Chocolate Pie with Coconut Whipped Cream
When my roommate suggested I make a chocolate pie, I was all in. Pie is my favourite dessert after all.
She’s mostly dairy-free and I am also a lactose-avoider (except for when there’s a cheeseboard around, let’s be real), so it needed to be a dairy-free pie.
The crust was the easy part. Oreos are vegan by nature, so they were ideal for an easy, press-in cookie crumb crust. A simple swap of coconut oil for butter was all that was needed.
For the chocolate pudding filling, I made a standard custard with coconut milk instead of cow’s milk. This worked wonderfully. The pudding came out smooth, velvety, and dare I say luscious? There is eggs in it though, so it’s not vegan (sorry!).
The final component was a a coconut whipped cream. I was extremely pleased with how well this turned out. Some people couldn’t even tell that it wasn’t whipped cream, which made me very happy. Nowadays you can find coconut cream easily in the grocery store instead of trying to separate it out from a regular can of coconut milk, which is a bit finciky. I used this brand. Make sure to chill it overnight though, this will ensure you get good volume when its whipped. You can also buy pre-made coconut whipped cream, but where’s the fun in that?!
If you are not up to a whole pie, I would suggest making just the filling. It is definitely the star of the show.
I wasn’t planning on sharing this recipe, but this pie was such a smashing success, I thought it deserved its own post.
Try it and let me know if you agree!
Chocolate Pie with Coconut Whipped Cream
serves 8
For the Crust:
1 1/2 cups of chocolate wafer crumbs, or make your own using whole oreos
1/4 cup of coconut oil, melted
2 tbsp granulated sugar
1/4 tsp salt
For the Filling:
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 400mL can of full-fat coconut milk
2/3 cup of plant-based milk, such as almond or oat milk
3 egg yolks
5 oz 70% dark chocolate, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Coconut Whipped Cream:
1 400mL can of coconut cream (I used Rooster brand)
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
chocolate shavings (optional)
**Before you get started, note that the coconut cream needs to be chilled in the fridge overnight, so make sure you do this prior to making the rest of the pie.
To make the crust: Preheat the oven to 350 F. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the chocolate wafer crumbs, sugar and salt. Add the melted coconut oil, and stir until crumbs are well moistened and the texture of wet sand. Press into the bottom and up the sides of a greased eight-inch pie dish. Place the pie dish on a baking sheet, and bake in the preheated oven until set, 13-15 minutes. Allow the crust to cool fully before filling.
To make the chocolate pudding filling: In a medium-sized saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, cocoa powder and salt. Gradually whisk in the coconut and plant milks until smooth and cook over medium heat until the mixture is steaming and bubbles form around the edge. In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly stream in half the milk mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly to prevent the eggs from cooking. Add the egg and milk mixture into the saucepan, and cook, whisking constantly, until thickened, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in the chopped chocolate and vanilla until chooclate is fully melted.
Scrape the chocolate filling into the cooled crust and smooth the top. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until set, for at least 4 hours or overnight.
To make the coconut whipped cream: Let the coconut cream sit overnight in the fridge so that it is well-chilled and has a thicker consistency. Place the coconut cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixture with a whisk atatchment (or use a hand mixer). Beat until coconut cream is thick and fluffy, and can form stiff peaks.
Mound the whipped coconut cream on top of the chilled pie, and finish with chocolate shavings*.
*I use a vegetable peeler and a bar of chocolate to make chocolate shavings. The chocolate should be at room temperature.