This French silk pie has a rich, chocolate mousse-like filling, a press-in chocolate graham cracker crust, and a layer of vanilla whipped cream on top.
It’s as delicious as the desserts I learned to make in pastry school, but it’s made with basic ingredients and is simple to put together.
The eggs are cooked, so there’s nothing raw. It’s also one of my favorite holiday pie recipes, since you can make it ahead.
French silk pie is one of my favorite desserts for a special occasion! It gets everyone talking about how good it is- especially the creamy chocolate filling!
The filling reminds me of my chocolate mini cheesecakes and chocolate mousse bars!
For the chocolate graham cracker crust, just press into your pie plate and bake. No rolling out dough or special equipment needed.
The filling takes a few extra steps, but I’ll walk you through everything with step by step pictures and a video to help you get that silky texture!
What is french silk pie?
Despite its name, French silk pie is actually an American dessert! It became popular after it was entered in the 1951 Pillsbury Bake-Off.
Traditionally, it’s made with three main components:
- Crust: Traditional French Silk Pie is made with a flaky pie crust, but I use regular graham cracker crumbs with cocoa powder added for an easy chocolate crust. Just mix, press, and bake!
- Chocolate Filling: Traditional French silk pie is made with butter, sugar, melted chocolate, and uncooked eggs. My version heats the eggs with sugar to 160°F. It has that same creamy filling without raw eggs!
- Whipped Cream: The pie’s usually topped with a layer of sweetened whipped cream. I make mine with vanilla for a little extra flavor!
Jump to:
Why You’ll Love this recipe
- No raw eggs. The eggs are gently heated with sugar to 160°F to make them safe to eat.
- Silky chocolate filling. It’s rich, creamy, and light with a mousse-like texture.
- Easy chocolate graham cracker crust. Just mix, press, and bake!
- Two kinds of chocolate. Semisweet and dark chocolate give the filling a rich chocolate flavor without making it overly sweet.
- Impressive dessert. It’s as yummy as the pastry recipes I learned in pastry school, but it’s surprisingly simple to make with basic ingredients.
- Make it ahead. The pie needs time to chill anyway, so make it the day before and add the whipped cream just before serving!
Ingredient Notes
- I use regular graham cracker crumbs (not chocolate) and add a little cocoa powder for chocolate flavor for the crust. They’re easier to find and more versatile for other recipes! I prefer using pre-crushed crumbs to save time. You can also crush whole crackers in a food processor or zip-top bag.
- Use either natural unsweetened cocoa powder or Dutch-process cocoa powder for the crust.
- I use a combination of semisweet and dark chocolate (around 65–70%, like Lindt Excellence 70%). The semisweet adds sweetness, while the dark chocolate gives the filling a deeper chocolate flavor. You can use all semisweet chocolate for a sweeter filling. For the smoothest results, use good-quality baking bars instead of chocolate chips, and finely chop the chocolate so it melts evenly. Save a little extra chocolate for a simple decoration!
- You’ll need 4 large eggs for the filling. The eggs are gently cooked with sugar until they reach 160°F. This helps ensure they’re safely cooked while still giving the filling its smooth, creamy texture. Use an instant-read thermometer to check the temperature accurately.
- Use room temperature unsalted butter, ideally around 65°F. This helps the butter whip properly and incorporate air for a light, fluffy filling. If the butter is too cold, it won’t whip smoothly, and if it’s too warm, it can make the filling greasy or heavy.
- Use cold heavy cream or heavy whipping cream, which has 35% fat or more. It whips up thick and holds its shape. Light cream and half-and-half won’t whip.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions and Variations
- For a time-saving option, feel free to use a store-bought graham cracker crust. Depending on the size of your crust, you may have a little extra filling. Spoon any leftovers into small bowls or glasses like my chocolate mini pies!
- Store-bought whipped topping works in place of homemade whipped cream!
- Prefer a traditional French Silk Pie? Use a homemade pie crust instead of the graham cracker crust. Just bake it ahead of time and let it cool completely.
- Use all semisweet chocolate for a sweeter filling.
- You can use either natural unsweetened or Dutch-process cocoa powder in the crust. Use whichever you have on hand!
- You can use regular graham crackers without the cocoa powder for a classic graham cracker crust, or swap in an Oreo crust like the one I use in my chocolate and peanut butter pie.
How to make french silk pie
quick video recap
Step by step instructions
Step 1: Mix the ingredients for the crust. Press the mixture into the bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie plate. Bake at 350 F for 10 minutes.
Step 2: Whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Melt the chopped semisweet and dark chocolate together in a double boiler or microwave. Set aside.
Step 3: Whisk the eggs and sugar in a heatproof bowl over a pot of gently simmering water until the mixture reaches 160°F on a digital thermometer, approximately 10–11 minutes. Cool five minutes.
Step 4: Stir the melted chocolate into the egg mixture with a spatula until completely smooth. Allow the mixture to cool for about 10 minutes.
Step 5: In a large bowl, beat the room temperature butter on medium speed until creamy and fluffy. Mix the vanilla extract and cooled chocolate mixture into the butter.
Step 6: Fold the chilled whipped cream into the chocolate mixture.
Step 7: Spread the filling evenly into the completely cooled chocolate graham cracker crust.
Step 8: Whip the cold cream to soft peaks. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Whip to medium-stiff peaks. Spoon it over chilled pie. Optional: Use a vegetable peeler to make chocolate curls for decoration.
Natalie’s Expert Tips
- Plan ahead so the pie has time to chill and set before serving. I make it the morning of or even the day before serving and let it chill in the fridge overnight. I recommend at least 4 hours of chilling time.
- Use good quality chocolate. I don’t recommend chocolate chips here. They have stabilizers that keep them from melting smoothly.
- Use a thermometer to check the temperature of the eggs. Cook the eggs to 160°F so they’re safe to eat.
- Let chocolate mixture cool. If it’s still warm when you add it to the butter, it can melt the butter.
- Cool the crust completely before adding the filling. This usually takes about 20–30 minutes.
- Fold the whipped cream gently so you don’t deflate it.
- For clean slices, run a sharp knife under hot water, wipe it dry, and repeat between slices.
Common Questions
French Silk Pie is made with a chocolate graham cracker crust, a rich chocolate filling made with melted chocolate, butter, and cooked eggs, and vanilla whipped cream. The filling has a smooth, light, mousse-like texture that makes this pie so delicious!
French Silk Pie has a rich, silky chocolate filling with a light, mousse-like texture, unlike traditional chocolate pudding pie. It looks fancy but is easy to make from scratch with simple ingredients!
No! Traditional French Silk Pie recipes often use raw eggs, but this recipe uses cooked eggs instead. They’re whisked with sugar over a double boiler until they reach 160°F, so you get that smooth chocolate filling without using raw eggs!
No. French Silk Pie looks fancy, but it’s surprisingly simple to make with basic ingredients and no special tools.
Yes! Make the pie up to 2 days ahead and keep it in the fridge. Add the whipped cream just before serving.
Storage
Refrigerator
Keep the pie in the fridge covered with plastic wrap or in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Freezer
Chill the pie in the refrigerator until it sets then wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, followed by a layer of aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to serve, thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Make and add the whipped cream just before serving.
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French Silk Pie
Ingredients
Chocolate Graham Cracker Crust
- 1⅓ cups (160 g) graham cracker crumbs about 10 to 11 full sheets, regular graham crackers, not chocolate, or use pre-crushed crumbs
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 1½ tablespoons (8 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons (84 g) unsalted butter or up to 7 tablespoons (87 g to 99 g), melted
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
French Silk Chocolate Filling
- 1 cup (240 g) heavy whipping cream cold, for folding into the filling
- 5 ounces (141 g) semisweet chocolate finely chopped
- 3 ounces (85 g) dark chocolate 70%, finely chopped
- 4 (200 g) large eggs room temperature
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 13 tablespoons (182 g) unsalted butter room temperature
Whipped Cream
- 1 cup (240 g) heavy cream cold, 35% fat or more
- 1½ tablespoons (12 g) powdered sugar sifted
- ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Chocolate Graham Cracker Crust
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Melt 6 tablespoons butter in a small bowl. Allow to cool for about 5 minutes before using.
- Crush graham crackers in food processor until finely ground into crumbs (skip this step if you're starting with graham cracker crumbs). Mix the graham cracker crumbs, cocoa powder, sugar, salt in a medium bowl. Stir in the melted butter and vanilla extract. Mix well to make sure the crumbs are evenly coated with the butter.
- Pinch some of the mixture with your fingers. If it holds together once you let go, it’s ready. If it’s sandy and falls apart, add one more tablespoon of melted butter.
- Pour the crumb mixture into an ungreased 9-inch pie plate. Use your hand to firmly press the crumbs down into the bottom and up the sides. Pat down with medium pressure until the mixture is no longer crumby/crumbly but don't press down too hard. Use a small flat-bottomed measuring cup to help press down the bottom crust and to smooth out the surface.
- Bake for 10 minutes.
- Transfer to a wire rack and allow the crust to cool completely.
French Silk Chocolate Filling
- Read through all the directions before starting so you have an overview of the preparation.
- Whip the heavy cream. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer with a whisk attachment, whip 1 cup of heavy whipping cream on medium high speed in a large bowl until stiff peaks form. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until needed.
- Melt the chocolate. Melt the finely chopped semisweet and dark chocolate together in a double boiler or microwave in 20-second increments, stirring between each interval until smooth. Set aside.
- Whisk the eggs and sugar. In a large heatproof bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar until combined.
- Place the bowl over a pot of gently simmering water, ensuring the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water.
- Whisk constantly until the mixture reaches 160°F, approximately 10–11 minutes. Use a digital thermometer to verify the temperature.
- Remove from the heat and allow the mixture to cool for 5 minutes.
- Add the melted chocolate to the egg mixture. Gently stir the melted chocolate into the egg mixture with a spatula until completely smooth. Allow the mixture to cool for about 10 minutes.
- Beat the butter. In a separate large mixing bowl, beat the room temperature butter on medium speed until creamy and fluffy, approximately 2 minutes.
- Mix in the vanilla extract.
- Add chocolate mixture to the butter. With the mixer running on medium low speed, pour the chocolate mixture into the butter.
- Increase the speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Fold in the whipped cream. Gently fold in the chilled whipped cream using a spatula until evenly incorporated. Avoid overmixing to maintain the airy texture.
- Spread filling into the pan. Spread the filling evenly into the completely cooled chocolate graham cracker crust.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight, until thoroughly chilled and set.
Vanilla Whipped Cream
- In a large bowl, combine the cold cream and vanilla extract. Use a handheld electric mixer on medium speed to whip the cream to soft peaks.
- Mix in the sifted powdered sugar on low speed. Once powdered sugar is incorporated, turn the mixer up to medium high speed and mix to stiff peaks.
- Dollop the whipped cream with a spoon over the chilled pie before serving.
- For clean slices, dip a sharp knife in hot water or run it under hot water and wipe dry between cuts.
- Serve chilled. Optional-use a vegetable peeler to peel some dark chocolate for decoration.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Please note that nutritional values are created by an online calculator and should only be used as an estimate.
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