America's Test Kitchen LogoCook's Country LogoCook's Illustrated LogoAmerica's Test Kitchen LogoCook's Country LogoCook's Illustrated Logo

Mocha Cream Pie

By Russell Selander

Published on October 14, 2020

Time

1¾ hours, 45 minutes cooling, and 4½ hours chilling

Yield

Serves 8

Mocha Cream Pie

Ingredients

1 recipe single-crust pie dough (see Ingredient Note below)2¾ cups whole milk 6 ounces (170 grams) milk chocolate, chopped⅓ cup packed (2⅓ ounces/66 grams) light brown sugar ¼ cup heavy cream ¼ cup instant espresso powder 3 tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa powder 3 tablespoons cornstarch ¼ teaspoon table salt ½ teaspoon vanilla extract 1 recipe recipe 1 recipe canied coffee beans

Instructions

  1.  Roll dough into 12-inch circle on floured counter. Loosely roll dough around rolling pin and gently unroll it onto 9-inch pie plate, letting excess dough hang over edge. Ease dough into plate by gently lifting edge of dough with your hand while pressing into plate bottom with your other hand.
  2.  Trim overhang to ½ inch beyond lip of plate. Tuck overhang under itself; folded edge should be flush with edge of plate. Crimp dough evenly around edge of plate. Wrap dough-lined plate loosely in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees.
  3.  Line chilled pie shell with double layer of aluminum foil, covering edges to prevent burning, and fill with pie weights. Bake on foil-lined rimmed baking sheet until edges are set and just beginning to turn golden, 25 to 30 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking. Remove foil and weights, rotate sheet, and continue to bake crust until golden brown and crisp, 10 to 15 minutes longer. Transfer sheet to wire rack and let cool completely, about 45 minutes.
  4.  Combine milk, chocolate, sugar, cream, espresso powder, cocoa, cornstarch, and salt in large saucepan. Bring to simmer over medium heat, whisking occasionally, then reduce heat to medium-low and cook, whisking constantly, until mixture is thickened, bubbling, and registers 180 degrees, 2 to 3 minutes (mixture should have consistency of thick pudding). Strain mixture through fine-mesh strainer into clean bowl, then stir in vanilla.
  5.  Pour filling into cooled crust, smoothing top with clean spatula into even layer. Spray piece of parchment paper with vegetable oil spray and press directly against surface of filling. Refrigerate until set, at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours. Spread whipped cream attractively over pie and sprinkle with candied coffee beans. Serve.
Mocha Cream Pie
Photography by Daniel J. van Ackere. Styling by Kendra Smith.

Mocha Cream Pie

Headshot of Russell Selander
By Russell Selander
Save

Time

1¾ hours, 45 minutes cooling, and 4½ hours chilling

Yield

Serves 8

Ingredients

1 recipe single-crust pie dough (see Ingredient Note below)
2¾ cups whole milk
6 ounces (170 grams) milk chocolate, chopped
⅓ cup packed (2⅓ ounces/66 grams) light brown sugar
¼ cup heavy cream
¼ cup instant espresso powder
3 tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa powder
3 tablespoons cornstarch
¼ teaspoon table salt
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 recipe recipe
1 recipe canied coffee beans

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

1 recipe single-crust pie dough (see Ingredient Note below)
2¾ cups whole milk
6 ounces (170 grams) milk chocolate, chopped
⅓ cup packed (2⅓ ounces/66 grams) light brown sugar
¼ cup heavy cream
¼ cup instant espresso powder
3 tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa powder
3 tablespoons cornstarch
¼ teaspoon table salt
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 recipe recipe
1 recipe canied coffee beans

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

1 recipe single-crust pie dough (see Ingredient Note below)
2¾ cups whole milk
6 ounces (170 grams) milk chocolate, chopped
⅓ cup packed (2⅓ ounces/66 grams) light brown sugar
¼ cup heavy cream
¼ cup instant espresso powder
3 tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa powder
3 tablespoons cornstarch
¼ teaspoon table salt
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 recipe recipe
1 recipe canied coffee beans

Test Kitchen Techniques

Why This Recipe Works

To give the chocolate pudding filling an appropriate boost of coffee flavor, we added ¼ cup of espresso powder. But while the coffee flavor came through, this pie was bitter—we wanted grown-up, not harsh. Interestingly, switching from sophisticated dark chocolate to milder milk chocolate was the answer. The milk variety provided chocolate flavor and sweetness without underscoring the strong flavor of the coffee. With our rich filling settled, we tested crusts. An Oreo cookie crust, which we liked for our traditional Chocolate Cream Pie, actually overwhelmed the filling for this pie and dimmed the star of the show—the espresso. The buttery-rich but more neutral flavor of traditional pie dough was a better choice. In a nod to mocha coffee house drinks, we topped our pie with whipped cream. And for contrasting texture, visual appeal, and more coffee flavor, we sprinkled candied coffee beans on top.

Instructions

  1.  Roll dough into 12-inch circle on floured counter. Loosely roll dough around rolling pin and gently unroll it onto 9-inch pie plate, letting excess dough hang over edge. Ease dough into plate by gently lifting edge of dough with your hand while pressing into plate bottom with your other hand.
  2.  Trim overhang to ½ inch beyond lip of plate. Tuck overhang under itself; folded edge should be flush with edge of plate. Crimp dough evenly around edge of plate. Wrap dough-lined plate loosely in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees.
  3.  Line chilled pie shell with double layer of aluminum foil, covering edges to prevent burning, and fill with pie weights. Bake on foil-lined rimmed baking sheet until edges are set and just beginning to turn golden, 25 to 30 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking. Remove foil and weights, rotate sheet, and continue to bake crust until golden brown and crisp, 10 to 15 minutes longer. Transfer sheet to wire rack and let cool completely, about 45 minutes.
  4.  Combine milk, chocolate, sugar, cream, espresso powder, cocoa, cornstarch, and salt in large saucepan. Bring to simmer over medium heat, whisking occasionally, then reduce heat to medium-low and cook, whisking constantly, until mixture is thickened, bubbling, and registers 180 degrees, 2 to 3 minutes (mixture should have consistency of thick pudding). Strain mixture through fine-mesh strainer into clean bowl, then stir in vanilla.
  5.  Pour filling into cooled crust, smoothing top with clean spatula into even layer. Spray piece of parchment paper with vegetable oil spray and press directly against surface of filling. Refrigerate until set, at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours. Spread whipped cream attractively over pie and sprinkle with candied coffee beans. Serve.

Gift This Recipe

Enjoyed this dish? Let others know by sharing it as a gift recipe.

This is a members' feature.