French Silk Pie
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Perfectly sweet and extra chocolate-y French Silk Pie…with a melt-in-your-mouth tender pie crust and lots of whipped cream on top! This pie is a classic, but we’ve made a few updates to make it even BETTER. The filling is made with simple ingredients, but now contains NO raw eggs! So, not only is this pie absolutely delicious, but it’s safe to eat! Oh, and there is still plenty of chocolate. Though, the goodness doesn’t stop there. The crust is rich, flake-y, buttery, and the perfect compliment to the richness of this classic pie. Put everything together and you will have the most delicious French Silk Pie just waiting to be enjoyed. Every bite is silky smooth, chocolate-y, super creamy, and incredibly luscious. Finish with lightly sweetened whipped cream (Chantilly Cream!) and some chocolate shavings for a stunning, but oh so simple dessert that’s perfect for any time of year, but especially during Valentine’s, Easter, or even Christmas!
About The Recipe
There is nothing better than a homemade French Silk Pie. It’s creamy, decadent, extra chocolate-y, and SOOO good. It pretty much puts any other chocolate pie to shame…and it’s oh so simple (no bake!). We couldn’t think of a better pie to share with all of you today!
We have been baking all things chocolate as of late and, this pie, really had to be on our to-make list. My mom used to make this pie ALL. THE. TIME. when she had her catering business. It was one of her most requested recipes for events and parties. Though, she said she was always bothered by the fact that the pie contained raw eggs.
Well, when we were debating on what to make for this week, one of the things that came up was her French Silk Pie. Admittedly, we were both a bit hesitant. Not because this pie is difficult, but due to the raw eggs. Not everyone has access to pasteurized eggs and we always strive to share recipes that EVERYONE can make and enjoy.
So, my mom put her thinking cap on.
Immediately, we both knew the eggs needed to be cooked, but how was the question! We didn’t want anything too complicated, but we wanted to do this pie justice. My mom researched and tested for TWO days trying to find the perfect way to give you the silkiest and most delicious French Silk Pie recipe ever.
What we found worked the best was making a sugar syrup (just water and sugar!) and cooking it to 244 degrees Fahrenheit. This temperature allows the eggs to cook completely and they won’t scramble! Total win-win.
So, this technique keeps true to the original recipe, but bringing it up to date and makes it totally safe to eat!
What To Expect From This French Silk Pie
- Light, but rich mousse-like textured filling.
- Extra chocolate-y and TOTALLY delicious.
- Contains NO raw eggs.
- Does not need to be baked.
- The perfect chocolate pie for any and every holiday!
Equipment Needed
- 2 Quart Pot
- Candy Thermometer
- Stand Mixer
- Rubber Spatula
- Offset Spatula
Ingredients
(Full ingredient amounts and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post)
For The Pie:
- 9 Inch Pre-Baked Pie Crust
- Large Eggs
- Bittersweet Chocolate
- Granulated Sugar
- Water
- Salted Butter
- Vanilla Extract
For The Whipped Cream:
- Heavy Whipping Cream
- Vanilla Extract
- Powdered Sugar
How To Make French Silk Pie
Step 1: Make the filling
Beat the eggs in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until frothy, 1-2 minutes.
In a small saucepan, heat sugar and water to 244 degrees Fahrenheit.
With the mixer running, stream sugar syrup into eggs. Continue beating until cool, about 3-4 minutes.
While mixture is beating, melt chocolate.
When egg mixture has cooled, beat in the melted chocolate and vanilla.
While continuing to beat, add butter in small amounts. Beat until completely smooth and no chunks of butter remain.
Step 2: Fill pie crust
Spoon filling into a pre-baked pie crust. Spread with an offset spatula until smooth and level on top.
Step 3: Make the whipped cream
Beat heavy cream, vanilla, and powdered sugar to medium peaks.
Step 4: Decorate
Spoon or pipe whipped cream over the top of the pie. Top with chocolate shavings or curls.
How To Make a Pie Crust
Want to make your own crust instead of using store-bought? No problem! It’s actually super simple. Follow the directions below for a flake-y, buttery, and delicious crust that comes out perfect every time!
- Combine 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour and ½ teaspoon salt in food processor. Pulse a few times to ensure it’s mixed. Add frozen butter, a couple of Tablespoons at a time. You will need 9 Tablespoons. Pulse until mixture is crumbly. Add water, one tablespoon at a time, pulsing after each, just until dough holds together.
- Turn dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap. Wrap ends over and flatten slightly. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
- Turn out onto a piece of parchment paper sprinkled with flour. Sprinkle top of dough with flour. Roll out into a large circle. Lift parchment with dough on it. Place pie plate on top and invert. Straighten crust, if needed. Trim.
- Place a piece of parchment paper over crust and fill with pie weights. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove weights and parchment paper. Return to oven for another 10 minutes.
For more information and tips, head over to our Homemade Tender Pie Crust Recipe!
Decorating Ideas
The best thing about a french silk pie is that it is SO easy to make look elegant. Though, you can really spend some time topping and decorating this pie. Here are some of our favorites!
- Use piping tips! This is a great way to add flare and elegance to your french silk pie. Though, if you really want to level-up this pie, use a couple of different sized tips and pipe different shapes and patters for a beautiful pie!
- Chocolate curls or chocolate shavings sprinkled on top. Even a light dusting of cocoa powder can really make this pie POP!
- Use fresh berries (raspberries, blackberries, or strawberries!) on top of the whipped cream to help cut through the richness of the pie, but also to add a gorgeous touch of color.
- Toasted nuts like almonds can really give this pie a different vibe and can be fun if you’re looking for something unique!
What’s The Best Chocolate To Use?
We highly recommend using a high-quality chocolate that you like the flavor of, as this pie tastes ONLY of chocolate. We found that using Bittersweet (70%) provided deep chocolate tones, while remaining just sweet enough to not give this pie any bitter flavors.
How To Store French Silk Pie
Once this pie is made, it actually stores WONDERFULLY! Cover with plastic wrap, transfer into large lidded container, or in a covered cake plate and keep in the fridge for 3-4 days. Though, the absolute best thing about this pie is that it freezes great! You can freeze the whole pie, but be sure to cover it with foil. We recommend actually cutting the pie into individual slices and storing them in a freezer safe, zip-top bag for connivence! It should last up to 2 months in the freezer.
Expert Tips
- Make sure your candy thermometer is accurate. You can do a quick test with boiling water! A pot of boiling water should read 212 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Make sure the eggs are whipping on high speed and you pour the syrup into them SLOWLY! You want the eggs to cool, but not scramble.
- To tell if the egg mixture has cooled, place your hands on the bottom of the mixer bowl to feel the temperature. If it’s cool to the touch, you’re ready to add melted chocolate! If it’s still warm, let it continue beatings.
- To melt the chocolate, you can use a microwave. Place in a microwave safe bowl and melt at 30 second intervals, stirring well in-between each. Our microwave takes about 1 minute – 1 minute 15 seconds total to melt the chocolate.
- Make sure your butter is room temperature. This is really important. If it’s cold when you try to beat it in, you will have chunks of butter everywhere and unable to beat them out.
- Be sure ALL the butter is beaten into the chocolate mixture before adding it to the pie crust.
- You can use store-bought or homemade pie crust.
- Use an off-set spatula to smooth the top of the pie and to get it level.
- This pie NEEDS to be refrigerated after making.
When you make this French Silk Pie, leave a comment down below! We love hearing from you and answering any questions you might have! Also, be sure to tag us on social media and hashtag it #BakersTable.
French Silk Pie
Ingredients
Filling
- 4 large eggs,, room temperature
- 1 ½ cups bittersweet chocolate
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup water
- ¾ cup salted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Whipped Cream
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 Tablespoons powdered sugar
Extras
- 9-inch pre-baked pie crust
- Chocolate shavings,, for topping
Instructions
Pie Filling
- Beat eggs in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until frothy, 1-2 minutes.
- In a small saucepan, heat sugar and water to 244 degrees.
- With the mixer running, stream sugar syrup into eggs.
- Continue beating until cool, 3-4 minutes.
- While mixture is beating, melt chocolate.
- When mixture has cooled, beat in chocolate and vanilla.
- While continuing to beat, add butter in small amounts.
- Beat until completely smooth.
- Spoon into a pre-baked 9-inch pie shell and spread evenly.
Whipped Cream
- Beat heavy cream, vanilla, and powdered sugar to medium peaks.
- Spoon or pipe onto top of pie.
- Garnish with shaved chocolate, if desired.
Notes
- Make sure your candy thermometer is accurate. You can do a quick test with boiling water! A pot of boiling water should read 212 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Make sure the eggs are whipping on high speed and you pour the syrup into them SLOWLY! You want the eggs to cool, but not scramble.
- To tell if the egg mixture has cooled, place your hands on the bottom of the mixer bowl to feel the temperature. If it’s cool to the touch, you’re ready to add melted chocolate! If it’s still warm, let it continue beatings.
- To melt the chocolate, you can use a microwave. Place in a microwave safe bowl and melt at 30 second intervals, stirring well in-between each. Our microwave takes about 1 minute – 1 minute 15 seconds total to melt the chocolate.
- Make sure your butter is room temperature. This is really important. If it’s cold when you try to beat it in, you will have chunks of butter everywhere and unable to beat them out.
- Be sure ALL the butter is beaten into the chocolate mixture before adding it to the pie crust.
- You can use store-bought or homemade pie crust.
- Use an off-set spatula to smooth the top of the pie and to get it level.
- This pie NEEDS to be refrigerated after making.
EQUIPMENT
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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