This no-bake Chocolate Cream Pie has a rich chocolate custard filling served in a graham cracker crust. This mini chocolate pie will satisfy your chocolate pudding cravings, won't heat your kitchen, and is perfectly sized for two!
½teaspoon(½teaspoon)espresso powder, optional, see Recipe Notes
⅛teaspoon(⅛teaspoon)kosher salt
½cup(119grams)heavy cream, divided
2(28grams)large egg yolks
1cup(240grams)milk
For the garnish
whipped cream, lightly sweetened, for garnish
dark chocolate shavings or cocoa powder
Instructions
Make the crust: Prepare a half recipe of the no-bake graham cracker crust and press into a 7-inch pie pan and press into a 7-inch pie pan (a pastry dough tart tamper can help this process). Chill the crust in the freezer for 15 minutes to set the melted butter after pressing it into the pan.
Make the chocolate custard: Place the chopped chocolate, butter, and vanilla extract in a small mixing bowl and set aside.
In a small saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, cocoa powder, espresso powder, and salt. Add ¼ cup (60 grams) of the heavy cream, whisking until the mixture is smooth, then whisk in the egg yolks.
Place the saucepan on the stove on medium heat. Gradually add the remaining cream and milk, then bring mixture to a low boil, stirring constantly, about 4 to 5 minutes. The mixture will thicken quickly towards the end of the cooking time.
Cook for 1 minute more to ensure the custard is fully done. The finished custard's temperature will be around 200 °F when read on a digital thermometer.
Remove the pan from the heat and immediately pour the custard over the reserved chopped chocolate mixture. Whisk until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.
Strain the custard through a fine mesh strainer into a clean bowl to remove any bits of scrambled eggs.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap pressed onto the surface of the custard (this keeps a skin from forming). Chill the custard for at least two hours.
Assemble the pie: Transfer the cold filling into the graham cracker crust. Smooth the top of the pie with a small offset spatula.
Keep the pie chilled until you're ready to serve it. To get the best slices, refrigerate the pie overnight.
Garnish the pie: Spoon or pipe whipped cream on top of the entire pie, or put a dollop on each individual slice. The latter makes it easier to store in the refrigerator, especially if you're not planning on serving the entire pie at once.
Top the whipped cream with chocolate shavings or a dusting of cocoa powder. Serve and enjoy!
Storage instructions: Wrap the pie with plastic wrap and refrigerate. It will keep for 2 to 4 days.
Recipe Notes
If desired, you can replace the graham cracker crust with a standard pastry pie shell. Use my flaky all butter pie crust using a 6 : 4 : 2 recipe ratio of flour, butter, and water (by weight) for half a single crust pie. Blind bake it with pie weights and cool before adding the filling.You can customize the chocolate to your taste - dark (bittersweet), semisweet, milk chocolate, or any combination of these that you like. And don't forget to make some chocolate shavings to garnish the top of the pie before chopping the rest.You can also choose between regular or dark chocolate cocoa powder. Espresso powder enhances the chocolate for a richer flavor. It’s optional, but I wouldn’t skip it!For a full-sized pie, just double the ingredient amounts and use a 9-inch pie pan. If you want a standard pastry pie shell, use the 9 : 6 : 3 recipe ratio for a single crust pie.