Salted Coffee Custard Pie Recipe

By Shilpa Uskokovic

3.9

(14)

If you can't be fussed with making coffee and dessert after a big holiday dinner, consider this twofer instead. The silky, sliceable, cool custard is rich and intense with two kinds of coffee, while the oatmeal crust is a tweedy-textured study in contrast. It's prebaked to mitigate sogginess but doesn't require pie weights. Mascarpone keeps the whipped cream firm and fluffy for a full 24 hours. Don't be tempted to skip the cold-brew concentrate. You don't want regular cold brew, and definitely not brewed and cooled coffee from your coffee machine at home, no matter how fancy. The concentrate (highly recommend Grady's Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate) is consistent every single time with exactly the right strength to stand up to the dairy and eggs in the filling.

Cook's notes: This pie requires a 9"-diameter deep-dish pie dish.

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9"-Diameter Deep Pie Dish

$22 At Amazon

Food Processor

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Wire Cooling Rack

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Electric Mixer

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8–12 servings

6

2

¼

¼

1

1

2

2

2

3

½

1

1

2⅔

½

4

Place a rack in middle of oven and preheat to 350°. Butter pie dish with unsalted butter. Pulse 2 cups (180 g) old-fashioned oats, ¼ cup (31 g) all-purpose flour, ¼ cup (packed; 50 g) dark brown sugar, and 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt in a food processor until oats are coarsely ground. Drizzle in 6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted, slightly cooled; pulse just until mixture comes together. Transfer to prepared dish; wipe out and reserve food processor. Press crust firmly and evenly across bottom and up sides of dish with a flat-bottomed measuring cup. Bake until golden and surface looks dry, 25–30 minutes. Transfer crust to a wire rack; reduce oven temperature to 325°.

Pulse 1 cup (packed; 200 g) dark brown sugar, 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour, 2 Tbsp. instant espresso powder, and 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt in food processor until no lumps remain, about 1 minute. Add 3 large eggs, ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted, slightly cooled, and 1 Tbsp. vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract and pulse until smooth. Add 1 cup cold-brew coffee concentrate and 2 cups heavy cream and pulse until well combined.

Pour custard into crust (it's okay if crust is still warm). Bake pie until edges of filling are set and slightly puffed but center still wobbles a little when gently shaken, 40–50 minutes (filling will continue to set after baking). Transfer to a wire rack; let cool at least 3 hours, or, preferably, chill 12 hours.

Using an electric mixer, beat ½ cup mascarpone, 4 Tbsp. granulated sugar, remaining 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, ⅔ cup heavy cream, and 1 tsp. vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract in a medium bowl until soft peaks form. Spoon whipped cream mixture over pie; swirl lightly to create divots and peaks.

Just before serving, dust with instant espresso powder if desired; sprinkle generously with flaky sea salt.

Do ahead: Pie (without espresso powder and sea salt garnishes) can be made 1 day ahead. Cover loosely and keep chilled.

How would you rate Salted Coffee Custard Pie?

Leave a Review

It's not setting al all. Are we supposed to blend the heavy cream until it begins to thicken? I don't understand how so many of us had a major failure with this recipe.

lynn

Bend, OR

5/10/2023

This recipe was such a disappointment, it tasted amazing but never came close to setting. I used the deep pan as specified, the center just never set. Baked for way longer than the recommended time and had to pull it because the edges were burning. I do not understand how this recipe was supposed to work. What is even more aggravating is that the flavors were amazing, I want to make this pie again but I know it will be a hopeless waste of ingredients if half of it is still liquid and makes all the leftover pieces have soggy crust. I do not understand how this recipe was let through.

Kaitlin

Chicago

4/6/2023

Awesome flavour, but my pie did curdle unfortunately (we still loved it). Too much liquid for the pie size, so poured only to the top of the crust. I left it about 24 hours before I added the cream topping and served immediately after and it was delicious. Some fiddling with a water bath and the amount of liquid, I think this would be a fantastic, light and decadent dessert.

Brittany

Alberta, Canada

3/1/2023

Sorry to hear so many had problems. I did not and it was a hit - but I have a few comments. I could tell 9" was too small so I used a larger 9 1/2 inch pie pan. The custard was thin but cooked well needing 55 minutes in the larger pan - I made it on Dec 23rd for Dec 25th so it was well chilled and set perfectly. I made the mascarpone cream on the 25th but it was skimpy so doubled that recipe - a Christmas dessert needs to be over the top - I can't believe a single recipe of that cream appeared in the magazine picture. It really was delicious and was inhaled at the dinner table!I didn't like the oatmeal crust though others did. I think if I made it again I might make a crust of chocolate wafers instead.

Joan

Toronto, Ontario

12/26/2022

This should be called Second Day Delight. I got it to work and it is very tasty. I may try again. Yes, there is too much custard for the standard Cuisinart so a bowl would work better.Yes, the cooking time didn't seem right -I ended up cooking for 50 mins when the outer rim started to look like it may start burning. I pulled it even though it looked very wet still. I believe it is imperative to chill overnight. I let it cool for 2 hours then had to stick it in the freezer for another since I was bringing it to a dinner party. It was refrigerated at my friend's home for another hour. It was a little goopy in the center last night but it did firm up overnight. The custard is very delicate.I couldn't find instant espresso so I used instant coffee.

Amy

portland, or

12/14/2022

Made the crust only for an apple pie. 1 tsp salt is for "Diamond Crystal," listed first. If you are using ground salt (listed as "Morton's"), it takes half as much! Just glancing at the ingredient list, I added the measurement to the far left, 1 tsp., twice the salt needed. I added 1 T extra brown sugar to compensate, successfully. Interesting w/ apples but not stunning

Alice

Knoxville

12/4/2022

In case there's any doubt or hope in your mind that this recipe works, abandon it. While amazing in concept, this pie fundamentally doesn't work. While my boyfriend and I were able to achieve a semi-set consistency for the pie by letting it bake way beyond the recommended time, the flavor was ruined by being burnt. When we cut into it the next morning, the middle was still soft and fell apart immediately. We didn't even bother trying to make the topping. It blows my mind BA would let this recipe get through editing and that it could be featured in their magazine.

Anonymous

12/1/2022

This pie is one of the best desserts I've ever contributed to Thanksgiving dinner. It tastes like having an affogato at an Italian coffee shop, especially if you take the advice to chill the pie for 12 hours. I made the custard ahead of time and there was too much liquid for my food processor, so I just transferred it to a bowl to mix in the cream. I'm so surprised by all the negative reviews – the process was pretty simple and produced a great result for me! I never had too much filling, nor did my mixture curdle. With an additional few minutes in the oven and a night in the fridge, it was perfect. I made the whipped topping the day-of and used dark cocoa powder instead of dusting with more espresso. Pro tip: 2 hours in the freezer turns any leftover custard & topping into coffee ice cream... insanely good stuff.

Lily Baldwin

San Francisco, CA

11/28/2022

Excellent pie! Followed the recipe and had absolutely no issues. Recipe clearly calls for a food processor and a deep dish pie plate. I did not have either but decided to brave it. I used my Nutribullet in place of food processor, which worked very well, and ended up having a little bit of custard mixture left over, which was to be expected. Baked an extra 7 minutes for custard, which set up fine. Guests at Thanksgiving who love coffee and who didn't care for coffee both raved about how delicious this pie was. This will be my go to 'wow' pie.

Laura

Reading, PA

11/27/2022

So surprised to read these reviews! Made this for thanksgiving and my mom and I are obsessed. She thinks it is her favorite pie ever! So, there was extra filling. I did not use a deep dish pie plate as instructed, though. So I poured the extra into ramekins, bc: MORE PIE. I did bake it closer to 55 min. Chilled it overnight. First pieces we cut the next day, there was an issue w it not totally setting, but we sort of drained a few Tbsps out and it was fine. SO WORTH IT. We love the flavor and the texture of the crust. The filling wasn't remotely curdled it was smooth abs awesome. Its so great I will consider getting a deep dish plate just to make this pie. Made it the night before, chilled overnight and then added the whipped mascarpone topping.

Laura D

St Paul, MN

11/26/2022

The pie was delicious and a hit at Thanksgiving. However, the recipe as written is not great and was stressful to make on Thanksgiving Eve. It should specify that you need a giant food processor and an extra deep dish pie dish. Thanks to other commenters, I baked this in a water bath. I avoided any curdling, but it still took an extra 15-20 minutes to finish cooking. Like others, there was more custard than would fit in my pie dish, so I baked the remainder in a ramekin in a water bath so it wouldn't go to waste. Though this pie had good reviews from my friends, I would not make it again.

Kat

New York, NY

11/26/2022

I also made this for Thanksgiving and it was a big hit! I, too, would make the filling in the blender next time. I also didn't read the directions carefully so used a regular pie pan and had leftover filling. I decided not to make the topping, just set a bowl of whipped cream on the side for those who wanted it. Most people didn't. It's plenty tasty without the topping.

Andrea

Saint Louis MO

11/26/2022

Delicious! I made this for Thanksgiving and it turned out delicious. I wouldn't use a food processor for the liquid part of the custard next time because it's too much for a normal size processor. I would do the dry in the food processor then transfer to a mixer before adding the wet. Other than that, I wouldn't change a thing. It was delicious and everyone raves about it!

Kat Q

Cape Cod

11/26/2022

I was laughing at these reviews because I also followed using the processor which in hindsight I realized was totally unnecessary except for the crust. I had a flood of custard spilling out as I processed it and when I took it off the machine. What a mess! They must have a massive machine, but it will not fit in a standard 7-cup cuisinart. This could easily be made in a bowl with a mixer or just by hand. I used less salt, and just two packets of instant coffee because the Starbucks brand is strong, and Chameleon organic cold brew concentrate. I decided to trust in the cooking time because I was in a hurry and took it out after 40 minutes as the edges were at least set. It was delicious and a big hit at thanksgiving! No curdling in mine. I had the idea to cook the extra custard that hadn't spilled in ramekins and it was delicious without a crust. Yes, topping should be doubled!A few tweaks should make the difference. I will definitely make my version again.

Emily

New York

11/26/2022

I also wish I had seen these reviews before making this pie. It is our family tradition to make one new dessert each year to go along with the usual pumpkin pie and this year I chose this recipe. It was a total disaster and very disappointing. The recipe made considerably more filling than would fit in a 9" pie pan and the custard never set. Instead of "giggling a little in the center", the filling was cascading over the sides of the pan even after more than 50 minutes in the oven. I don't know if there was too much liquid, too little solids or not enough heat to set this pie, but something is wrong with this recipe.

Anonymous

Delavan, WI

11/25/2022