Name: Extra Rich and Creamy Chocolate Cream Pie
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 4 h 30 min
Yield: 9
Ingredients: One Toasted Almond Pie Crust, chilled in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.; 8 ounces good quality bittersweet chocolate (I like to use Lindt 70% chocolate bars. See link below.); 2 tsp plain, unflavored powdered gelatin; 1 tbsp water; 8 large egg yolks (*See note below for what to do with the whites); 1/3 cup cornstarch; 2 1/2 cups whole milk; 3/4 cup granulated sugar; 1/2 tsp table salt (3/4 tsp kosher salt); 4 tsp pure vanilla extract, divided (2 tsp for the filling and 2 tsp for the whipped cream topping); 1 tsp almond extract (optional, but super delicious); 2 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream, divided (3/4 cup for the filling and 1 1/2 cups for the topping.); 1/2 cup confectioners sugar (powdered sugar)

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Chocolate Cream Pie with Toasted Almond Crust

This Chocolate Cream Pie is the ultimate in rich, creamy, chocolate lusciousness. The Chocolate Cream filling is what happens when you combine really good pastry cream with a ridiculous amount of bittersweet chocolate. And the Toasted Almond Crust is nutty, buttery, and super crispy, delivering a delicious contrast to the ultra-creamy chocolate cream and whipped cream topping.

Spoiler alert. The reason this chocolate cream pie is sooooooo rich and creamy is because the filling is simply the marriage of my my all-time favorite pastry cream and tons of melted chocolate.

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.

It is, without a doubt, 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

The pastry cream is straightforward and simple to make, remarkably stable, and comes out perfect every time. 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???

Yes! The Filling for this Chocolate Cream Pie Can Be made Ahead of Time and Frozen.

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 pastry cream 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 this chocolate cream pie filling:

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.
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. 😋

You can also freeze the Toasted Almond Pie Crust

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. 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.

A Nut-Free Alternative to Toasted Almond Pie Crust:

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 the 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 for Fool Proof Pie Crust 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.

What can you do with the leftover egg whites?

The chocolate cream filling for this pie requires 8 egg yolks, so what can you do with all those egg whites if you don't want to waste them?

Here are a few ideas...

Freeze them. I like to freeze them in ice cube trays, one egg white per cube. Once frozen, they can be popped out and stored in a freezer bag or other container for up to 1 year. Thaw as needed in the refrigerator, letting them sit out at room temperature for about 30 minutes so that they come to room temperature before using them in baking recipes.
Use them to make Italian Meringue Buttercream. Italian Meringue Buttercream is my all time favorite frosting for cakes and cupcakes. It’s silky smooth, incredibly creamy, and absolutely gorgeous to work with. Even better, the recipe happens to require 8 egg whites. It's kismet.
Make a meringue topping for this pie instead of using whipped cream. The only difference between a chocolate meringue pie and a chocolate cream pie is whether it has a whipped cream or meringue topping. If you'd prefer to top your chocolate cream pie with meringue, simply follow the instructions for the meringue topping in this Lemon Meringue Pie recipe. The recipe only requires 4 egg whites, so freeze the remaining 4 if you like for your next meringue topped pie.

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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!

Extra Rich and Creamy Chocolate Cream Pie

Yield: One 9-inch pie

Prep Time: 45 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Additional Time: 3 hours

Total Time: 4 hours 30 minutes

This Chocolate Cream Pie is the ultimate in rich, creamy, chocolate lusciousness. The Chocolate Cream filling is what happens when you combine really good pastry cream with a ridiculous amount of bittersweet chocolate. And the toasted almond crust is nutty, buttery, and super crispy, delivering a delicious contrast to the ultra-creamy chocolate cream and whipped cream topping.

Ingredients

One Toasted Almond Pie Crust, chilled in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
8 ounces good quality bittersweet chocolate (I like to use Lindt 70% chocolate bars. See link below.)
2 tsp plain, unflavored powdered gelatin
1 tbsp water
8 large egg yolks (*See note below for what to do with the whites)
⅓ cup cornstarch
2 ½ cups whole milk
¾ cup granulated sugar
½ tsp table salt (¾ tsp kosher salt)
4 tsp pure vanilla extract, divided (2 tsp for the filling and 2 tsp for the whipped cream topping)
1 tsp almond extract (optional, but super delicious)
2 ¼ cups heavy whipping cream, divided (¾ cup for the filling and 1 ½ cups for the topping.)
½ cup confectioners sugar (powdered sugar)

Instructions

Make the Chocolate Cream Filling:

Finely chop the chocolate and place it in a medium size bowl. Set aside.
Add the gelatin to a small bowl and add the 1 tablespoon of water. Stir to moisten the gelatin and set aside.
Add the egg yolks and cornstarch to a medium size bowl and beat with a wire whisk to combine. Set the bowl on a kitchen towel somewhere close to the stovetop. (This will keep the bowl from sliding around on your counter when you whisk in the hot milk.)
Set a 1 or 2 cup heat proof measuring cup next to the stovetop. (Preferably one with a pourable spout.)
Add the milk, sugar, and salt to a 3-quart or larger heavy bottomed saucepan and stir to combine. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, just until it barely begins to boil. Remove the pan from the heat.
Pour 2 cups of the hot milk into the measuring cup. (If using a 1-cup measure, do this in two batches.) Slowly pour the hot milk from the measuring cup into the egg yolks, pouring very slowly, and whisking constantly. Then, pour everything back into the saucepan and set it over low heat. (*See note.)
Cook, stirring constantly, until the custard is thick and begins to boil. As soon as thickens to the consistency of pudding and barely begins to boil, remove from the heat and whisk for about 20 seconds longer.
Pour the pastry cream over the chopped chocolate. Do not stir.
Break the gelatin into small pieces and drop them onto the hot pastry cream. Let stand for about 20 seconds to let the gelatin melt, then stir until the gelatin and the chocolate are completely incorporated, about 20 seconds. Stir in the vanilla and almond extracts.
Cover with plastic wrap, pressing the wrap over the surface of the pastry cream. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours and up to 48 hours. (*At this point, the pastry cream can be frozen. See notes below.)

Bake the crust and assemble the pie:

Follow the instructions in the recipe for Toasted Almond Pie Crust to roll out and fully pre-bake the crust.
Let the crust cool completely before filling.
Using an electric mixer with the whisk attachment, beat ¾ cup of the heavy cream with an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until stiff peaks form.
Remove the cooled chocolate pastry cream from the refrigerator and add to the whipped cream. Beat on medium speed with an electric mixer until fully combined, about 1 minute.
Scoop the chocolate cream filling into the cooled pie crust, smoothing it out into an even layer.
Using an electric mixer with the whisk attachment, whip the remaining 1 ½ cups of heavy cream with 2 tsp vanilla extract and the powdered sugar until stiff peaks form. Spread the whipped cream over the chocolate cream filling.
Refrigerate the pie until ready to serve.

Notes

Tips for perfect pastry cream:

I like to stir with a silicone spatula until the custard starts to thicken so I can easily scrape along the corners of the pan. Once the custard begins to thicken, switch to a whisk and whisk vigourously.
After adding the egg yolks, it's important to heat the pastry cream slowly so that the eggs don't scramble. It should take roughly 15 minutes for the cream to thicken. If it's taking longer than that, go ahead and turn up the heat slightly.
It's important to remove the pastry cream from the heat as soon as it thickens. This happens quickly; you'll be stirring and stirring, and the consistency will remaing the same and then suddenly, it will thicken. When this begins to happen, whisk vigouroulsy over the heat until the entire mixture is the consistency of pudding. Then remove it from the heat and continue to whisk for 20 minutes or so.

How to Freeze the Chocolate Cream Filling:

Freeze the filling BEFORE adding the whipped cream.
Make the chocolate pastry cream, letting it cool in the refrigerator completely.
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.
Allow the frozen chocolate pastry cream to thaw in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature for about 3-4 hours. Once thawed, add the pastry cream to whipped cream, and spoon it into the pie crust.

Nut-Free Alternative to Toasted Almond Pie Crust:

If you'd prefer to use a pastry that does not contain almonds, use this recipe for Fool Proof Pie Crust instead. The recipe for Fool Proof Pie Crust 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 notes.

How to keep the edges of the pie crust from burning:

Cut two pieces of aluminum foil that are about 2 feet (24 inches) long. Set the foil pieces on a baking sheet so that they are perpendicular to each other.
Set the pie in the center of the foil. Wrap the foil up and over the edges of the pie crust, crimping the foil so that the edges of the pie are loosely covered. This will protect the edges of the crust from burning.

What to do with leftover egg whites?

Freeze them. I like to freeze them in ice cube trays, one egg white per cube. Once frozen, they can be popped out and stored in a freezer bag or other container for up to 1 year. Thaw as needed in the refrigerator, letting them come to room temperature before using in baking recipes.
Use them to make Italian Meringue Buttercream, my all time favorite frosting for cakes and cupcakes. It’s silky smooth, incredibly creamy, and absolutely gorgeous to work with.
Make a meringue topping for this pie instead of using whipped cream. Simply follow the instructions for the meringue topping in this Lemon Meringue Pie recipe.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 761Total Fat: 52gSaturated Fat: 30gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 19gCholesterol: 293mgSodium: 367mgCarbohydrates: 56gFiber: 5gSugar: 33gProtein: 17g