This French silk pie recipe is the ultimate chocolate lover’s dessert! It has a flaky butter crust filled with rich, silky chocolate filling and topped with fluffy homemade whipped cream and chocolate curls.
There’s just something special about a French Silk Pie! With its velvety chocolate filling and buttery, flaky crust, it’s one of those desserts that feels luxurious but is surprisingly simple to make from scratch.
This pie starts with a homemade all-butter crust that bakes up perfectly golden and flaky. It’s the ideal base for the rich, creamy chocolate filling. The filling is made with a blend of melted chocolate, butter, sugar, and whipped cream for a silky-smooth texture that melts in your mouth.
The pie is filling is made with cooked eggs, and the pie is topped with a generous layer of lightly sweetened whipped cream and delicate chocolate curls. This French Silk Pie is every bit as delicious as it is beautiful. It’s perfect for holidays, dinner parties, or any time you’re craving an impressive make-ahead dessert.
Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Ice water: It’s important to use ice water, not just cool or cold water, for the flakiest crust.
- Salt: If you don’t have kosher salt or sea salt, use half the amount of table salt.
- Unsalted butter: If you would like to use salted butter, omit the kosher salt.
- Baking chocolate: You can find bars of baking chocolate by the chocolate chips in the grocery store. Since chocolate is the star here, use a high-quality baking chocolate bar.
How to make French silk pie
Here you’ll find instructions and step-by-step photos showing how to make this recipe. The full recipe, including ingredients, is given below.
Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 F.
Step 1: Make the crust: In a small mixing bowl whisk together egg and ice water.
Step 3: Add flour and salt to a food processor. Pulse a few times to combine.
Step 4: Add the cubed butter to the food processor. Pulse again until it forms a crumb. Pour in the egg/water mixture. Pulse until it forms a thick dough.
Step 5: Flour a clean surface and a rolling pin. Shape the dough into a disc and roll the dough over the floured surface until it’s large enough to fit a pie dish (about 11-inch diameter for a 9-inch pie dish).
Step 6: Carefully transfer the dough to the pie dish. Press it down, then trim the excess dough off the top of the edges. Crimp edges of the dough using your fingers.
Step 7: Use a fork to poke some holes in the bottom of the crust for steam to escape. Place dough in the freezer for 20-25 minutes.
Step 8: Remove from the freezer. Place a piece of parchment paper on top of the dough. Add dry beans or pie weights on top of the parchment to blind bake the pie crust.
Step 9: Bake for 35 minutes, or until lightly golden brown. Carefully remove beans/weights. Cool completely.
Step 10: Make the filling: In a small saucepan, whisk together the granulated sugar and eggs. Set over medium-low heat and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture reaches 160 F and coats the back of a spoon.
Step 11: Remove from heat and stir in the chocolate, vanilla, and salt until smooth. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
Step 1: In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the butter until light and fluffy. Slowly add cooled chocolate mixture, then beat again on high speed for about 5 minutes. Transfer butter/chocolate mixture to a large bowl. Clean the bowl and whisk of your stand mixer. Make sure to dry it well.
Step 13: Pour heavy cream into the cleaned bowl and beat, using the whisk attachment, until it begins to thicken.
Add powdered sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.
Step 14: Fold the whipped cream into the bowl with the chocolate mixture. Be sure to fold, not stir, as not to deflate the whipped cream. Carefully spoon the mixture on top of the baked and cooled pie crust.
Step 15: Set in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, up to overnight.
Step 16: Make the topping: Before serving, add heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla to the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat until stiff peaks form.
Step 17: Top pie with the whipped cream and garnish with chocolate shavings.
Recipe Tips!
- No raw eggs needed: Traditional French Silk Pie uses raw eggs for the airy texture, but this version uses whipped cream instead. It gives the filling the same light, fluffy texture without the need for raw eggs.
- Chill thoroughly: Make sure to refrigerate the pie for at least 4 hours (or overnight) before serving. This allows the filling to fully set and makes for cleaner slices.
- Don’t overbeat the whipped cream: When folding the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture, gently fold until just combined. Overmixing can deflate the filling and make it less airy. You can find more tips for making homemade whipped cream here.
- Make ahead friendly: The pie can be made 1–2 days in advance. Keep it covered and refrigerated, then add whipped cream and chocolate curls just before serving for the freshest presentation.
Storage
Store any leftover pie in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will keep for 3-4 days when properly stored in the fridge.
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French Silk Pie Recipe
Equipment
- 9-inch pie pan
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 large egg
- 2 ½ tablespoons ice cold water
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 10 tablespoons cold unsalted butter cubed
Chocolate filling
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 8 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate chopped
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup cold heavy cream
- 4 teaspoons powdered sugar
Whipped cream topping
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Chocolate curls for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Make the crust: In a small mixing bowl whisk together egg and ice water.1 large egg, 2 ½ tablespoons ice cold water
- Add flour and salt to a food processor. Pulse a few times to combine.1 ½ cups all purpose flour, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Add the cubed butter to the food processor. Pulse again until it forms a crumb.10 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
- Pour in the egg/water mixture. Pulse until it forms a thick dough.
- Flour a clean surface and a rolling pin. Shape the dough into a disc and roll the dough over the floured surface until it’s large enough to fit a pie dish (about 11-inch diameter for a 9-inch pie dish).
- Carefully transfer the dough to the pie dish.
- Press it down, then trim the excess dough off the top of the edges. Crimp edges of the dough using your fingers.
- Use a fork to poke some holes in the bottom of the crust for steam to escape.
- Place dough in the freezer for 20-25 minutes.
- Remove from the freezer.
- Place a piece of parchment paper on top of the dough. Add dry beans or pie weights on top of the parchment to blind bake the pie crust.
- Bake for about 35 minutes, or until lightly golden brown.
- Carefully remove beans/weights. Cool completely.
- Make the filling: In a small saucepan, whisk together the granulated sugar and eggs.3 large eggs, 1 cup granulated sugar
- Set over medium-low heat and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture reaches 160 F and coats the back of a spoon.
- Remove from heat and stir in the chocolate, vanilla, and salt until smooth. Set aside to cool to room temperature.8 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate, 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the butter until light and fluffy.¾ cup unsalted butter
- Slowly add cooled chocolate mixture, then beat again on high speed for about 5 minutes.
- Transfer butter/chocolate mixture to a large bowl. Clean the bowl and whisk of your stand mixer. Make sure to dry it well.
- Pour heavy cream into the cleaned bowl and beat, using the whisk attachment, until it begins to thicken.1 cup cold heavy cream
- Add powdered sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.4 teaspoons powdered sugar
- Fold the whipped cream into the bowl with the chocolate mixture. Be sure to fold, not stir, as not to deflate the whipped cream.
- Pour the mixture on top of the baked and cooled pie crust.
- Set in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, up to overnight.
- Make the topping: Before serving, add heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla to the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat until stiff peaks form.1 cup heavy cream, 2 tablespoons powdered sugar, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Top pie with the whipped cream and garnish with chocolate shavings.
Notes
- Ice water: It’s important to use ice water, not just cool or cold water, for the flakiest crust.
- Salt: If you don’t have kosher salt or sea salt, use half the amount of table salt.
- Unsalted butter: If you would like to use salted butter, omit the kosher salt.
- Baking chocolate: You can find bars of baking chocolate by the chocolate chips in the grocery store. Since chocolate is the star here, use a high-quality baking chocolate bar.
- Nutrition values are estimates.
Nutrition
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