Ingredients

   
1 blind-baked pie crust (9-inch)
240ml heavy cream (filling)
226g semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped (two 4oz bars)
4 large eggs
200g granulated sugar
170g unsalted butter, room temperature
7ml vanilla extract
240ml heavy cream (topping)
15g confectioners’ sugar
2ml vanilla extract

Steps

  1. Blind bake the pie crust at 375°F. Line with parchment and pie weights, bake 15 minutes. Remove weights, dock with a fork, bake another 14 minutes until golden. Cool completely.

  2. Whip 240ml heavy cream to stiff peaks. Refrigerate.

  3. Melt chocolate in a double boiler or microwave in 20-second increments. Set aside.

  4. Whisk eggs and sugar in a heatproof bowl over simmering water. Whisk constantly until the mixture reaches 160°F, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool 10 minutes.

  5. Stir melted chocolate into the cooled egg mixture. Cool another 10 minutes.

  6. Beat butter until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add vanilla. Pour in the chocolate-egg mixture and beat on medium-high for 3 minutes.

  7. Fold in the whipped cream with a spatula until combined.

  8. Spread filling into the cooled crust. Refrigerate at least 4–6 hours or overnight.

  9. Whip 240ml heavy cream with confectioners’ sugar and vanilla to medium peaks. Spread or pipe on top. Garnish with chocolate curls.

Analysis

Total filling: 1043g (crust and whipped-cream topping excluded)

Component Amount % of filling
Structure solids (cocoa solids) 68g 6.5%
Fat (butter, chocolate, cream, egg) 358g 34.3%
Sugar (added + chocolate) 268g 25.7%
Liquid (cream water, egg water, vanilla) 327g 31.4%
Egg/protein 22g 2.1%

A no-bake set driven entirely by fat, not structure: fat is enormous (~34% — butter, chocolate cocoa butter, and whipped cream) while there’s no flour at all, just a little cocoa solid. The filling firms in the fridge because all that fat solidifies, and the whipped cream folded in keeps it silky and mousse-like. The crust and topping are separate and excluded.

Notes

  • The eggs are cooked to 160°F on the stovetop — no raw eggs in this recipe. Use an instant-read thermometer.
  • Let the egg mixture cool before adding chocolate, and let the chocolate mixture cool before adding to butter. Warm mixtures will curdle the butter.
  • Use chocolate baking bars (Baker’s, Ghirardelli), not chocolate chips. Chips don’t melt to the right consistency.
  • Semi-sweet is the standard. Bittersweet or unsweetened work for a darker, less sweet pie.
  • An Oreo cookie crust works as a substitute. Pre-bake at 350°F for 12 minutes, no pie weights needed.
  • Freezes well before topping with whipped cream. Wrap tightly, freeze up to 3 months, thaw in fridge.