate into incredibly rich and creamy pastry cream.

If you've been around here for a while, there's a good chance you've made this pastry cream because I use it All. The. Time. Without a doubt, it's one of the most used, most loved, most versatile, most delicious recipes in my baking toolbox.

So far, this pastry cream has had a starring role in pretty much all of my favorite pastries, including... 

• As the filling for Coconut Cream Cake and Extra Creamy Coconut Cream Pie and Black Bottom Banana Cream Pie
• Layered between flaky puff pastry in Classic Napoleon and Cannoli Napoleon
• Mixed with mascarpone cheese and spread between layers of lemon olive oil cake
• As the filling for Chocolate Eclairs, Mini Butterscotch Eclairs and Profiteroles {Cream Puffs}
• Spiked with Amaretto and spooned into buttery tart shells for Blackberry Custard Tarts
• Layered with Apple Butter and folded into Cream Cheese Pastry Dough for Apple Hand Pies
• Baked into Strawberries and Cream Pie
• Mixed with Caramel Sauce and stuffed into Salted Caramel Doughnut Holes
• As a super rich and creamy filling for Overnight Yeast Raised Doughnuts
• Sandwiched between about a million layers of crepes for Peaches and Cream Crepe Cake

Chocolate Pastry Cream is straightforward and simple to make and remarkably stable. It will hold its own at room temperature for hours without breaking down, and you can even bake it inside pastries like hand pies. Even better, this pastry cream can be frozen. 

Wait... you can freeze the chocolate cream filling for this pie???

Can you Freeze the Filling for Chocolate Cream Pie?

According to the entire internet, you cannot freeze pastry cream. But, friends, I am here to tell you that you CAN, in fact, freeze THIS chocolate pastry cream filling because of one superstar ingredient: gelatin.

Yes, the recipe also includes cornstarch and freezing things thickened with cornstarch generally results in a gloppy, gluey mess. But, simply add some gelatin and you can freeze the pastry cream with abandon.

The consistency after it has thawed will still be perfectly creamy and delicious. It's magical. 

How to freeze chocolate pastry cream:

1. Freeze the filling BEFORE adding the whipped cream. Make the chocolate pastry cream, letting it cool in the refrigerator completely. Then, make sure it's in an air-tight container or a bowl that's well wrapped and put it in the freezer for up to 3 months.
2. Allow the frozen chocolate pastry cream to thaw in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature for about 3-4 hours. Once thawed, beat the chocolate pastry cream with some whipped cream, spoon it into the pie crust, and top it with even more whipped cream. 😋

Can You Freeze the Toasted Almond Pie Crust?

Yes! The Toasted Almond Pie Crust dough can also be frozen for up to three months.

Form the dough into a ball and wrap it tightly with plastic wrap, then place in a freezer zip-top bag or another air tight container. Let the dough thaw overnight in the refrigerator before rolling out and baking.

You can also roll the dough out before freezing it. Lay the rolled out dough on a baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and let freeze for a few hours until solid. Once solid, you can remove the dough from the baking sheet, wrapping it tightly before placing it back in the freezer.

Allow the dough to thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then proceed to bake and fill the crust.

Can You Use a Different Kind of Pie Crust?

Absolutely. If you'd prefer to use a pastry that does not contain almonds, or any kind of nuts, use this recipe for Fool Proof Pie Crust instead.

Fool Proof Pie Crust has been my go-to pie crust recipe for decades. I’ve used it to make hundreds of pies of every variety and it hasn’t failed me yet. It’s tender, flaky, flavorful, extremely easy to work with, and truly worthy of the name “fool proof”.

The recipe makes enough for 2 double crust pies, which is much more than you'll need for this pie. You can cut the recipe in half, or just freeze the leftover pie crust dough according to the instructions in the recipe's notes.

How to Make Chocolate Cream Pie:

To make the chocolate pastry cream:

1. Chop the chocolate and place it in a medium size bowl. Set it aside.
2. Add the gelatin to another small bowl along with about 1 tablespoon of water. Stir to moisten the gelatin and set it aside.
3. Add the egg yolks and cornstarch to another bowl and beat with a wire whisk to combine.
4. Pour the milk into saucepan, add some sugar and a pinch of salt to and cook until it just barely begins to boil. Remove the pan from the heat.
5. Slowly pour the hot milk into the egg yolks, while whisking constantly. It's important to pour the hot milk into the egg yolks slowly so they don't scramble. Then, pour everything back into the saucepan and set it over low heat.
6. Cook, stirring constantly, until the custard is thick and begins to boil. As soon as thickens to the consistency of pudding and begins to boil, remove from the heat and whisk for about 20 seconds longer.
7. Pour the pastry cream over the chopped chocolate, but don't stir.... yet.  Break the softened gelatin into pieces and sprinkle them over the top of the pastry cream.
8. Stir until the gelatin and the chocolate are completely incorporated, then stir in vanilla and almond extracts.
9. Cover and refrigerate the chocolate pastry cream for at least 3 hours and up to 48 hours.

1. Using an electric mixer, beat ¾ cup heavy cream until stiff peaks form. 
2. Remove the cooled chocolate pastry cream from the refrigerator and add to the whipped cream. Beat on medium speed until fully combined, about 1 minute.
3. Scoop the chocolate cream filling into a pre-baked pie crust, smoothing it out into an even layer.
4. Using an electric mixer with the whisk attachment, whip another 1 ½ cups of heavy cream with 2 teaspoon vanilla extract and some powdered sugar until stiff peaks form. Spread the whipped cream over the chocolate cream filling. 

That's it! Keep the pie in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

If you give this recipe a try, let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, or take a picture and tag it #ofbatteranddough on Instagram.

Happy baking!