Birthday-Worthy Chocolate Mousse Pie
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I’ve made no secret of my love of cake. So, how I gave birth to a son who doesn’t really like cake is one of life’s mysteries.
He used to like cake. But of course, the only constant is change. Especially when you’re in your early twenties. (I still remember the Thanksgiving my brother came home college, and as the turkey was set down, he announced he was vegetarian.)
Still, both as a cake devotee, and a mother who thinks birthdays are among the most important days of the year, I keep trying.
The past few years, I’ve been on an exploratory mission to find the cake he’d love, even though he claimed not to love any cake. Then, a couple of years ago, after listening to him rhapsodize about a chocolate mousse he’d had somewhere, I decided to pivot.
The first year I experimented with a Chocolate Mousse Birthday Pie, it was too sweet. The next birthday I added some espresso powder to keep the richness but cut the sweetness. (Of course, his younger brother does not like coffee, so nothing can actually ‘taste’ like coffee. This didn’t.)
The next year, the crust just didn’t seem to do the mousse justice. It absorbed too much moisture from the mousse and was a bit soggy. So, at the risk of making it too chocolate-y, I decided to try a chocolate cookie crust. Ah . . .
The challenge continued
The next challenge I faced every December 21, was the Chocolate Nabisco Wafer Cookies that had been available since the dawn of time, disappeared from shelves. Discontinued, apparently. So, the crust substitution had to be rejiggered.
What a mother won’t do . . .
I was determined to find something to take their place but that was easier said than done. So, beginning with last year’s birthday, I bought a package of regular Oreos and set about unwinding each one, scraping the white cream off and then going on to the next one. Honestly, I felt like someone in a comic strip. But untwist and scrape I did. They made a great crust.
All’s well that ends well
The pie continues to be a hit and I expect I’ll be unwinding Oreos and scraping cream till my last days – once a year – for his birthday. Or, maybe some cookie company will realize the plight of a mother and again produce, package, and distribute chocolate wafer cookies so I can turn my attention to other things.
Then again, maybe I’ll stick with the Oreos. I do find when it’s time to make the crust, I sit to unwind the cookies. And with every scrape and every twist, I remember all the birthdays with this sweet boy, who is now a man. A man I’d really do anything in the world for.
Chocolate Mousse Birthday Pie
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Crust
- 36 Oreo cookies, unwound, and cream scraped off
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
For the Filling
- 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 tsp espresso powder (such as Medalia d'oro)
- 4 large egg yolks
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 7 oz semisweet chocolate or bittersweet or a mix, finely chopped
For the Topping (before serving)
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 Tbsp confectioners sugar
- Chocolate shavings, sprinkles, birthday candles, or whatever suits your occasion
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350º. Unwind Oreos, scrape off cream and then add chocolate cookies and salt to the bowl of a food processor or blender. Pulse or whir until finely ground. Add the butter and pulse just until crumbs stay together. Press cookie mixture into a 9-inch pie dish, evenly. Bake about 15 minutes. Let cool.
For the Filling
- Add 3/4 cup heavy cream and espresso powder to a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk until espresso has dissolved and heat until hot, but don't simmer. About 1 minute.
- In a bowl, add the egg yolks, sugar, and salt and whisk to combine. Slowly pour in the hot cream and whisk. Transfer the mixture back to the sauce and continue to cook over low heat. Stir constantly, until the liquid coats the back of a spoon, about 3-4 minutes.
- Remove pan from heat. Add the chopped chocolate and vanilla and whisk till smooth. Let cool to room temp, stirring occasionally, about 40 minutes.
- In a medium bowl, add 1 1/4 cups heavy cream and beat with a hand mixer on medium speed until stiff peaks form, about 4 minutes. Pour chocolate mixture over the whipped cream and fold, using a spatuls, until just combined. Carefully pour the chocolate mousse into the pie crust and transfer to the refrigerator to chill for six hours or overnight.
For the Topping
- Add 1 cup heavy cream to a medium bowl and beat with a hand mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form, about 3 minutes. Add the powdered sugar and continue to beat until stiff peaks form, 1 more minute.
- Take pie from the refrigerator. Dump the whipped cream into the middle of the pie and using a spatula, spread to the edges, leaving about an inch of space between the crust and whipped cream so you can still see the chocolate. Decorate with your favorite fancies. Or not.
