French Silk Pie is the most luxurious, chocolatey, wonderful dessert that exists - in my opinion. Silky smooth chocolate filling in an Oreo crust, topped with whipped cream. Perfection.
This decadent pie is one of my all-time favorite pies. Scratch that. It IS my favorite pie. As a chocolate lover, I am very critical when it comes to my chocolate desserts, and this French silk pie recipe ticks ALL the boxes.
Not only is it indulgent and chocolatey, but the texture is absolutely divine! It's silky smooth and somehow thick and light at the same time. Kind of like a chocolate mousse but smoother and without the air bubbles.
I have many delicious chocolate desserts on the blog, including my Chocolate Mousse Pie and French Chocolate Flan, but nothing quite hits the spot like this Chocolate French Silk Pie with Oreo crust. Plus it's no-bake and very easy to make. Though it's a simple, no-bake recipe, this pie will impress whoever you feed it to, making it the perfect dessert for dinner parties or special occasions like Thanksgiving or Christmas.
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Ingredients
Oreos - My version of French Silk Pie has an oreo crust, so you'll need some Oreos to make it. Regular Oreos are great as we're going to crush them anyway. Alternatively, you can sometimes find pre-crushed Oreos in the grocery store.
Butter - Use unsalted butter and make sure it is room temperature before starting.
Sugar - You want to use extra fine white sugar (caster sugar in the UK) as we need it to dissolve into the pie filling completely and this is much easier if it is fine.
Dark Chocolate - You definitely want dark chocolate for this pie to make sure the maximum chocolate flavor comes through. Get a high-quality dark chocolate of at least 70% cocoa solids, and do not use chocolate chips or a chocolate candy. bar - you want real chocolate here. Real chocolate bars or chocolate callets. If you really don't want to use dark chocolate, you can use bittersweet chocolate instead, but the chocolate flavor won't be quite as intense.
Cocoa Powder - Make sure to use dutch processed cocoa powder. Natural cocoa powder will still work but the flavor and texture will both be inferior.
Eggs - The key ingredient to that beautiful silky texture! Use large, fresh eggs and always free-range if you can. Note: This recipe does use raw eggs, see my section below for advice on this.
Vanilla - Try to find a high-quality vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste. Do not use vanilla essence.
Whipping Cream - To decorate the pie you'll need whipping cream / heavy cream / double cream. Basically any kind of cream with at least 30% fat. Do not try to use half-and-half.
Powdered Sugar - This is just to sweeten the whipping cream on top slightly. Feel free to leave out if you'd like unsweetened cream.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make the Oreo Crust
Classic French Silk Pie has a flaky pie crust. But I like to make it with an oreo cookie crust for extra chocolate flavor. I think the Oreos really compliments the chocolate pie filling - and it's much easier to make than pie dough!
- Start by crushing up your Oreos. I use the whole oreo, but if you want to you can remove the white oreo filling. You can throw them in the food processor and blitz them for a few seconds. If you don't have a food processor, just put them in a ziplock bag, think of your ex and bash the hell out of them with a rolling pin.
- Put the salt into the crushed oreo crumbs and mix it in.
- Melt your butter in the microwave then pour half of it into the oreo crumbs. Mix it in with a fork or your hands.
- Add a little butter at a time until the crumbs start to clump together. Once you can squeeze the mixture in your hands and it holds its shape, it's ready. You may not need all of the butter.
- Tip the oreo mixture into your pie dish and use your hands to squish it out into an even layer along the base and up the sides of the pie dish. You can use a glass or cup measure (or anything with a flat bottom) to pack it in tightly.
- This is completely optional, but sometimes I like to go the extra step of baking the oreo pie crust for 10 minutes at 350°F / 180°C. This step is completely unnecessary but it just helps make sure it's really going to hold together when you slice it.
Top Tip: I like to put a parchment paper circle in the bottom of my pie pan before putting the crumbs in. This helps to make sure it doesn't stick to the bottom of the dish and you will be able to remove your pie easily.
How to Make the French Silk Pie Filling
A lot of French Silk Pie recipes are made by incorporating whipped cream into the chocolate filling, but my recipe doesn't do that. I find it makes for a thicker, silkier pie with a more intense chocolatey flavor - and that's what we want!
- Start by melting your dark chocolate in the microwave in 30-second increments, or in a double boiler, until it is totally melted.
- Cream the butter and sugar together in your stand mixer with the whisk attachment at medium speed. I highly recommend using a stand mixer for this recipe. You could technically use an electric hand mixer, but we will be whipping the mixture for a very long time, so a stand mixer is best if you want to keep your arms intact!
- Once the butter and sugar mixture is light and fluffy, melted chocolate and whisk until combined.
- Add the vanilla and cocoa powder and whip until totally incorporated.
- Now comes the magical part! Add one egg to the chocolate mixture and then turn the mixer up to high speed and whip for 5 full minutes.
- Repeat with all of the eggs, whipping for a full five minutes in between each egg. Scrape down the sides of the bowl after each five-minute period before adding the next egg.
- You'll notice the consistency change with each egg addition. Once the last egg is whipped in, the sugar should have dissolved completely into the mixture and you should have a beautifully silky chocolate filling.
- Pour the pie filling into the oreo crust and smooth out the top with a palette knife or something similar. Make sure you use a rubber spatula or bowl scraper to get every last bit of that rich chocolate filling.
- Place the chocolate silk pie into the fridge to chill for at least four hours before attempting to slice. You can cover the pie dish with plastic wrap to avoid fridge odors sinking into the pie, but don't let it touch the surface of the chocolate filling. I recommend decorating right before serving.
How to Decorate French Silk Pie
The fun thing about cream pies is that you don't need ANY decorating skills whatsoever in order to make a really beautiful and impressive dessert, Just like my Banoffee Pie / Banana Cream Pie. The typical way to decorate is with a big old pile of fresh whipped cream and some chocolate curls, which does not need to be neat and tidy to look good.
- Start by whipping your heavy whipping cream in your stand mixer with the whisk attachment, or in a large bowl with an electric mixer on a medium-high speed. The cream will whip up better if it is cold so take it out of the fridge right before starting.
- Once the cream starts to thicken a little, add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Continue to whip until stiff peaks form.
- Once the cream is whipped, you can just spoon it on top of the pie and use a palette knife or even just a spoon to spread it out and make it look however you like.
- Finish off with some chocolate shavings. These look impressive but are really easy to do! Just take a chocolate bar and firmly run a potato peeler over it. The little chocolate curls will fall right off looking all rolled up and pretty. It's best to do this directly over your pie so they fall straight into place as they can be very delicate and difficult to move.
What about the Raw Eggs?
It is very important to note that this recipe does contain raw eggs. In the UK, where I am based, most supermarket eggs are perfectly safe to eat raw. However, in the US or elsewhere you may need to check your egg carton to see if the eggs have been pasteurized (there will be a big P on the packaging). If you can't find pasteurized eggs, you could also substitute for carton eggs. Any egg products sold out of their shell in the US have to be pasteurized by law, and so will be perfectly safe to eat.
If you are not sure if your eggs are pasteurized or not, you can heat them gently in a double boiler, whisking slowly the whole time until the reach a temperature of 160°F / 71°C. This will kill any bacteria and make them safe to consume.
You can also make this pie with raw eggs, even if unpasteurized, but it's important to know the risks. Raw, unpasteurized eggs may contain E. coli or Salmonella, which can make you sick. These days, the chances of getting sick from eggs are fairly slim, especially if you are using fresh eggs that have been stored correctly. However, there is always a risk so I don't advise you to serve this pie to anyone who is elderly, under 3, pregnant or immuno-compromised.
Variations
There are a few different ways you can make this recipe to suit your personal preference.
Traditional Homemade Pie Crust - if you prefer the classic recipe, you can of course make a traditional pie crust instead of the cookie pie crust. Any flaky pie dough recipe will do the trick! You could also make a regular graham cracker crust.
Lighter pie - As I mentioned above, many French silk pie recipes will incorporate whipped cream into the filling as well as on top of the pie. I leave it out to create a thicker, more intense chocolate pie, but for a lighter, fluffier version you can whip up 1.5 cups of heavy whipping cream in a separate bowl and fold it into the chocolate mixture before pouring it into your pie dish.
Cool Whip - If you don't want to whip cream, you could use a pre-made whipped cream topping such as cool whip to decorate the pie.
Storage
Store your homemade french silk pie in the fridge with plastic wrap over top to protect it from fridge odors. It will be good in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Summary
This french silk chocolate pie will have you falling in love at first bite. It's a great recipe for entertaining or even for family dinners as it's an easy, no-bake chocolate cream pie that is super impressive and delicious and can be made ahead of time.
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Recipe
French Silk Pie
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Oreo Crust
- 1.5 cups Oreo Crumbs 180g
- ¼ cup Unsalted Butter 57g (melted)
- ½ teaspoon Salt
For the Pie Filling
- 1 cup Unsalted Butter 227g
- 1 ½ cups Granulated Sugar 300g (extra fine / caster sugar)
- 115 g Dark Chocolate melted
- ½ cup Cocoa Powder 50g
- 4 large Eggs
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
To Decorate
- 2 cups Whipping Cream
- 2 tablespoon Powdered Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Instructions
Make the crust
- Add the salt and half of the butter to the oreo crumbs and mix until well incorporated. Add a little more at a time, mixing in between, until the oreo crumbs are able to clump together. You may not need all of the butter.1.5 cups Oreo Crumbs, ¼ cup Unsalted Butter, ½ teaspoon Salt
- Pour the oreo crumb mixture into your pie dish and press it into the base and up the sides of the dish. You can use a glass or cup measure to make sure the crumbs are tightly packed so they hold theri shape when you cut into the pie.
- I like to bake my pie crust for 10 minute sat 350°F / 180°C just to make sure it really holds together. But this step is not neccessary and you can skip it if you like.
Make the Pie Filling
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the butter and sugar with the whisk attachment until light and fluffy.1 cup Unsalted Butter, 1 ½ cups Granulated Sugar
- Add the melted chocolate and mix until incorporated.115 g Dark Chocolate
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add the cocoa powder and vanilla and continue to whip until well combined.½ cup Cocoa Powder, 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- Add one egg and then whip on medium-high speed for 5 full minutes. Repeat with the other eggs, whipping for 5 minutes in between each egg. By the last egg the mixture should be beautifully smooth and silky, and all the sugar should have dissolved.4 large Eggs
- Pour into your pie crust and smooth the top out. Put in the fridge to chill for at least 4 hours.
Decorate
- Put whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla into your stand mixer and whip to stiff peaks.2 cups Whipping Cream, 2 tablespoon Powdered Sugar, 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- Dollop all the whipped cream on top of the cake and shape however you like it. It does not need to be neat to look beautiful!
- For a finishing touch, top with some chocolate curls. I do this by running a potato peeler over a bar of chocolate and letting the curls fall onto the pie.
Notes
It really helps and I love hearing all your feedback!
Nutrition
FAQ
Check your egg carton to see if the eggs have been pasteurized. If they have, they are perfectly safe to eat raw. You can also use carton eggs, which are always pasteurized. You can still make this recipe with unpasteurized eggs, but there is a small risk of them containing E.coli or Salmonella so I don't advise serving this pie to anyone who is elderly, under 3, pregnant or immuno-compromised.
You don't have to bake an Oreo pie crust, it will hold its shape without baking. You can bake it though for extra strength. 10 minutes of baking at 350°F will work.
French Silk Pie will be good in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Make sure you have a very sharp knife or pie cutter. Start in the middle and run your knife outward, making sure to cut all the way through the pie crust. Gently pry the pie shell away from the sides of the pry dish, then scoop your knife underneath and lift the pie slice out. Enjoy!
Ayla Banes
So raw eggs in a recipe is a no bueno, do not use this recipe. I had to have a friend help me double boil this while we stressed about if the eggs would end up scrambled.
Jules Grasekamp
Hi Ayla,
Thank you for your comment. There is a whole section in the blog post all about the eggs. It includes information on the risk factors, when you can and can't use raw eggs, how to tell if they have been pasteurised, and how to heat the eggs to make them safe.
The section is a main title heading and it is listed in the table of contents at the top. It's called 'What About The Raw Eggs'.
I also have a note in the recipe card about this referring to this section.
Hope this helps for next time, and I hope you still enjoyed the French Silk Pie and didn't rate it 1 star because of the flavor!
Jules
Joshua
Pasteurize the eggs. I did. I made this twice. Large eggs — 3 minutes, jumbo for 5 minutes. Submerge the eggs in water (in their shells), then bring them up to 140°F (60°C) for 3 to 5 minutes depending on size. Just don't let them exceed 145°F (62.7°C). After that, cool them in a cold bath. When you crack them to put them in the recipe the whites should be cloudy/white. This process kills harmful bacteria and pathogens.
Kevin Wagnon
The butter doesn’t say if it should be softened or melted.
Renee
Can you leave the pie uncovered when you put it in the fridge to chill for 4 hours or should it be covered with plastic wrap?
Neil
Great recipe, but regarding your comment about raw eggs - I just have to mention that eggs cannot be pasteurized, as the temperature required for pasteurization will fully cook the egg. A lot of eggs today are manufactured from chickens that are pasture-raised, and the label mentions that, you probably read that as pasteurized. It's true though that it's very uncommon to get eggs with salmonella bacteria in it, still the risk exists.
Joshua
140°F/60°C for 3 to 5 minutes. I did it for this recipe.
Joshua
You can pasteurize eggs. I have done it twice. 140°F (60°C) for three to five minutes depending on egg size. The egg white is cloudy instead of clear.