Double Chocolate French Silk Pie

This Double Chocolate French Silk Pie is a chocolate lover’s dream. It has a chocolate pie crust, rich & silky chocolate filling, and of course, lots of freshly whipped cream!

If you love chocolate pie as much as our family does, then you’ll also love these other favorites: No Bake Mud Pie and No Bake Smores Pie!!

Double Chocolate French Silk Pie | lifemadesimplebakes.com

Pie for Chocolate Lovers

When it comes to pie, I absolutely adore fruit-filled ones like apple pie or coconut cream pie! However, my husband is all about the chocolate.

This fall I wanted to make him something he’d really enjoy, so chocolate it was! French silk pie can either be extremely simple or overly time-consuming. This recipe is somewhere in between.

This is a chocolate lovers dream pie! With a chocolate pie crust and a smooth, silky texture chocolate filling and topped with whipped cream and more chocolate shavings, there is plenty of rich chocolate flavor to satisfy any chocoholic! 

Ironically this pie is not French but created by an American, Betty Cooper in 1951.  She won the third annual Pillsbury Bake-Off contest for home cooks with her now-classic recipe for the Chocolate French silk pie. I think the name “French” was used to try and describe the pie as elegant and silk to describe the texture of the pie filling!  I think both describe the pie perfectly! 

Chocolate pie crust pictures

Chocolate Pie Crust

To start this Double Chocolate French Silk Pie, you’ll make a from-scratch chocolate pie crust. I used a food processor which made the process quick & easy, however, you can do the old-fashioned pastry blender method too… either way works.

To make the crust: combine the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, and salt into a food processor. Pulse for 15 seconds then stop. Next, add the cubed butter and pulse until crumbs form. Then add one tablespoon of water at a time, pulsing after each addition until clumps form that resembles coarse wet sand.

Then you will form the crust into a disc shape on a sheet of plastic wrap. You will then wrap it up and freeze if to 20 minutes. While that is in the freezer, place a baking sheet in the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees.

After 20 minutes, roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface, into a 12-inch circle. Carefully roll the dough around your rolling pin and carefully lay it over a 9-inch pie plate.

Trim the edges but leave a 1-inch overhang. You will then need to fold the overhang underneath to form a rim, then crimp with your fingertips.

Don’t forget to line the pie crust with parchment paper and fill with pie weights (dry rice or beans). Bake for 16-18 minutes, then remove the pie weights and parchment. Gently poke the bottom of the crust with a fork and return to the oven to bake for 5-10 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.

Chocolate Silk Pie

How to Make DOUBLE CHOCOLATE Silk Pie

While the pie crust is cooling, you’ll want to make the filling. I grabbed some eggs, heavy cream and bittersweet chocolate from Harmons Grocery. They have a great selection of baking chocolates and artisan chocolates, all of which would be ideal for this filling.

Since I’m not a huge fan of raw eggs in a pie (especially when kids are eating it), I decided to cook the eggs over a water bath until they reached a safe temperature of 160 degrees. Then I remove from egg mixture from the heat, set it aside and allowed it to cool for 3-4 minutes before whisking in the warm melted chocolate. Then I covered it with plastic wrap and refrigerated it for 20 minutes.

It’s a bit time consuming, but definitely worth it in my opinion. Plus it creates a custard-like texture, which I love!  

How to do the water bath: In a double boiler or a medium heatproof bowl, beat together 4 eggs and 1 ½ cups powdered sugar until light. Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and cook the mixture, whisking constantly, until thick (and until it reaches 160 degrees), about 10 minutes.

Chocolate Whipped Cream

 While the chocolate egg mixture is cooling for 20 minutes, it’s time to whip some butter and make the chocolate whipped cream.

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer, beat the butter until light and fluffy. Add the cooled chocolate egg mixture and beat until smooth.
  • In a separate bowl, beat the heavy cream, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract on high until stiff peaks form. Then fold the whipped cream into the mixture from step previous step. Finally, pour the pie filling into the cooled pie crust. Smooth the top and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, 4 hours is ideal! 

Shortcuts:  like I said this pie isn’t the fastest pie, but you can always take a short-cut by using a premade crust, or make a graham cracker pie crust. 

When you’re ready to serve the pie, add some freshly whipped cream to the top and sprinkle with chocolate shavings or curls. Slice it up and watch it disappear in no time!

French silk pie with whipped cream

More Tips + Tricks

Can chocolate French silk pie be made in advance? yes it can! I typically make everything up to the point until I am ready to top it with whipped cream. I store it covered in my refrigerator and then add the whipped cream and chocolate shavings right before I serve it! Chocolate French silk pie should stay good in the fridge for up to 3-4 days!

Can you freeze a chocolate french silk pie? Yes, this pie freezes well for up to 3 months. Just thaw several hours in the refrigerator before you serve it! 

French Silk Pie recipe

This double chocolate french silk pie is going to be a holiday tradition at our house. It’s rich, decadent and a huge crowd-pleaser!

Find more delicious pie recipes here:

 

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Double Chocolate French Silk Pie | lifemadesimplebakes.com

Double Chocolate French Silk Pie Recipe

This double chocolate French silk pie is a chocolate lover's dream. It has a chocolate pie crust, rich & silky chocolate filling, and of course, lots of freshly whipped cream!
4.84 from 24 votes
Pin Rate
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 3 hours
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Chill Time: 2 hours 20 minutes
Total Time: 5 hours 40 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 673kcal
Author: Andrea
Print Recipe

Ingredients

For the Chocolate Crust

  • 1 cup + 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 1/2 tsp kosher sea salt
  • 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter - (1 stick), cut into chunks
  • 3-4 tbsp ice-cold water
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

For the Chocolate Filling

  • 8 oz semisweet chocolate - melted and cooled*
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 cup unsalted butter - ( 2 sticks) room temperature
  • 1 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1/4 cup cocoa powder
  • 1/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract

For the Topping

  • 1 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • chocolate shavings or curls - optional

Instructions

For the Crust
  • Combine the flour, cocoa power, sugar, and salt into a food processor. Pulse until for 15 seconds then stop. Add the cubed butter and pulse until crumbs form. Add one tablespoon of water at a time, pulsing after each addition until clumps form that resemble coarse wet sand.
  • Form into a disc on a sheet of plastic wrap, wrap and freeze for 20 minutes.
  • Place a baking sheet in the oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out evenly into a 12-inch circle. Carefully roll the dough around your rolling pin and carefully lay it over either a 9-inch pie plate. Trim the edges and leave an 1-inch overhang. Fold the overhang underneath to form a rim, then crimp with your fingertips.
  • Line pie crust with parchment paper and fill with pie weights (dry rice or beans). Bake for 16-18 minutes, then remove the pie weights and parchment. Gently dock the bottom of the crust with a fork and return to the oven to bake for 5-10 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
To Make the Filling
  • In a double boiler or a medium heatproof bowl, beat together 4 eggs and 1 ½ cups powdered sugar until light. Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and cook the mixture, whisking constantly, until thick (and until it reaches 160 degrees), about 10 minutes.
  • Remove from the heat, set aside and allow to cool for 3-4 minutes before whisking in the warm melted chocolate. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer, beat the butter until light and fluffy. Add the cooled chocolate egg mixture and beat until smooth.
  • In a separate bowl, beat the heavy cream, cocoa powder, powdered sugar and vanilla extract on high until stiff peaks form. Fold the whipped cream into chocolate mixture and pour into the cooled pie crust (make sure it's completely cool). Using an offset spatula, smooth the top. Place in the refrigerator to set for at least 2 hours.
For the Topping
  • Before serving, prepare the topping. In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl, beat the heavy cream, powdered sugar and vanilla extract on high until stiff peaks form. Spread over the top of the chilled pie or pipe on. Sprinkle with chocolate shavings or curls, if desired.

NOTES

*I used two 4 oz. chocolate bars and microwaved them for 1 minute increments on half power, stirred and repeated until the chocolate was silky smooth.

Nutrition

Serving: 12serving | Calories: 673kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 54g | Saturated Fat: 33g | Cholesterol: 198mg | Sodium: 147mg | Potassium: 236mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 29g | Vitamin A: 1672IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 71mg | Iron: 2mg

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About the Author

Andrea

Hi I'm Andrea!

Hotelier turned Food Blogger to help make your life simple, one recipe at a time.

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Comments:

  1. Hi I have a question. Does this taste anything like Coco’s double chocolate silk pie??
    Trying to replicate that for a special occasion

    Thank you!