Chocolate Chess Pie (Fallen Chocolate Cake Pie)
Decadent chocolate chess pie: flaky all butter pie crust with a rich chocolate filling that is part crispy chocolate meringue and part light brownie.
Servings 1 9 inch pie
Equipment
- 1 9 inch metal pie pan
Ingredients
Crust
- homemade pie crust make half of the recipe for just the bottom crust, it should be made at least 2 hours before rolling out
Chocolate Filling
- 170g chocolate dark or semi-sweet, chopped
- 76g or ⅓ cup unsalted butter sliced
- 4 large eggs
- 133g or ⅔ cup fine granulated sugar plus 1 tablespoon (12g) , divided
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoons fine sea salt
Instructions
Blind bake the crust
- Roll the pie dough to just under two inches larger than a 9 inch metal pie pan (so about 11 inches). Place the dough into the pie pan and gently press the dough into the bottom of the pan
- Trim the edges, especially if the dough is uneven, so you have about an inch overhang off the pan. Fold the crust so the overhang is tucked under and you have a thick outer rim. Use your fingers to crimp the crust (see photos for guidance). Set the crust in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes.
- When ready to bake the pie, preheat the oven to 375 F. (The pie will be blind baked before the filling goes in then it will bake fully with the filling). Lay a sheet of aluminum foil over the crust and tuck it so it wraps around the edges of the crust. Repeat with another sheet of foil, overlaying the first so all sides of the crust are covered. Fill the pie pan with pie weights and if you have it, another pie pan to hold the crust down as it bakes.
- Bake for 25 minutes then remove the pie weights and foil, lower the temperature to 350 F and bake for another 5-7 minutes until the bottom does not look raw.
While the crust is blind baking, make the filling
- Separate the four eggs into four yolks and four egg whites in separate bowls. The whites should be in a slightly larger bowl as this is where you’ll make the meringue.
- In a heatsafe bowl, add the chocolate (170g) and sliced butter (76g or ⅓ cup). Warm the bowl in the microwave for 60 seconds then stir, if the chocolate is not melting after a few minutes of stirring, set the bowl back in the microwave for another 20 seconds. Stir until smooth, set aside to cool. Alternatively you can do this over a bain marie; a pot of simmering water on the stove.
- Use a hand mixer to beat the four egg whites until frothy, you want to be able to look at the bottom of the bowl and not see any liquid - it should all be frothy. This can take 3-4 minutes. Once frothy, slowly pour in the sugar (133g ⅔ cup) while beating, stopping to allow the egg whites to absorb the sugar before adding more. Once all the sugar is in, beat until you have medium peaks: the meringue will be shiny but not hold stiff peaks, there will be a slight droop (see video for guidance).
- In the bowl with the egg yolks, whisk in the tablespoon of sugar, salt and vanilla. Pour this mixture into the cooled chocolate butter and stir to just combine.
- Use a large rubber spatula for this next part: we’re going to slowly fold the chocolate mixture into the meringue. Pour a bit of the chocolate and use the spatula to make J shapes, folding without stirring - we don’t want to let out the air that is suspended in the meringue. Keep folding until the mix is even, it will be light colored and airy.
- When the pie crust has completed its partial blind bake, pour the chocolate filling into the pie crust. Gently smooth the filling until it’s all at an even level. Set the pie in the oven to bake until the filling has puffed up considerably, cracked and does not wobble in the center (it may wobble at the edge cracks, this is fine), about 35 minutes.
- Set the pie on the counter, as it cools it will fall. Serve warm or at room temperature. This does't have a gooey filling like most pies so serve it with whipped cream or ice cream.