Enjoy this Chocolate Pudding Pie recipe that combines a creamy chocolate pudding filling with a flaky, buttery crust, all topped with swirls of whipped cream to create the perfect balance of pudding and pie.
Table of Contents
Ingredients and substitutions for Chocolate Pudding Pie
- Plain flour: This is the best option for that flaky pastry. Cake flour is not recommended here and if you live in the UK, see the FAQ's section as to the type of flour to use.
- Butter: Unsalted cold and cubed helps you press it into your flour without heating it up too much as you work it. Make sure that butter is fully coated with flour so no puddles form during baking.
- Ice water: Ice water helps give our pastry that flaky texture!
- Milk: Whole milk was used, however, you could replace with any creamy dairy free milk.
- Egg yolks: They help give a deep custard flavor to our pudding and contribute to the velvety texture.
- Sugar: Superfine or caster sugar works best in the pudding as it dissoves and adds sweetness without adding additional flavor. You could substitute with raw or light brown sugar instead.
- Cocoa powder: High quality plain cocoa powder is used to really give that intense chocolate flavor.
- Corn starch: Sometimes termed cornflour in certain parts of the globe. Corn starch is what gives our pudding that thick texture without being runny. It needs to be heated to 95C/203F before it is activated to thicken.
- Chocolate: Dark chocolate helps deepen the chocolate flavor and coat the pastry base without making the pie too sweet or soggy. You could substitute with milk chocolate in equal measure.
- Heavy cream: Homemade whipped cream is best here for freshness and control over your cream topping. You could subsititute with whipped coconut cream.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make Chocolate Pudding Pie:
Step 1: Begin your pastry: Place the flour and salt into a bowl, stirring and then incorporating the cubed butter until it resembles large breadcrumbs.
Step 2: Ice water: Pour in ice water to form your dough until it holds together.
Step 3: Chill: Shape into a disc, cover and chill for 1 hour to rest.
Step 4: Roll out: On a lightly floured surface and to ยผ inch thickness and large enough to fit into your pie dish.
Step 5: Press and shape: Press the dough into your pie dish, trim the edges and shape the edges to your preference.
Step 6: Chill and bake: Chill the dough and pierce. Parbake with rice or baking beans before removing and baking until golden.
Step 7: Melty chocolate coating: Toss a little roughly chopped chocolate on the warm pastry and spread as it melts to coat the entire pastry base.
Step 8: Custard base: Heat the milk until lightly bubbly and separately whisk those sugar and yolk until pale.
Step 9: Cocoa: Sift the cocoa and cornstarch and whisk into the egg yolk mixture to make a smooth paste.
Step 10: Chocolate milk: Pour the warm milk in batches and whisk into the cocoa mixture until smooth.
Step 11: Chocolate custard: Heat and stir the chocolate mixture in a saucepan until thickened before pouring into your cooled pastry.
Step 12: Chill and cream: Chill the pie and when ready to serve, whip your cream and decorate as per your preference.
Step 13: Slice and serve: Slice it up and serve it up. Dig in!
FAQ's for the best Chocolate Pudding Pie
Plain flour in the UK has a lower protein amount which contributes to the dough strength, type of crumb and texture of your pastry, in this case. Plain flour in the Unites States for example has the same level of protein as Bread flour in the UK so the best flour to use hereย will be 175 grams / 1 ยผ cups bread flour. This will help you ensure a flaky pastry and making it easier to shape without being flimsy which is often the feeling of unbaked dough.
You can if you are short on time with shortcrust pastry being the best option to substitute for homemade flaky pastry.
The key here is to use cornstarch or flour which helps thicken the pudding up and keep it that way once it has cooled. Both cornstarch and flour need to be heated to 60C/140F to activate the thickening power.
Yes, you can! It can be prepared in advance without the cream topping, covered in the fridge up to 2 days before serving. Once the cream topping has been added, it's best served within 4 hours.
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Chocolate Pudding Pie
Ingredients
Pastry
- 150 grams / 1 ยผ cups plain flour
- ยผ teaspoon sea salt
- 110 grams / 3.9 ounces butter chilled and cubed
- 62 grams / ยผ cup ice water
Chocolate pudding
- 480 grams / 2 cups milk
- 55 grams / 3 large egg yolks
- 100 grams / ยฝ cup superfine/caster sugar
- 56 grams / ยฝ cup cocoa powder
- 25 grams / ยผ cup cornflour
- 70 grams / 2.46 ounces chocolate roughly chopped
Cream topping
- 283 grams / 1 ยผ cups heavy cream
- 35 grams / 2 ยฝ tablespoons superfine/caster sugar
Instructions
Pastry
- For the dough, place the flour and salt into a bowl and stir to combine.
- Add the cubed butter and toss through the flour to coat completely in flour.
- Press each cube between your fingers to thin out and continue tossing through the flour, trying to ensure the butter becomes no smaller than the size of peas.
- Add in a little of the ice water and stir to combine, continuing 1 tablespoon at a time until a dough forms, but ensuring itโs not too sticky, but that there are no dry portions in the base of the bowl.
- Press firmly into a disc, wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 220C/425F.
- Lightly flour your surface and both sides of your dough and roll out to ยผ inch thickness.
- Flipping the dough and adding a small sprinkle of flour, where necessary. Roll the dough around your rolling pin and place into your pie dish.
- Pressing therein and trimming the edges, folding ยฝ inch of the dough under the edges and pinching firmly.
- Shape your edges by holding your left index finger against the edge of the pastry and press down towards the edge of your 18 cm or 7 inch pie dish.
- Return the dough to the fridge for 20 minutes to chill.
- Remove, pierce with a fork all over and lay greaseproof paper to cover the entire pastry.
- Fill with baking beans or rice right up to the edges of your crust.
- Bake for 20 minutes until the edges are golden, remove the baking beans and continue to bake until golden all over, approximately 10 further minutes.
- Remove and whilst warm, sprinkle over 20 grams / 2 tablespoons of the chopped chocolate, allowing it to melt before spreading it over the base of your pastry. Set aside to cool fully.
Chocolate pudding
- For the chocolate pudding filling, heat the milk in a saucepan on low until a light simmer begins to form on the edges of your saucepan.
- Meanwhile, place the sugar and eggs into a bowl and whisk until pale and combined.
- Sift the cornflour and cocoa powder into the eggs and whisk until well combined and smooth.
- Slowly add in ยผ of the hot milk to the cocoa mixture and whisk to combine until smooth.
- Repeat with the milk in batches until it has all been added to the chocolate and whisk until fully combined.
- Pour the chocolate milk mixture to the heat and increase to medium, sprinkle in the 50 grams / 1.76 ounces roughly chopped chocolate and whisk as the pudding thickens to ensure it remains smooth and doesnโt burn to the bottom or sides of your saucepan.
- Once thickened enough to stick to the back of a spoon, pour into your pastry and jiggle in the pie dish to smooth out the top.
- Place in the fridge to chill for at least 3 hours or preferably overnight.
- For the topping, place the heavy cream and sugar into a bowl and whip until soft peaks form.
- Spoon on top of the pudding and shape to your preference.
- Sprinkle over a little cocoa powder or fine chocolate pieces.
- Slice and plate em up.
- Dig in and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Cocoa powder: High quality plain cocoa powder is used to really give that chocolate flavor intensity.
- Chocolate: Dark chocolate helps deepen the chocolate flavor and coat the pastry base without making the pie too sweet or soggy. You could substitute with milk chocolate in equal measure.
- Heavy cream: Homemade whipped cream is best here for freshness and control over your cream topping. You could substitute with whipped coconut cream.
- Setting your pudding: The key here is to use cornstarch or flour which helps thicken the pudding up and keep it that way once it has cooled. Both cornstarch and flour need to be heated to 60C/140F to activate that thickening power.
- Pie dish: The pie dish used here is 18 cm or 7 inches which is around average. You could substitute with a deep tart tin.
- You can substitute with store-bought pastry: You can if you are short on time with shortcrust pastry being the best option to substitute for homemade flaky pastry.
- Make ahead of time: This is a great make ahead without the cream topping and can remain perfect for up to 2 days before serving, however, once the cream topping has been added, you will want to serve it up within 4 hours.
Nutrition
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