Chocolate French Silk Pie
Rich and decadent chocolate french silk pie recipe. This pie filling requires no baking and is a rich silky chocolate filling with whipped cream topping and chocolate shavings.
Chocolate French Silk Pie Overview
- Skill Level: Intermediate
- Components Used: Basic Pie Crust, Whipped Cream for Topping
Chocolate french silk pie is an incredibly rich chocolate pie with a chocolate mousse filling and a whipped cream topping. The filling is intensely chocolate in flavor and is very rich from the high ratio of butter and eggs in the mousse.
Traditional french silk pie is made with a classic pie crust which is what I prefer. I think the contrast of the salty crust is perfect with the rich filling. However, if you prefer, you can use a graham cracker crust or an oreo crust.
This pie is always a showstopper! I bring this along to most holiday gatherings and it is always the most popular dessert offered!
What is French Silk Pie Made Of? Why is it Called French Silk?
French silk pie is made from a rich chocolate filling that is, as its name suggests, incredibly silky. The filling is essentially a rich chocolate mousse made from butter, sugar, eggs, and chocolate. The filling is also kept raw which helps with its unique texture.
There is some debate about when this pie first originated. Some believe it came about in the 50’s as a winner of a Pillsbury bake-off, others think it first appeared in the 80’s created by a famous pastry chef. Wherever it started it is sure to be a hit with whoever it is shared with!
Is French Silk Pie Safe to Eat?
The concern around french silk pie being safe to eat stems from the fact that it is traditionally made with raw eggs in the filling. There are versions out there that call for cooking the filling, however I find the filling to be inferior to the classic version.
Because this recipe does use raw eggs it is important to use pasteurized eggs if you are concerned about foodborne illness. Pasteurized eggs have been heated to a point where any bacteria present will be killed to eliminate the risk of foodborne illness, but the egg remains raw.
You can look for brands of eggs that are labeled as pasteurized in the grocery store. Or if you are unable to find them you can pasteurize eggs yourself using this tutorial.
How to Make French Silk Pie
I highly recommend to read the recipe all the way through before starting. Also make sure that you do not rush the filling process as it needs the full mixing time to really set up.
Step 1: Prepare the Crust
I prefer a traditional pie crust for this pie (recipe below). However, if you prefer, you can prep a graham cracker or an oreo crust. Oreo is my husbands favorite with this pie, but I think its a little too rich.
Step 2: Bake & Cool the Crust
Blind bake the crust and allow to cool completely before adding the filling. Because the filling is kept raw, the crust must be baked all the way through before the filling is added.
Step 3: Cream the Butter & Sugar for the Filling
Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. This will take a good 3-4 full minutes of mixing.
Step 4: Add the Chocolate
Add the melted and cooled chocolate into the mixing bowl along with the cocoa powder and espresso powder if using. The cocoa and espresso powder are optional but really help intensify the chocolate flavor.
Step 5: Add the Eggs one at a Time
Add the eggs into the mixer one at a time, mixing on high speed for 5 full minutes after each egg addition. This is extremely important for the filling to be able to set.
Do not rush the mixing and adding of the eggs. You will be mixing for a full 20 minutes at high speed- 5 minutes for each of 4 eggs. If you do not have a stand mixer you can use a hand mixer for this step, but it will be quite the arm workout!
Step 6: Allow the Filling to Set & Top
Pour the filling into the cooled pie crust and let it set for 3-4 hours in the refrigerator. Then you can top it with real whipped cream and chocolate shavings!
If you’d like to make the whipped cream in advance, make a stabilized version that contains gelatin. My recipe for stabilized whipped cream can be made up to 4 days in advance.
Does French Silk Pie Need to Be Refrigerated?
French silk pie definitely needs to be kept in the refrigerator due to the raw eggs in the filling. The filling will also start melting if it becomes too warm.
How Long Can You Keep French Silk Pie?
You can keep french silk pie refrigerated and loosely covered for 3-4 days. It is best eaten the day after it is made for the best texture with the crust.
Watch the Video Tutorial!
Chocolate French Silk Pie
This pie filling requires no baking and is a rich silky chocolate filling with whipped cream topping and chocolate shavings.
Ingredients
For the Crust
- 1 1/4 cups (150 gr) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/3 cup (75 gr) shortening or cold butter cut into small pieces
- 2-4 TBSP (30 ml-60 ml) ice water
For the Filling
- 1 cup (220 gr) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups (294 gr) granulated sugar
- 4 ounces (112 gr) unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled slightly (I used ghiradelli 100% chocolate)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 TBSP (13 gr) cocoa powder (optional, but intensifies the chocolate flavor and color)
- 1/4 tsp instant espresso powder (optional, but intensifies the chocolate flavor)
- 4 large eggs, room temperature (*use pasteurized eggs to eliminate risk of foodborne illness)
For the Topping
- 1 cup (237 ml) cold heavy whipping cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup (40 gr) powdered sugar
- chocolate shavings, optional
Instructions
NOTE: There have been several reviews that this pie has ended up with a grainy texture. After extensive testing these things will prevent this: Make sure you are using a paddle attachment (not the whisk attachment) for your mixer. Mix each egg for a full 5 minutes. Do not rush this part! Make sure you scrape down the sides of the bowl and the bottom of the bowl between each egg addition to insure that all of the sugar is getting mixed fully and is not sticking to the sides or bottom.
For the Crust
- Preheat oven to 400º F (200 C).
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Add the shortening or butter to the bowl and cut it in with a pastry cutter until the consistency of coarse meal.
- Add ice water 1 TBSP at a time while stirring gently until the dough starts to form into a ball.
- Gently pat the pie dough into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Gently roll out the crust out on a lightly floured surface until it is about a 12 inch circle. Place the dough in the pie plate and pull up on the edges to let it fall into the plate naturally. Do not stretch it to fit. Crimp edges as desired (watch the video to see how I shape it). Dock the dough by piercing with a fork several times around the bottom and sides.
- Lay a piece of parchment paper into the crust and fill with it dried beans, rice, or pie weights.
- Bake in the bottom third of the oven for 20 minutes. Remove the pie weights and place back in the oven for 5 more minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.
- Allow to cool completely on a wire rack before filling.
For the Filling
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (make sure not to use a whisk attachment), beat together the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy- about 3-4 minutes.
- With the mixer still running, pour the cooled melted chocolate into the butter/sugar mixture. Add the vanilla, cocoa powder, and espresso powder if using. Scrape down the bowl.
- Add eggs one at a time, beating for 5 full minutes in between each addition (20 minutes total) at a medium/high speed (setting 8 on stand mixer). Scrape down the bowl making sure to get the sides and the bottom of the bowl between each egg addition. This is important to make sure all of the sugar is getting fully mixed and your pie will be truly silky. The full mixing time of 20 minutes, 5 minutes for EACH egg, is necessary to get the silky texture and for the pie to set.
- Pour the filling into the cooled crust and allow to set in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours and up to 2 days before serving.
To Top
- Pour the heavy cream and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer fit with the whisk attachment or in a large bowl with a hand mixer. Whip on high speed and slowly stream in the powdered sugar until the whipped cream reaches stiff peaks.
- Top the pie with whipped cream and chocolate shavings or curls.
Notes
- Filling recipe adapted from Martha Stewart's French Silk Pie Recipe
- Disclaimer: Consuming raw or under-cooked eggs may increase your risk of food borne illness, especially if you have a medical condition. Use pasteurized eggs to reduce risk.
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Nutrition Information:
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 635
173 Comments on “Chocolate French Silk Pie”
The heck w/ breakfast…pie all the time…
I always eat leftover pie for breakfast, especially a fruit pie.
KRISTIN!!! THIS PIE IS GORRRRRGEOUS!!! And I could totally eat a whole piece, I loooove French Silk Pie!!!
and I’m with you—I have a difficult time making food pretty, yummy I can do, pretty is harder. You totally did it here though, made this pie super beautious! Love it want it!
Pie for breakfast. Yes!
Sometimes on Thanksgiving or Christmas we have the desserts for lunch, because we're all too full after dinner. It works out quite nicely!
This pie is singing to me sweet melodies. I need a slice right now!
Ooh, I LOVE French Silk Pie! This looks SO delicious!
I hear ya on attractive desserts…About the only things I can make look good are cupcakes. Regular-sized cakes are out of the question! 🙂
This pie is absolutely GOREGOUS!!!! I love how sophisticated some shaved chocolate makes a dessert! So fancy! I love this!
Thank you so much Liz! Shaved chocolate does make everything look fancier doesn’t it?!
Your French Silk Pie is amazing – thank you for sharing! I know the last few pieces were fought over at Thanksgiving. 🙂
I made this pie and had it in the fridge for over 4 hours. It never set. So I put it in the freezer and left it all night. It still never set. Did any of you have problems with this?
I’m so sorry you had problems with this recipe. Did you beat it for the full time indicated? It takes 20 full minutes of beating to get the right texture otherwise it will not have the right consistency and will not set. The mixture will be quite thick after beating. Almost thick enough to slice right then.
I have made this pie numerous times and one time it didn’t set up. It seems that 5 minutes after each egg was too long and my mixer was actually heating up and making it warm. The next time I did 4 minutes after each egg and it was perfect again.
Same problem here. I made the pie, followed all the directions. It sat in the freezer for 4 hours and still had the consistency of melted ice cream.
Hahahahahha….you cook like your aunt. Lol…
I made this pie…and I almost wish I hadn't! It was sooooo good that I want to make it over and over. I was kinda shocked at how the beating of the eggs made it "set." Who knew that was the secret. 🙂 If someone's didn't set then they clearly didn't follow the instructions. Yummy. Thanks for sharing.
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Thank you for the recipe my pie was absolutely awesome. I also added a tablespoon of brandy and used a butter based crust recipe from Joy of Cooking. Other than having to borrow my neighbors stand mixer this recipe is perfect.
Sorry, but I don't make anything with eggs in it that isn't baked.
You would use pasteurized eggs. If you are unable to locate then you could google “how to pasteurize eggs”.
You can use egg beaters in place of eggs, they are pasteurized and you can’t tell the difference.
Hi Erin,
Egg beaters will likely not work. I haven’t tried it, but I do not believe they will whip to the volume needed to set the pie. However, you can find pasteurized whole shell eggs that you can use.
Hi there! Could I use a pasteurized product like Egg Beaters? Thanks!
I’m not sure, I don’t use them. I use “safest choice” pasteurized eggs, found locally at a grocery store called “Price Chopper” and according to their website at Walmarts through out the nation.
I really don’t think that will work Linda. I can’t say for certain because I haven’t tried it, but egg beaters do not whip up the way eggs do. You need to air to whip into the eggs for this to set. Like Lisa said, pasteurized whole eggs would be fine.
There really is no substitute for fresh, lovely eggs; however, because my mother-in-law was immuno-compromised, I did not like to use raw eggs in the final product of my desserts. For my silk pie, I simply changed up the method a little and used an electric hand mixer to blend 1 cup of the sugar and all of the eggs together (and liqueur, if you’re using any), then placed the bowl over simmering water (where the water doesn’t touch the bottom of the bowl, or use a double-boiler) and mixed for 8 to 10 minutes until the sugar dissolved, the mixture was hot and the volume increased significantly; at that point the eggs are beyond foamy, looking almost like a meringue. Essentially, I was making a zabaglione (sabayon). I set it aside to cool and, when it was, I beat the butter with the rest of the sugar, added the chocolate and then added the egg mixture, last. It lent an even more silky texture to the final product and I could feel more peace of mind serving it to my beautiful mother-in-law.
you can always use pasteurized eggs. I have done it before and everything turned out fine.
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I have been making this recipe for years! It is BETTER than Baker's Square!
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Your ‘Chocolate French Silk Pie’ most certainly looks ‘Pretty & Beautiful’ to me!
You have perfected the pie crust, it all looks amazing, luxurious & decadent to me…
Picture perfect..I too could quite easily eat a huge slice of this glorious, rich chocolate, silky pie no problem…
Could eat some now for breakfast at 8.30 am. G.M.T. that’s how delicious it looks, if only I had some made!
Loving your recipes, posts & detailed explanations, looking forward to many more to come, looking forward to making this…
Makes a great change to serve to guests over the holidays, I’m sure that they will love it as much as I will.
Many, many thanks from us here in the U.K.
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My filling went flat and yes, I did beat it the full 5 minutes between eggs. Half way through when I added the 3rd egg it died. Didn’t work for me. Disappointed as this was for a party tomorrow and I don’t have more ingredients.
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I’ve been searching all over for a good French Silk Pie recipe. I think I found it here! YUM!!
My family has egg alergies .
Is there a substitute for eggs?
Hi Linda,
Unfortunately, for this particular recipe, real eggs are very essential to making the pie set. I did a quick google search though and I found another recipe for egg free french silk pie you might be able to try! http://addapinch.com/cooking/french-silk-pie-recipe/
I have always made this pie with a chocolate wafer crumb crust( 1-1/2 cup crumbs, 1Tbsp of sugar, 4 oz melted butter). It makes the pie even more decadent . You can add some plain gelatin (1 package softened with water and then cooked to clear on the stove and cooled) to the whipped cream and it will hold up for days, if the pie lasts that long.
Hi Ginny,
That is also how my mother in law makes it! My husband also loves it that way. I personally prefer a less sweet crust for some contrast. Use the crust recipe you love and make it your own!
How much ice water in the crust??????
Hi Rebecca,
It really depends on a number of things such as the humidity that day and where you live to how accurately you measured to flour. The recipe states to add ice water 1 TBSP at a time and stir gently until the crust comes together. This typically takes anywhere from 1/4 cup- 1/2 cup.
Been making this since for 50 years and it is now my 6 Grandson’s favorite dessert…which I only make for holidays. Yes, use very fresh raw eggs; butter and real whipping cream! For those who use only low or non-fat products, don’t bother making this; substitutes will not work!
You are so right Sheila! This is not a recipe that works well with substitutions!
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The person that wrote the part about the freshness of the eggs don’t know what they are talking about. The B, A, and AA only refers to the size of the eggs not the freshness. AA=Extra Large. A=Large. and B=Medium. The carton has the date on it.
Here in central Kansas to get fresh eggs we have to buy them from a farmer.
To check the eggs for freshness put them in a bowl of water. If they float they are fresh. As the air leaks out of them and they get older they will sink.
I’m 79 years old and have never gotten sick from raw or partly cooked eggs.
Lee.
Hi Lee,
Thanks for the comment. I do have to disagree with you however. Grading has nothing to do with the size of the egg. The way eggs are graded is by measuring the intereior and exterior quality of the egg. The density of the white and the air pockets in the egg are measured, as well as an inspection of the exterior shell. As eggs age the air cell grows and the whites loose density. So as eggs age their grade level changes based on the density of the whites and the air cell size inside. Therefore, fresher eggs have higher grades and older eggs have a lower grade. The size is not taken into account when grading. You can read more about egg grading here: http://curbstonevalley.com/blog/?p=3354
Here’s a thought…. Instead of being rude, you could try saying, “I disagree…” or “I believe you are mistaken”.
Sooo I doubt you’ll read and reply to this as I’m doing it, but thought I’d ask anyhow. I added the eggs beating after each addition. However, I didn’t see the part about 5 minutes in between each…so I’m letting it beat for 20 minutes now. Do you think it will set up or should I go to a back up recipe? Thanks
Hi Melissa, I do not know for sure as I haven’t tried it, but if you do please report back as to what happens.
I do not own one of the fancy mixers with a beater paddle. Does this significantly affect how I should prepare the pie?
I followed the directions but even after all the mixing it is still sugary/ grainy. is this normal??
Hi Michelle,
No, the mixture should not be very grainy. You might notice it a tiny bit after its done mixing, but it should be pretty smooth and silky. Did you mix for the full 20 minutes at medium-high speed?
My filling
was grainy until I added the last egg, and wala, French silk. beautiful !
This our freezes very, very well. I always make my Thanksgiving pies in Oct. I put two in the freezer in Oct a few years ago and forgot about one. (I know, HOW could I forget this awesome pie?) I pulled it out in August, and it was still as yummy as ever. I freeze these in large plastic zipper bags.
I made this yesterday. I did use a different crust. It’s very similar to the recipe above but with butter instead. This turned out amazing!! So rich and so delicious. I used everything except the espresso powder as I didn’t have any and used the recommended Ghirardelli. Soooo good with homemade whipped creme. Mmmm. Definitely try it. I have no problem with mine falling when adding my eggs.
Ahhh at our house we call a slice of apple pie and scrambled eggs “the breakfast of champions”. The best!
Am going to try your recipe for this lovely pie for my birthday, INSTEAD of cake!
I made this last night and it is REALLY good. Rich so cut small slices. Everyone loved it. I made it with an oreo crust.
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EXCELLENT recipe! I pinned this over a year ago and finally made it tonight when we had friends over and it was most definitely a hit. I’ll be cutting smaller pieces next time because it’s so rich – but we loved it! I’m amazed that beating the eggs that long stabilizes them and sets up that firm. Thanks for the recipe!
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This pie is AMAZING! HUGE hit. It seriously was soooo good. I get it requested all the time. I used a different crust though. It’s a pretty similar recipe only it uses butter instead of shortening.
Hello! For really long time I want to make this amazing cake, but I have one question-after its chill in the refrigerator for 4 hours, cake may be kept at room temperature?
Hi Zane! No, you do not want to store this pie at room temperature. You need to keep it cold for several reasons. It will not stay firm at room temperature and also the pie contains raw eggs so you definitely want to keep it chilled so that it stays safe to eat.
My Mom started making this pie in the 1970’s and I’ve been making it for years. It’s the absolute best French Silk pie I’ve ever tasted, and believe me, I’ve tasted a lot of them…LOL
This is the French Silk pie my mother always made,The best chocolate pie I’ve ever eaten. We call it “Fudge on a Fork”. I’m making one today to bring to the office tomorrow for a birthday celebration.
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