This Chocolate Stout Cream Pie is a festive, grownup twist on a classic. It’s rich, decadent, and perfect for St. Patrick’s Day!
As someone whose life revolves so much around food, I’m lucky to have friends with a shared enthusiasm for the art of cooking (and eating!). Log into my Facebook newsfeed on any given day and you’ll find a hunger-inducing catalog of recipe shares and food photos.
When my friend, Elsie, posted a picture on New Year’s Eve of a Chocolate Stout Cream Pie with Irish Cream Whipped Cream that she made, my mind instantly skipped ahead to St. Patrick’s Day on the blog.
For this recipe, I infused my favorite homemade chocolate pie filling with dry stout, and, following Elsie’s lead, spiked the traditional whipped cream topping. The stout’s roasted aromas complement the chocolate well without taking over, for a festive, grownup twist on a classic.
Thanks for the great idea, Elsie, it’s a winner!
Making chocolate cream pie filling from scratch is a process that’s well worth the effort in terms of both flavor and texture. Compared to boxed “cook-and-fill” mixes, there are just a few more prep steps involved to measure the ingredients and chop the chocolate. Beyond that, the cooking process is similar.
Basically, you’re going to make a batch of homemade chocolate (or, as here, chocolate stout) pudding on the stove, strain it for the silkiest texture, and mix it with chocolate and a bit of butter while it’s still hot. Then, just pour the cooled pudding into a blind-baked pie shell and chill. The end result is incomparably decadent!
The stout in this pie is subtle, but its cocoa and coffee undertones enhance the flavor of the dark chocolate (similar to the trick of adding powdered espresso to chocolate recipes).
We like this Chocolate Stout Cream Pie best with a stout that is dry, but not too bitter. Our North East favorite for both drinking and cooking these days is Cadillac Mountain (Bar Harbor/Atlantic Brewing in Maine), but the more widely-distributed Murphy’s would also be good here (if I’m not mistaken, this is what Elsie used).
Of course, if you’re not a stout fan and wanted to turn this into a more traditional chocolate cream pie, you could certainly omit it and increase the milk to a full 2 cups.
In a recipe with so few main ingredients, quality is key. For the most delectable results, use a good quality chocolate (I used Scharffen Berger here). While I often use “bittersweet” (70% cacao) in cream pies, we found it a little too assertive when paired with the stout.
Switching to the “dark chocolate semisweet” bar (62% cacao) gave the pie a nicely-balanced flavor that was sweet, but not cloyingly so. Since the bittersweet/semisweet distinction varies by brand (others, for example, term their 60% cacao “bittersweet”), try to look for a chocolate that is in the 50-60% cacao range.
I’m not the most patient person in the world when it comes to keeping my fork out of chocolate desserts sitting in the refrigerator, but for the most sliceable pie, you really want to give this 6-8 hours chill time before serving.
Not that the pie will taste any less delicious with a shorter rest period, but unless you want to eat it in a bowl with a spoon (no judgment, no shame!), the filling needs adequate time to set.
To avoid weeping, it’s best to whip the spiked cream and top the Chocolate Stout Cream Pie just before serving, but if you need to increase its longevity, the gelatin stabilization tip has always worked well for me. Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
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Chocolate Stout Cream Pie with Irish Cream Whipped Cream
Ingredients
FOR THE PIE
- 1/2 recipe all-butter pie crust
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 4 large egg yolks , lightly beaten
- 1-1/3 cups whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2/3 cup stout or chocolate stout (choose one that isn't too bitter)
- 7 ounces dark chocolate (50-62% cacao, semi/bittersweet, depending on brand), finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
FOR THE TOPPING
- 1 cup heavy cream , well-chilled
- 1 to 2 tablespoons confectioner's sugar (depending on your sweetness preferences)
- 2 tablespoons Irish Cream liqueur
- chocolate shavings (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare and blind bake a single pie crust in a 9-inch pie pan (see "All Butter Pie Crust" link in ingredients for recipe/instructions). Cool crust completely before filling. As a time saver, you can also use your favorite store-bought refrigerated pie crust, blind baked according to package directions.
MAKE THE PIE
- Place chocolate in a large bowl and set aside. In a large, heavy bottomed saucepan, whisk together sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Whisk in egg yolks until almost combined, followed by milk, cream, and stout until fully combined. Bring to a low boil over medium heat, whisking constantly. Lower heat and cook, whisking, until thickened, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Pass custard through a fine mesh-sieve set over the bowl of chocolate. Discard any bits of cooked egg in the sieve. Add butter and vanilla extract to the bowl and whisk until the mixture is combined and smooth. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the chocolate pudding and refrigerate until room temperature, about 30-45 minutes.
- Pour cooled chocolate pudding into the cooled pie shell and spread until even. Lightly cover and refrigerate until fully chilled and set, about 6-8 hours.
MAKE THE TOPPING AND SERVE
- Just before serving (no more than an hour prior) place cold heavy cream in a large, chilled mixing bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Using a hand mixer (or the stand mixer), beat cream on medium speed until just starting to thicken. Add sugar and liqueur and continue beating until you have medium peaks (don't beat it too long, or you'll make butter!).
- Spoon or pipe over chilled pie. If desired, garnish with chocolate shavings. Slice into wedges and serve.
Nutrition Estimate
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
About our recipes
Please note that our recipes have been developed using the US Customary measurement system and have not been tested for high altitude/elevation cooking and baking.
Looks so delicious! I am surely making this recipe.
Now this is a chocolate lover’s dream. It has been a long time since I had a chocolate pie…and the addition of stout is great!!
This sounds so good!
This must taste so good! It looks so smooth and creamy, I would love a slice of this right now!
Oh yum! My family would love this pie for our Easter table! Chocolate and cream for the win! Thanks for sharing this delicious looking pie!
OMG this looks so good! I made myself a Baileys pie for St. Paddy’s (scooped into a bowl so I LOL when you said no judgement, no shame haha) but who says we can’t have boozy desserts after March 17? No one!! I will definitely be making this one. Just looking at your pictures again…drool…
I have definitely had pie in a bowl a few times. :) And, I agree, there’s no holiday limit on spiked pie! Hope you enjoy!
Your website looks delicious! Keep up the good work!
Sounds great :) pictures are tempting! Never made chocolate pie and Irish whipped cream is looks so creamy . Want to try this one day!
oh yummy, I just love a good dark chocolate!
I am stuck on those beautiful chunks of chocolate !
Oh my, I just want to dive right in. This is proper dessert porn.
Yum! Was going to pin this to my St. Patrick’s Day shared pinterest board but someone beat me to it!
Oh my goodness this looks divine! You really had me at Irish Cream Whipped Cream.
Look so good, you have some left over for tomorrow! !!!
:) I made it in advance and gave away the leftovers!! Next time I make it, though, I will save some! It’s delicious!