Description
Indulge in this rich and creamy Coffee Custard Pie featuring a smooth coffee-infused custard nestled within a decadent chocolate pastry crust. Perfectly balanced with espresso flavor and a silky texture, this pie is a delightful treat for coffee lovers, topped optionally with whipped cream and a dusting of cocoa powder for an elegant finish.
Ingredients
Chocolate Pie Pastry:
- 1 cup (120 grams) all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup (28 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ cup (56 grams) powdered sugar
- Pinch salt
- ½ cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, cold and diced
- 1 large egg
Coffee Custard:
- 1 cup (227 grams) whole milk
- 1 cup (227 grams) heavy cream
- ⅓ cup (70 grams) packed brown sugar
- 1 heaping tablespoon espresso powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 large eggs
- 2 large egg yolks
- ⅓ cup (70 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Prepare Chocolate Pastry: Add the flour, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, and salt to a food processor bowl and pulse until combined. Add cold diced butter and pulse 7 times. In a small bowl, whisk the egg. With the processor running, pour in the egg until the dough forms a cohesive ball. Scrape out the dough, wrap in plastic, shape into a disk, seal tightly, roll out to the edge of the plastic wrap, and refrigerate for about 2 hours or overnight.
- Blind Bake the Pie Crust: Preheat oven to 400ºF. Roll the chilled dough on a floured surface into an 11” circle and transfer to a 9” pie plate, crimp edges. Line with parchment and add pie weights pushing them to edges. Bake 25 minutes, remove parchment and weights, then bake 5 more minutes. Set aside.
- Lower Oven Temperature: Reduce oven heat to 325ºF to prepare for custard baking.
- Prepare Coffee Custard Filling: In a medium saucepan, combine milk, cream, brown sugar, espresso powder, and salt. Heat over medium until small bubbles form around edges (~120ºF).
- Whisk Eggs and Sugar: In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, yolks, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract until well combined.
- Temper Egg Mixture: Gradually add 1-2 cups of warm milk mixture into eggs while whisking gently. Then slowly pour egg mixture back into the saucepan with remaining milk mixture, whisking constantly. Cook 2-3 minutes until custard thickens slightly and reaches about 160ºF, testing by coating a wooden spoon and drawing a line to check custard set. Do not boil.
- Strain Custard: Pour custard through a fine mesh strainer twice to remove any cooked egg bits. Let cool slightly for 5 minutes, stirring periodically to release steam.
- Fill Pie Crust: Pour warm custard filling into the baked and cooled crust. Pop any surface bubbles with a spatula or toothpick.
- Bake Pie Custard: Place pie on the oven’s middle rack and bake 35-40 minutes, until custard is mostly set about 2” from edges but still slightly wobbly in the center. Custard temperature should reach 180ºF.
- Cool and Chill: Remove pie from oven and cool on a rack to room temperature, then refrigerate until fully chilled and set before serving.
- Serve: Optionally garnish the cold pie with whipped cream and a dusting of cocoa powder or powdered sugar. Enjoy!
Notes
- Blind baking the crust ensures a crisp base that won’t get soggy under the custard.
- Use an instant-read thermometer to monitor custard temperatures for perfect texture.
- Allowing the custard to rest and chill completely helps it set firmly.
- If espresso powder is unavailable, strong brewed espresso or coffee extract can be substituted.
- Do not dock the pie dough before baking to maintain crust integrity and structure.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Custard Pie
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
