Description
This Chocolate Espresso Cream Pie is the ultimate dessert for chocolate and coffee lovers alike. It combines a buttery cookie crust, velvety espresso-infused chocolate filling, and a cloud of whipped cream on top. Each bite delivers a balance of smooth, bold, and creamy flavors — perfect for any celebration or cozy night in.
Ingredients
Scale
Crust (choose one):
A) No-Bake Cookie Crust
- 300 g chocolate wafer or Oreo crumbs (about 30 whole Oreos, finely processed)
- 90 g unsalted butter, melted
- Pinch of fine salt
B) Blind-Baked Butter Pastry Crust
- 190 g all-purpose flour
- 115 g cold unsalted butter, cubed
- ½ tsp fine salt
- 1–3 Tbsp ice water (as needed)
Mocha Chocolate Filling (Custard Method)
- 480 ml whole milk
- 120 ml heavy cream
- 150 g granulated sugar
- Pinch fine salt
- 1 Tbsp Dutch-process cocoa (optional, for depth)
- 4 large egg yolks
- 32 g cornstarch (¼ cup)
- 170–200 g good dark/semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 28–42 g unsalted butter (2–3 Tbsp), cubed
- 1–2 tsp espresso powder (to taste)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Topping
- 360 ml heavy cream, well chilled
- 30–45 g icing sugar, to taste
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Optional stabilized method: 1 tsp powdered gelatin + 1 Tbsp cold water
Garnish (optional)
- Chocolate curls/shavings, cocoa dusting, ganache drizzle, flaky sea salt, or chocolate-coated espresso beans
Instructions
1) Make the Crust
A) Cookie Crust (No-Bake)
- Mix crumbs, melted butter, and a pinch of salt until the texture resembles damp sand.
- Press firmly into a 9-inch pie plate (base and sides).
- Option 1: Chill 30–45 minutes to set.
- Option 2 (crisper): Bake at 175–180°C for 8–10 minutes; cool completely.
B) Butter Pastry Crust (Blind-Baked)
- Pulse flour and salt, then add cold butter and pulse to pea-size bits.
- Drizzle in just enough ice water to form shaggy clumps that hold when pressed.
- Bring together, flatten into a disc, wrap, and chill 45–60 minutes.
- Roll to ~3 mm thick; line the pie plate. Trim and crimp; chill 20 minutes.
- Dock base, line with parchment, add weights (or sugar).
- Bake at 200°C for 15–18 minutes; remove weights; bake 10–12 minutes more to golden. Cool completely.
2) Cook the Mocha Custard Filling
- Warm dairy: In a saucepan, whisk milk, cream, sugar, salt, and optional cocoa; heat until steaming.
- Yolk base: Whisk yolks with cornstarch until thick and smooth.
- Temper: Slowly whisk half the hot dairy into the yolks; return the mixture to the pot.
- Thicken fully: Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until it boils. Maintain a bubbling simmer for 60–90 seconds to activate the cornstarch.
- Finish off-heat: Remove from heat; whisk in chopped chocolate and butter until glossy. Stir in espresso powder (start with 1 tsp, taste, then add more) and vanilla.
- Strain: Push through a fine-mesh strainer for the smoothest texture.
- Cool slightly: Press plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin.
3) Fill and Chill
- Pour the warm custard into your cooled crust; smooth the top.
- Press plastic wrap onto the surface.
- Chill 4–6 hours, preferably overnight.
4) Whipped Cream (Choose Classic or Stabilized)
Classic Whipped Cream
- Whip cold cream with icing sugar and vanilla to medium peaks.
- For espresso whipped cream, add ½–1 tsp espresso powder while whipping.
Stabilized Whipped Cream (Gelatin)
- Bloom gelatin in cold water 5 minutes; melt gently (microwave a few seconds).
- Whip cream with sugar and vanilla to soft peaks; stream in warm gelatin while whipping; finish to medium peaks.
5) Finish & Serve
- Crown the chilled pie with whipped cream.
- Garnish: curls, cocoa, ganache drizzle, flaky salt, or beans.
- Slice with a hot, dry knife for those enviable, tidy wedges.
- Prep Time: PT25M
- Cook Time: PT10M
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 450 kcal
- Sugar: 28g
- Sodium: 210mg
- Fat: 32g
- Saturated Fat: 18g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 38g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 6g
- Cholesterol: 170mg