When I was in high school I lived across the street from a Poppin’ Fresh, which is now known as Baker’s Square. They make the BEST French Silk Pie, which is a rich and creamy chocolate cream pie. Yes, they beat out Marie Callender’s by a mile. I have been making this pie every Thanksgiving and Christmas since 2008.
French Silk Pie
There isn’t a Christmas or Thanksgiving that goes by without this my French Silk Pie, and chances are we’ll be enjoying it for Easter too. It’s just a family favorite and there would be a lot of sad faces if I didn’t make it!
Related Recipe – Stabilized Whipped Cream or How to Make Pie Crust
I recently updated the photos on this post. So if you followed a link or came from Pinterest and these aren’t the photos you expected, that’s why. However, I have kept the original photos in a small collage below. You know. For old time’s sake. :)
What you’ll need to make Baker’s Square French Silk Pie
- Kitchenaid mixer or hand mixer
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Mixing bowls
- Pie server
From my original blog post: “I have to admit, I was so excited to make this, and then so worried it wasn’t going to work because the instructions said to beat the butter and sugar until creamy and not grainy. Well, mine was creamy but never NOT grainy. However, after making this multiple times now, I know to simply beat it for several minutes until light and fluffy, about 6-7 minutes.” The sugar melts in the rest overnight, so be sure to include that step. You won’t be disappointed!
For this recipe, I used my KitchenAid stand mixer with the paddle attachment.
Expert Tips & FAQs
- Make the filling first. The filling will be pale in color but will darken as it chills. Put it into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. This allows it to set up and thicken a bit before adding it to the pie shell.
- Cool the chocolate. Melt the chocolate as instructed and let it cool completely. I usually melt the chocolate first so it’s cool by the time I need to add it to the filling in the mixer. If you add vanilla to hot or warm melted chocolate it may seize up.
- Make your pie crust. If making a crust from scratch, follow the instructions for a fully baked pie shell as this pie will not go in the oven. Let it cool completely.
- Add the chilled filling to the pie crust. Put it back in the fridge while you make the whipped topping. If you are using Cool Whip, go ahead and top the pie now and refrigerate.
- WAIT until tomorrow to eat. You can certainly eat it after it has chilled for several hours, BUT believe me when I tell you that you will be very thankful that you waited overnight. The filling needs time to set up. Any graininess you may have detected when you tasted the filling will be gone after a good night’s rest.
- NOTE: the eggs in this recipe are not cooked. If that concerns you, you can use pasteurized eggs or learn how to pasteurize the eggs in your fridge.
Can I freeze this pie?
Yes, you can freeze my French Silk Pie! If you want to freeze the whole pie and thaw the entire thing later, place it in the freezer for a few hours. Then remove it and wrap the frozen pie in plastic wrap. Place the wrapped pie in a freezer bag. If it won’t fit, just double wrap it with plastic wrap instead.
If you want to freeze slices (I live by myself, so this works best for me, I do it with cake all the time), cut the pie into slices and place them on a waxed paper lined cookie sheet. Place the entire thing in the freezer, making sure the slices are not touching each other. After a few hours, and the slices are frozen, remove from the freezer and wrap each one in plastic wrap. Place the wrapped slices into a freezer bag.
To thaw them out, simply remove from the freezer and immediately remove the plastic wrap. Allow to thaw at room temperature if you plan to eat it fairly soon. You can also thaw in the refrigerator but it will take quite a bit longer – probably a day.
I have made this French silk pie numerous times and have used both Cool Whip (pictured in the original photos) and fresh whipped cream (as seen in these updated photos) for the topping.
You can dress it up by shaving some bittersweet chocolate through a mandolin or by using a vegetable peeler. Sprinkle the shavings on the top of the pie.
Other Holiday Desserts I Love
- Perfect Pumpkin Pie
- Pecan Pie Bars
- Hershey’s Drop Stuffed Peanut Butter Cookies
- No Bake Peanut Butter Pie
- Southern Buttermilk Pie
- Coconut Cream Pie
- Sweet Potato Pie
- Grasshopper Pie
- Chocolate Mousse
French Silk Pie
IMPORTANT - There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!
Print It Rate ItIngredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate melted and cooled COMPLETELY
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 4 large eggs
- 8 ounces Whipping cream or 8ounce tub Cool Whip
- 1 tbsp powdered sugar
- 6 ounce deep dish frozen pie crust baked according to package
Things You'll Need
Instructions
- Bake a homemade pie crust or use a Pillsbury refrigerated crust and make according to package directions for a fully baked crust. Set aside to cool.
- Melt the chocolate and set aside to cool completely.
- Beat sugar and butter on medium high until light and fluffy, about 6-7 minutes.
- Add cooled chocolate and vanilla and beat until incorporated.
- Add eggs, two at a time, beating a full 5 minutes after each addition.
- Pour filling into cooled pie crust.
- Beat whipping cream and powdered sugar with a whisk attachment on medium-high speed until stiff peaks just begin to form. Add prepared whipped topping to top of pie.
- You can garnish with shaved bittersweet chocolate as well.
Video
Expert Tips & FAQs
- The eggs in this recipe are not cooked. If that concerns you, you can use pasteurized eggs or learn how to pasteurize the eggs in your fridge.
- DO NOT use margarine, I have not tested this pie using margarine. Do NOT melt the butter. The butter should be softened, which means removing it from the fridge and letting it sit at room temp about 20-30 minutes.
- Make the filling first. The filling will be pale in color but will darken as it chills. Put it into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. This allows it to set up and thicken a bit before adding it to the pie shell.
- Make your pie crust. If making a crust from scratch, follow the instructions for a fully baked pie shell as this pie will not go in the oven. Let it cool completely.
- Add the chilled filling to the pie crust. Put it back in the fridge while you make the whipped topping. If you are using Cool Whip, go ahead and top the pie now and refrigerate.
- WAIT until tomorrow to eat. You can certainly eat it after it has chilled for several hours, BUT believe me when I tell you that you will be very thankful that you waited overnight. The filling needs time to set up. Any graininess you may have detected when you tasted the filling will be gone after a good night’s rest.
Nutrition
This post originally published here on December 6, 2008, then republished October 8, 2016.
Amanda Formaro
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Sharon says
This pie turned out perfectly!
I followed the recipe very carefully and only made one change.
Due to the reviews about the possible grittiness, I decided to grind the sugar with my coffee grinder.
This will be a must make pie going forward. It really is an awesome Baker’s Square copycat!
Thank you so much for sharing it.
Felicia says
Thank you for that idea! I ground my sugar and the filling was very smooth even before chilling.
Tracey says
Bakers Square French Silk pie is my favorite dessert in all the world, so I was crushed when my local restaurant closed! I’ve been eating their French Silk every year for pretty much my whole life…it’s become a holiday tradition to have it in my family! Desperate for a solution, I came across this recipe and made it for the first time this past Christmas, (as in 2 days ago, 2021). Let me say…this recipe was PERFECTION!!! I followed it exactly, and after letting it sit overnight, the next day it tasted EXACTLY like my beloved Bakers Square pie!! Everyone raves about it, and I’m relieved that I’ve found this recipe to have and make every year!! The tradition continues!! Thank-you a million times for this awesome, perfect, 100% accurate recipe!!!
Jody says
Thank you for posting the notes for this recipe! I have been making this pie for a few months and could not figure out why it was coming out so inconsistently. Now I know- room temp butter and eggs! This really saved me. Thank you 😊 The recipe I was using was from a scribbled down note from my friends great-great grandmother without the instructions.I live in sub tropical climate so I was intentionally using cold butter/eggs.
This is fluffy/moussey/amazing!
Karen says
i have tried several reipes for French Silk pie and this one is spot on and easy to make. It was a huge success. I made it for Thanksgiving and it was the first pie plate that was empty! My family has asked that i made it again for the next family get together, Thank you for sharing this recipe. It is wonderful.
Hint: when shavig the chocolate for the chocolate curls on top you can SLIGHTLY warm the chocolate and use a veggie peeler. It was like a charm!
N/a says
This pie NEVER sets. I wish I had read more recipes before making this one. I had to throw it out. There is almost no chocolate flavor and pie remains gritty and tastes like butter. I had to throw it out and feed my family something else.
Save yourselves the trouble and use the taste of home recipe.
Amanda Formaro says
Sounds like you definitely measured something wrong or left something out completely. I’ve been making this pie for YEARS and it’s always perfect.
Dana says
I use bakers sugar…ultra fine..works great if left overnight as instructed…love this copycat receipe
Patty Hopkins says
I wonder if those that said the pie was gritty were using Bakers Sugar. This fine sugar works beautifully and makes a tasty dessert :)
Rachael says
I have made this pie a couple times and making it again this year for the holidays. We all love it! Thank you!!
Andrew says
Just finished making the recipe for a work potluck. To be honest I was a bit skeptical of the filling, but it tastes great! Still a bit gritty after a few hours in the fridge, but it has definitely lessened since I first made it. Fingers crossed.
Breanne Meyers says
If i am not going to eat untill the next day do i still make the topping for it right away and add it
Trish says
You nailed it. Just as good as (if not better than) Baker’s Square. My family loves it. Thank you for sharing!
BTesch says
I’m not entirely sure what went wrong, I followed this recipe down to the letter with a food scale for the chocolate. It never darkened, I whipped the butter/sugar until lighter and fluffier (Almost 8-9 minutes) and used exactly 2.2 oz of chocolate…
It was super sweet but not chocolaty enough. By any chance are you sure you only use 2 oz of chocolate?
i want to fix whatever I can to make it work since the closest bakers square to us closed and it’s my dad’s favorite Pie.
Becca says
A day later and it is still grainy and barely tastes like chocolate. It mostly tastes like butter. It seemed odd that only 2 ounces of chocolate goes in and 2 cubes of butter, and it shows in the taste.
Amanda Formaro says
It sounds like you definitely measured something incorrectly. I’ve been making this exact recipe for over 20 years. I make two pies every Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Easter. I’m sorry you had trouble!
Sandy says
I use about 1/3 of a cup of melted chocolate, and be sure to use “Bakers Sugar” it comes in a tall carton like a quart of milk and is much finer than regular sugar. Also, be sure to use room temperature butter and eggs, and beat 2 eggs at a time in for 5 minutes each time.
Jim Beaman says
As an old retired production manager Production manager of Bakers Square Poppin fresh pies we always used fudge base not heated melted chocolate and eggs were used cold not room temp.
Michael Donovan says
What kind of fudge? Is the rest of the recipe right?
Amanda Formaro says
This is not Poppin Fresh’s recipe, it’s a copycat. Which means that it was created to replicate the flavor, which it does.
Jamie Lee says
What happens if I use salted butter? Also do the eggs need to be at room temp?
Amanda Formaro says
It will likely be fine with salted butter (though I haven’t tried it myself) but could change the flavor slightly. Yes eggs should also be at room temp :)
Lisa says
My pie was gritty and tasted like sugar with a chocolate chaser 😆. I beat the butter and sugar for 7 minutes on speed 6 and put it the refrigerator for 24 hours. Should I have beat it on speed 8? Thanks!
Amanda Formaro says
I’m sorry to hear that! Did you use white granulated sugar? I ask because I tried making it with a sugar substitute once (Monk Fruit to be exact) and it was awfully gritty.
Lisa says
Yes, it was white granulated sugar.
Amanda Formaro says
I’m at a loss for an answer. I’ve made this pie for over 20 years, three times a year, and only had that problem when I used Monk fruit. the only thing I can suggest is to make sure all your ingredients are at room temp and that you follow the instructions exactly. I’m sorry!
Connie says
My pie was gritty too. I followed the recipe to a “T” and got the same result you did!
Amanda Formaro says
There’s no way you followed the recipe to a T then. I’m sorry, but I make this every year for over 20 years and it’s perfect.
Jeanne says
Used this as my base recipe for candy cane pie – since Bakers Square isn’t doing their holiday pies this year due to Covid! Everyone loved it and said it tasted exactly like the original (which we’ve had every year for last 20+ years!)
-Oreo crust
-Thin layer of french silk recipe above (needed about half the recipe split across two pies). Chilled.
-Used above recipe for the peppermint white chocolate layer (sub 5 oz white chocolate in place of unsweetened chocolate – reduce sugar to 1 cup since white chocolate is already sweetened – add 1 tsp or so peppermint extract at same time as vanilla – fold in shattered candy cane bits at end). Split the full recipe across two pies.
Paris says
Jeanne , thank you for this tip! I CANNOT for the life of me find a dupe anywhere online for the Bakers Square candy cane pie recipe except for the same one everyone keeps copying and pasting like clickbait using a pic that clearly doesn’t match the pie recipe and I can’t find but 3 reviews. I will use this recipe with your tips. Thank you very much !😁 The Bakers Square in my area closed and my family misses our traditional pies 😭
Jen says
If I don’t have a deep dish pie pan would it be best to cut the recipe in half?
Amanda Formaro says
No it’s fine, you can use a regular pie crust and pan! :)
Martha says
I have been using your recipe every Thanksgiving and Christmas since 2016.. this is an outstanding recipe. My family loves it and requests it! Thank you for sharing!
Tal Almany says
The recipe was great! For some reason, after resting the pie overnight, it’s still gritty. Any thoughts?
Amanda Formaro says
Hmm, yeah it definitely shouldn’t be gritty still. Did you beat everything for the full amount of time in the recipe?