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French Silk Pie (Chocolate Pie)

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French Silk Pie (Chocolate Pie) Recipe | gimmesomeoven.com

Oui. Our next recipe for pie week is none other than the classic French Silk Pie!

Some of you probably know it simply as Chocolate Pie. But whatever you call it, this French Silk Chocolate Pie is decadent, creamy, silky, and a definite crowd-pleaser.

And it is filled with chocolate!!!

French Silk Pie (Chocolate Pie) Recipe | gimmesomeoven.com

Although I have to admit — I cheated a little on the French this time and used tons of bittersweet German chocolate in this recipe that I bought at my local ALDI!

You can actually use any semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate for this recipe (even chocolate chips). But if you haven’t ever explored the chocolate section at ALDI, you must. All of their stores carry a great assortment of high-quality chocolate bars made in Germany at incredibly affordable prices. And ever since spending a good 10 minutes standing directly in front of the chocolate display in our behind-the-scenes tour at ALDI headquarters last month, I have been craving that chocolate! So I decided a French Silk Pie was the perfect excuse to stock up on some of my favorite bars — some of which went into this chocolate pie, and some of which I chopped up on top. (Because I have yet to conquer melting it into those darn chocolate curls!)

I have to admit I was a little bummed not to get to scan my own items at ALDI this time, though. ;)

French Silk Pie (Chocolate Pie) Recipe | gimmesomeoven.com

This was my first time making a French Silk Pie, and I assumed it would be tricky since it’s — well — French cooking. But it turns out that your mixer really does all the work with this chocolate pie recipe! Actually, your mixer will do 20 minutes of work whipping that batter until into silky perfection. But resist the temptation to cut that time short, because you will thank yourself (and your mixer) for putting in the time with every delicious bite.

French Silk Pie (Chocolate Pie) Recipe | gimmesomeoven.com

We all loved this French Silk Pie recipe!!!

I mean, really – chocolate pie, a thick layer of whipped cream, and lots of chocolate shavings — what’s not to love? :)

French Silk Pie (Chocolate Pie) Recipe | gimmesomeoven.com

Definitely a recipe to make and share with your friends. Pronto.

French Silk Pie (Chocolate Pie) Recipe | gimmesomeoven.com

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French Silk Pie (Chocolate Pie)

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.4 from 16 reviews
  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 12-16 slices 1x

Description

If you love chocolate pie, you are going to love this French Silk Pie recipe!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 4 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, softened
  • 1 1/2 cups ultra-fine sugar
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 4 eggs, room temperature
  • (optional) 1/4 tsp. espresso powder
  • 1 fully pre-baked 9-inch pie shell (homemade or store-bought)
  • 3 cups whipped cream
  • 1 chocolate bar, roughly chopped or shaved or melted into chocolate curls

Instructions

  1. Heat chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl in 20-second intervals, stirring between, until completely melted. Set aside and let cool for about 10 minutes until it is room temperature.
  2. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer using the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 1-2 minutes. When melted chocolate has cooled, gradually add it to the butter/sugar mixture. Add the espresso powder (if using). Beat the mixture on medium-low speed until thoroughly until combined. Add vanilla and beat until combined.
  3. Switch to the whisk attachment. Add one egg, and beat for 5 minutes on medium speed. Repeat with remaining three eggs, beating the mixture for an additional 5 minutes after each egg. (20 minutes total.) Pour the filling into a baked pie shell in a pie plate, and use a spatula to spread out the top evenly. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or until chilled before serving.
  4. Top with desired amount of whipped cream, then garnish with chocolate shavings or curls.
  5. *This ingredient does use raw eggs.  Consume at your own risk.

Notes

Very slightly adapted from The Pioneer Woman.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. And this is a compensated sponsored post from ALDI. I had the chance to participate in their Test Kitchen Event last month, and am so excited to be partnering with this brand I love. All opinions are 100% my own as always.

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117 comments on “French Silk Pie (Chocolate Pie)”

  1. I’ve noticed that when using pasteurized eggs they need to be beaten longer, like instead of 3-4 min. it might take 6-8 for one egg. Maybe this will decrease the runny pies…….I wouldn’t try it at all with regular raw eggs unless they came from my chickens!

  2. You are unable to produce chocolate curls because you are melting the chocolate.  You have to shave the chocolate with a knife or vegetable peeler.

  3. My pie was grainy. I couldn’t find ultra fine sugar so I used extra fine sugar. Do you have any recommendations?  We loved the flavor, but the grainy texture ruined it.

  4. I’ve been making this pie for my hubby for about a year now. Everyone says it’s the best pie they’ve ever tasted. The only thing I changed was to add 1/2c of nutella to the recipe. 

    • We’re so glad you and your husband enjoy this and we bet that Nutella is an amazing addition! :D

  5. Does this pie keep well for a few days? I want to make for Christmas dinner dessert, it’s Monday and that will be Friday evening. 

    • Hi Melissa, you could make the pie two or three days in advance (without the whipped cream on top – we would make that and top the pie on Friday). We wouldn’t really advice making the pie any earlier than that though, as the crust it might start to get soggy. We hope this helps, and that you enjoy!

  6. This pie looks amazing and I am planning to make this for dessert Friday evening for some friends that are coming over for dinner! How far in advance can I make this and it still be okay? I am thinking more than a couple of days may make the crust soggy?

    • Hey Christina! You can always make your pie dough in advance and refrigerate it (a day or two before baking). That will save you some time! As for the pie, we’d say you can do everything the day before – (except leave your whipped cream for an hour or two before you serve, so it’s fresh and it won’t get watery or lose its fluffiness). Just make sure to cover and store the pie in the fridge. :) We hope you and your friends have an awesome time, and that you enjoy the pie!

  7. Oh my goodness.  I baked this and shared with neighbors and my partner.  I bake, a lot, and I was told this was by far the best yet.  

    The recipe is fantastic, easy to follow and the result is a decadent, smooth, silky dessert that will bring everyone together :-)

  8. I have made this pie several times.My family loves it.I use an 85% cocoa bar I buy at Aldis.They key to this pies melt in your mouth texture is beating each egg for 5 minutes.Easy to make,and so delicious.

    • We’re so happy you and your family like it Julie! And that’s great to know about that Aldi bar — we’ll totally have to try it next time!

  9. thanks for sharing it…. i realy liked it… Always success.. Best regards, Supriadi

  10. I made this for my mother in law for Mother’s Day and she loooooved it! Well, we all did but her opinion was the most important! And what a fun pie to make too! Thank you for a great recipe! 

  11. I’ve made this pie SEVERAL times now, it’s my dad’s favorite. He says it’s way better than Baker’s Square French silk pie. I’ve always used granulated sugar and never had a problem with graininess. It will be grainy up until you add the eggs and beat for 20 minutes. By the 2nd egg, the texture turns super creamy and fluffy. I also use eggs I buy at the grocery store, I just make sure to buy them the day before or day of. I absolutely love this recipe, thank you so much for sharing!

    • Thanks for sharing with us Anna — that is so sweet, and we’re happy you and your dad are such fans! :)

  12. Can i use powdered sugar?

    • Hi Hira! We haven’t tried powdered sugar in this, but we wouldn’t recommend it. We hope you enjoy the pie!

  13. I have made this recipe for the last two thanksgiving dessert party I have hosted. This is by far the best chocolate pie recipe ever. I will be making 3 more next week!

  14. Really disappointed! I was sooooo excited for this recipe because this is my favorite pie! But it was so funny and wouldn’t set up – any suggestions! The taste was great-just wouldn’t firm up! Thanks!

    • Hi Sierra! Oh no, we’re so sorry! We wonder if it just needed longer to chill? Chilling helps it set.

  15. Can you make this pie without using an electronic stand mixer? This dessert looks delicious but do not have access to the mixer you are referring to.

    • Hi Jenny! You don’t need a stand mixer for this, but we strongly recommend using an electric mixer of some sort for best results. If you don’t have one you could try hand-whisking, but it will take a lot longer. We hope this helps!

  16. i’m making this pie today and was just wondering where I add the espresso powder? thanks!!

  17. Don’t skip the ultra fine sugar! As suggested, I substituted with regular grandulated sugar and I would not recommend. Because there is no cooking involved, the sugar stayed too crunchy. I used ghiradelli brand semisweet chocolate and there was not much of a chocolate taste- just really sweet and sugary. Usually great stuff here- but this one didn’t work for me.

  18. Best Pie EVER! I can’t wait to make it for Christmas again. Thanks so much for this AMAZING recipe!

  19. If you don’t have ulta-fine sugar just put regular sugar in a coffee grinder or food processor, that did the trick for me!

  20. Mine doesn’t look at all as dark as the picture, the more I whipped each egg, the lighter it got (essentially we’re making meringue here), not sure why, how is your so dark and chocolately looking? Mine came out tan :(

  21. Good other then regular sugar makes it gritty a little bummed

    • Hi Kristin! The recipe actually calls for ultra fine sugar, which prevents this from being gritty. We hope you can find some and try it again!

  22. Loved this pie! It turned out so perfect!

  23. Love this recipe! Do you know if you could freeze it and let it thaw when you need it? I’m traveling a few hours with a few of these for Christmas and am trying to think of the best solution for transport. Thanks!






  24. This really was delicious and very easy. Family loved it and was a nice light treat after a Christmas meal. Didn’t have fine sugar, so I put it in the food processor to grind up. You could taste some graininess, but the flavor makes up for it. Would definitely make it again.






  25. I made exactly as directed but used a semisweet ghiradelli chocolate bar. It tasted very good and the texture was nice and firm once set, but not chocolaty enough (light chocolate color) and too sweet. The next time I make it, I will cut sugar to 1 cup and use 2 bars of bittersweet chocolate for added color and chocolate flavor. I made my own whipped cream and used minimal sugar in it which helped offset the oversweetness of the pie. I will definitely make again as it has potential, and my husband loved it!






  26. Great recipe! I made this for a family who loves Marie Callender’s French Silk pie, this recipe is better! My sugar fully dissolved and was silky smooth. After reading the reviews, I used GRANULAR sugar reduced to 1 cup (perfect sweetness) and pulsed in the Magic Bullet for a minute or so. Not sure if it actually made it more fine or not. After adding each egg, I mixed for 6 MINUTES instead of the recommended 5 before adding the next egg. The sugar was entirely dissolved after the third egg. Additionally, make sure to SCRAPE your bowl between each egg to ensure all the sugar gets dissolved. I also wash my rubber scraper in between each scraping to avoid adding under-mixed sugar granules back into the smooth batter. I used a 80% LINDT dark chocolate bar for the filling and 70% for the topping. The bars are 3.0 oz so I used 1 full 80% bar and added 2 squares of the 70% to equal 3.5 oz. The FILLING is lighter than store bought french silk. I’m unsure why– but the taste is the same. I separated a small bit and tried adding unsweetened cocoa powder at the end to darken it up and it didn’t go much darker and pushed it over the edge of being too rich. FINALLY, top it with homemade whipped cream, cool whip is distinguishable.






  27. I was nervous to make this bc of mixed reviews, but it was AMAZING! I used extra fine sugar and followed recipe exactly. After 3 eggs the mixture was still grainy, but after the fourth egg it was silky smooth and the finished product was seriously delicious!!! My chocolate loving family went crazy for this pie!






  28. LOVE this fabulous pie! Super creamy and tastes fabulous. Definitely the best chocolate pie I’ve ever made – and I’ve made a lot! Thanks for sharing!






  29. Shoot! My comment only marked four stars but I wanted to mark it FIVE STARS…?❤️❤️❤️






  30. This is the very best chocolate pie ever and is required at all family get togethers. It is truly “silky”. Love it.






  31. Currently making this pie for Thanksgiving. This is my husbands favorite and he requests it every year.






  32. The texture was spot on, but it was so sweet! Next time I need to use bittersweet chocolate instead of semi sweet chocolate to see if it helps.

  33. This is my husband’s all-time favorite pie! Although I have had several failed attempts at making this in the past, it really is so easy to make. The key is you HAVE to make sure you beat each egg a full 5 minutes after adding, otherwise you will end up with a soupy mess! I don’t feel you need to use fine sugar, I use plain old sugar and somewhere between the 3rd and 4th egg the filling always turns from grainy to nice and silky. I do like to add some cocoa powder in with the melted chocolate (usually a couple tablespoons, to taste) to bump up the chocolate factor. You have to make this pie; so simple and so delicious!






  34. I agree with some of the others that it was too sweet and not chocolatey enough. I used melted semi-sweet chocolate as directed and it was very light in color once mixed with everything else. Next time I will increase the chocolate and decrease the sugar. I also made my own whipped cream and lightly sweetened it and that helped tone down some of the sweetness.






  35. This was way too sweet and it was gritty, even with the fine sugar. Won’t make again.






  36. Way too sweet! & this is coming from someone that enjoys sweets (hence making a pie)! I’m also shocked that the above pie turned out so dark when mine is a light brown color. The texture is nice, but the over all sweetness & lack of chocolate made this a disappointing waste of a morning.






  37. My sons’ favorite dessert , Requested for every celebration






  38. my batter seems too runny? this is my first time making french silk pie so I don’t know if I have to let it set in the fridge to firm up or if I did something wrong? sos

  39. My son loved when I made this for Christmas dessert and requested it for his birthday. As some other posters mentioned, even with the 5 minutes of mixing after each egg, it was still grainy ( I did pulse the sugar in a mini food processor) I also thought it was too light and added a tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa. It was very sweet. I balanced it with barely sweetened whipped cream. It looked perfect! I will reduce sugar next time and add another 1oz of chocolate. It tasted even better a couple days after I made it. Will definitely keep tweaking but it’s on the special dessert rotation!






  40. Skip the eggs and use cream cheese or chocolate mascarpone!






  41. We love the flavor, but it comes out runny- more of a pudding consistency. The eggs were beat into the mixture for 5 min each for a total of 20, and it was chilled for 4 hours. Any ideas on what went wrong? This has been done several times with the same result.