French Silk Pie

Sliced chocolate pie topped with whipped cream in a pie plate.

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This French silk pie is made with a buttery chocolate graham cracker crust, creamy chocolate filling and homemade whipped cream. It's a delicious make ahead dessert that's perfect for Thanksgiving and other special occasions!

Prep Time30

Cook Time30

Chill Time4

Total Time5

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: servings

Calories: 414kcal

Author: Natalie

Ingredients

Chocolate Graham Cracker Crust

1⅓ cups graham cracker crumbs about 10 to 11 full sheets, regular graham crackers, not chocolate, or use pre-crushed crumbs
¼ cup granulated sugar
1½ tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter or up to 7 tablespoons (87 g to 99 g), melted
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

French Silk Chocolate Filling

1 cup heavy whipping cream cold, for folding into the filling
5 ounces semisweet chocolate finely chopped
3 ounces dark chocolate 70%, finely chopped
4 large eggs room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
13 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature

Whipped Cream

1 cup heavy cream cold, 35% fat or more
1½ tablespoons powdered sugar sifted
¾ teaspoon vanilla extract

US Customary - Metric

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

Graham crackers: To save time, use pre-crushed graham cracker crumbs from the baking aisle. To crush them, use a food processor or blender. You can also put them in a zip-lock bag and use a rolling pin to crush them into fine crumbs.

Butter in crust: Let the melted butter cool for at least 5 minutes before stirring it in.

Store bought crust: For another shortcut, use a store-bought graham cracker crust. Depending on the size of your crust, you may have some leftover filling.

Oreo crust version: You can use my Oreo crust recipe included in my peanut butter and chocolate pie recipe for another chocolatey option.

Cocoa Powder: You can use either natural unsweetened or Dutch-process cocoa powder for the crust. Both work great!

Chocolate: I recommend using good-quality semisweet and dark chocolate baking bars (65–70%) for the best flavor and texture. You can use all semisweet chocolate for a sweeter filling. Avoid chocolate chips.

Eggs: Cook the egg and sugar mixture to 160°F, using an instant-read thermometer to check the temperature accurately.

Butter: Make sure the butter is softened to room temperature (around 65°F) before whipping.

Heavy Cream: Use very cold heavy cream with at least 35% milk fat for the best whipping results. If possible, place the bowl of your electric mixer and the beaters or whisk attachment in the fridge or freezer for fifteen minutes. It helps the cream whip up faster.

Chilling: Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or preferably overnight, before serving.

Make Ahead: You can make this pie up to 48 hours in advance! Keep it covered in the refrigerator and add the whipped cream closer to serving time.

Storage: Store leftover pie covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. To freeze, chill the pie until fully set, then wrap tightly in plastic wrap and aluminum foil (without the whipped cream topping). Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and add fresh whipped cream before serving.

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