A flaky pie crust, flourless chocolate cake, dark chocolate custard, and whipped cream. This Mississippi Mud Pie is a rich, decadent chocolate lovers dream. And it contains absolutely no refined sugar.
Oh, friends. This. Pie. This pie is everything I want a chocolate pie to be. Rich and creamy, packed with dark chocolate, and not too sweet. Mississippi Mud Pie is one of those desserts that can be made about 100 different ways. They might have one layer or six. Some include ice cream or meringue, nuts, a cookie crust, marshmallows, or fudge sauce.
This version of Mississippi Mud Pie features a flaky pie crust, dense flourless chocolate cake, rich chocolate custard, and a thick layer of whipped cream. Also, there's absolutely no refined sugar in there, and trust me. No one's going to miss it.
How do you make a pie this good without refined sugar?
Meet allulose, a natural sweetener with the same taste and texture as sugar but without the aftertaste associated with many (ok, most) sugar substitutes. Allulose is found in wheat, figs, raisins, and maple syrup. Its chemical makeup is similar to granulated sugar, but with slightly different hydrogen and oxygen structures.
This slight difference means that allulose has a tenth of the calories of sugar (1 calorie per teaspoon) while retaining 70 percent of the sweetness. Even better, allulose isn't metabolized by the body and does not raise blood sugar or insulin levels.
Pretty cool, eh?
The allulose I used in this Mississippi Mud Pie comes from Lang's Chocolates Keystone Pantry, a company that ships across all of North America.
Because it has a nearly identical structure to sugar, you can use it cup for cup in place of sugar in cooking and baking. One caution: Allulose is only about 70% as sweet as sugar, so when using it in place of granulated sugar, you might want to add a bit more.
Or not. Let's face it, many desserts are too sweet. For many desserts, replacing sugar with the same amount of allulose transforms it from cloying to just right.
Mississippi Mud Pie Recipe Notes
Yes - the recipe instructions for this pie are kind of long and contain multiple steps. Do not let that scare you off, I beg you. The total hands on time to make this pie is less than an hour. Less than an hour for an impressively delicious pie that will knock the socks of any and every chocolate lover you've ever known.
The length of the recipe is due to the multiple components - pie crust, flourless chocolate cake, chocolate custard, and whipped cream. BUT, each component is super easy and can be made in spurts over a few days if you like.
The chocolate custard and pie crust dough will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. After baking the layer of flourless chocolate cake, the pie can be stored for another day or two before layering on the chocolate custard and whipped cream. Even once the pie is fully assembled, it will keep for another 24 hours.
You'll notice that the flourless chocolate cake and whipped cream call for some honey in addition to the allulose. Honey adds flavor and contributes to the creamy texture of the flourless chocolate cake.
However, if you are baking this for someone who must be careful about blood sugar, just replace the honey with allulose. In the flourless chocolate cake layer, replace the ½ cup of honey with an additional ¾ cup allulose. In the whipped cream, replace the tablespoon of honey with 1 & ½ to 2 tablespoons of allulose.
Mississippi Mud Pie with No Refined Sugar
NOTE: Even though this recipe contains multiple steps, the total hands on time is only about 60 minutes.
Ingredients
FOR THE CHOCOLATE CUSTARD LAYER:
- 1 ½ cups allulose (OR - 1 cup granulated sugar)
- ½ cup unsweetened coco powder
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 large egg yolks
- 2 ½ cups whole milk
- 3 tablespoon butter, cut into three pieces
- 3 oz good quality unsweetened chocolate, broken into pieces
- 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
FOR THE CRUST:
- 1 ¼ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon allulose (OR - 2 teaspoon granulated sugar)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoon all-vegetable shortening
- 4 tablespoon butter, cut into ½-inch pieces and kept cold
- Ice water
FOR THE FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE LAYER:
- 4 oz good quality unsweetened chocolate, broken into pieces
- ¼ cup allulose (OR - 3 tablespoon granulated sugar)
- ½ cup butter
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup honey
- 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ cup unsweetened coco powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon instant espresso powder
FOR THE WHIPPED CREAM LAYER:
- 1 ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon honey
- OPTIONAL: 2 oz chocolate, for decoration
Instructions
MAKE THE CHOCOLATE CUSTARD:
- Add the allulose, coco powder, cornstarch, and salt to a medium size saucepan and stir with a wire whisk to combine. Add the egg yolks and whisk briefly to create a dry paste. Slowly pour in the milk, whisking constantly to incorporate.
- Set the saucepan over medium heat and, stirring constantly with a wire whisk or rubber spatula, bring the mixture to a boil. Let boil 30 seconds, stirring constantly, then remove from the heat and scrape the custard into a bowl.
- Add the butter and unsweetened chocolate to the custard and stir until melted and incorporated. Stir in the vanilla. Cover the bowl and refrigerate until ready to use - at least 3 hours and up to 3 days.
MAKE THE CRUST:
- Add the flour, allulose and salt to a food processor and pulse a couple of times to combine. Scatter the shortening and butter over the flour and pulse 5 or 6 times, until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.
- Turn the mixture into a medium size bowl. Sprinkle a couple tablespoons of the water over the top and, using a rubber spatula or your hands, turn gently in the bowl to coat. Continue to add water, bit by bit, until the mixture comes together in a ball. You want the dough to be just wet enough to form a dough. Do not overwork. Pat the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least an hour, or up to 2 days.
- Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface into a 13-inch circle. Line a 9-inch pie plate with the crust, crimping the edges so that the crust is about 1-inch higher than the plate. (Click here for more detailed instructions about lining a pie plate.) Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour or place in the freezer for 30 min.
- Follow these instructions to partially bake the pie crust. Let cool.
MAKE THE FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE:
- Heat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Fill a medium size pan with water and bring to a boil over high heat, then turn the heat down to maintain a simmer. Add the chocolate, allulose, and butter to a small saucepan and set it over the pan of simmering water. Stir until the chocolate and butter are melted then scrape into a medium size bowl.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, honey, and vanilla, then slowly pour into the chocolate while whisking constantly. Add the coco powder, salt, and espresso powder and whisk to combine.
- Pour the batter into the partially baked pie crust and bake for 20-25 minutes, until the center looks firm and tiny cracks are beginning to form around the edges of the cake. Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours.
MAKE THE WHIPPED CREAM AND FINISH THE PIE:
- Stir the chilled chocolate custard a few times just to make it easier to spread. Scoop out onto the pie and smooth into an even layer over the flourless chocolate cake.
- Using an electric mixer, beat the cream, vanilla, and honey until the cream is thick enough to hold a peak if you lift the beater. Spread the cream over the chocolate custard, mounding it slightly in the center of the pie.
- If you like, cut 2 oz of chocolate with a very sharp knife into very thin shavings and sprinkle over the whipped cream. Refrigerate until ready to serve, up to 24 hours.
Notes
- If you prefer to use granulated sugar instead of allulose, use about ⅔ the amount. Sugar is sweeter than allulose, so you won't need as much.
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Blue says
Have you made this recipe with regular sugar? Allulose is $130 for 20 lbs.... no way I’m going to spend that on a fake sugar I’ve never tried. Thanks.
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi there! Yes! You can make this with regular sugar. I suggest using approximately 3/4 the amount of allulose though because sugar is sweeter. I made this with regular sugar once and used 1 cup + 1 tbsp sugar for the chocolate custard layer, and 3 tablespoons of sugar for the flourless chocolate cake. It was delicious. 🙂 If you make this, will you let me know how you like it? xo
blue says
Hello! Yes. I will definitely let you know! I think I'm going to make it for my own birthday Monday! lol. Thanks for the quick reply. I don't really eat a lot of sugar or carbs, so I had already planned on cutting the amount listed for the allulose in half-ish. I was also thinking of making a crushed pecan crust for under it. That combination just sounded like a winner to my ears and tummy! I will let you know how it turns out!