Coconut Custard Pie with Coconut Whipped Cream.
If you give me one choice of pie, it’s going to be coconut.
Important: do not judge this pie on my inability to photograph it! UGH YOU GUYS. I am the worst at photographing pie. Probably because it takes patience and patience is something that I just do not have.
Plus, pie gives me anxiety. Anx-pie-ety? And my slightly-a little too much-overgolden pie crust edges. I know nothing. Trust me not. But I swear it’s too good to end up in my recipe disasters.
If you’ve been around for a bit, then you know that I’m a coconut freak. I’ve made no joke about that in all of these eight years. I LOVE COCONUT. All the coconut things.
On the flip side, Eddie hates coconut! He doesn’t mind the coconut flavor (like, um, coconut rum) but he can’t stand the squeak-beneath-your-teeth texture. And if you’re the same way, then I have to say that you will NOT like this pie.
Mother Lovett made a killer coconut cream pie. Last year, my brother replicated it for easter and it was so good. This year, I spied a coconut custard pie in food and wine and was like, WHAT is that?! I’ve never heard of coconut custard pie. But I knew that I needed it in my life immediately. ASAP. Like, last week.
I was dreaming of it!
The verdict?
I really liked it. Thought I must say, it’s suuuuper different from coconut cream pie. Obviously! It’s not fluffy and creamy and pudding-like. It’s very thick and custard-like (again… obviously… please give me a thesaurus PLEASE) and FULL of coconut texture. It’s not like it’s chewy, but it’s so packed with coconut that you get the whole coconut chew factor, bigtime.
To bring it all together, I used Mother Lovett’s pie crust (the recipe below makes a few crusts, so freeze what you don’t use!) and then I topped it off with coconut whipped cream. Food and wine called for ice cream on top, but I just couldn’t do that. It seemed so… different. I needed some sort of good whipped cream and coconut it was!
Of course. I added just a touch of vanilla, so coconut vanilla whipped cream. Hello, I’d like to eat that with a spoon alone.
Yes, so basically this is a coconut bomb. I wonder if it would be appropriate to have this AND a coconut cream pie at Easter? I’m thinking so.
Coconut Custard Pie
Ingredients
crust [as a note, this makes 3 pie crusts, so freeze the other 2!]
- 4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 3 teaspoons salt
- 1 large egg lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 1/2 cup ice cold water
- 1 1/2 cups cold unsalted butter cut into pieces (3 sticks or 24 tablespoons)
coconut custard filling
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 6 large eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups shredded sweetened coconut
coconut whipped cream
- 2 cans full-fat coconut milk cold (refrigerated overnight)
- 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons toasted coconut
Instructions
crust
- Add the flour, sugar and salt to a food processor and pulse just until combined. In a small bowl, whisk mix together the egg, vinegar and water. Add the cold butter pieces into the food processor and pulse until small coarse crumbs remain. Sprinkle the water/egg mixture over the flour and pulse again until the dough comes together.
- Remove the dough with your hands and wrap it in plastic wrap. This dough makes enough for 3 pie crusts, so you can either separate it into 3 sections now, or separate it after it’s refrigerated. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Roll the pie crust out into a 12-inch circle (if you’re using a 9-inch pie plate). Fold it in half to pick it up and gently place it in the plate, unfolding as you go and trimming any excess off of the edges – you can also use a fork (or another decorative idea!) to press the edges down. At this point, I covered my crust with parchment paper, filled it with dry beans (or pie weights) and bake for 10 minutes. Once finished, tap any bubbles on the bottom with a fork.
coconut custard filling
- Whisk together the sugar and melted butter until combined. Whisk in the eggs and the buttermilk. Whisk in the vanilla and salt. Fold in the shredded coconut.
- Pour the custard into the pie crust. Bake it for 45 to 50 minutes, until the center isn’t jiggly and the custard is golden brown on top. If needed, you can cover the pie crust edges with foil if they are getting too dark. Let the pie cool completely. Right before serving, make the coconut whipped cream and top the pie with it. Sprinkle on the toasted coconut.
coconut whipped cream
- Open the cans and discard the liquid (use it in smoothies!), then scoop the firm coconut meat into the bowl of your electric mixer. Beat on medium-high speed until completely whipped and thick. Beat in the vanilla extract and powdered sugar. Spread it on the cooled pie right before serving. Sprinkle with toasted coconut!
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
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I appreciate you so much!
P.S. this adorable pie plate is from MacKenzie-Childs! super cute.
24 Comments on “Coconut Custard Pie with Coconut Whipped Cream.”
I love your recipes and this looks amazing! So curious to make this
Not sure what you’re looking at, but all I see is a beautifully-photographed pie :D
No no… you are doing amazing photos. I am the worst cake photographer. Just today I was angry, I had a great cake and I just cannot make photos..
This is business idea- does anyone want to arrange workshop for cake photoshooting :) :)
Even on Pinterest or Instagram difficult to find good examples :)
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That pie dish!!! Omg!!! Also, the pie looks heavenly and delicious so pat yourself on the back for your photography!
And so much coconut, I love!!!
i want to plunge my face into this!!! I love coconut things….that texture sounds like a total dream. happy Friday, Jessica!
So apparently my husband and I are the reverse of you and Eddie – he loves it and I just can’t get past the texture. I might have to make this for him though because he has been talking about his grandmother’s coconut pies all week and I feel like this would make all his coconut dreams come true! ;)
hehe your pie crust look like little pie ravioli’s ;)
This sounds delicious :-) And I don’t love sweets! I could totally get on board with coconut flavored custard though…
As they say, you eat with your eyes…….I’m having trouble getting the whipped cream out of my eyelashes.
This is so pretty! I love the cutouts for the crust =)
Love the ravioli style border on the crust.
Oh, coconut cream pie and Easter go so well together. This pis looks divine!
We love coconut! But over half my family is lactose intolerant. So I’m thinking you could make the custard with coconut milk and it would be lactose free! What do you think?
This looks absolutely divine Jessica!!!
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LOVE THIS MASHUP. coconut custard sounds like something I need in my life!
ahhh I must try this! I used to hate coconut because of the texture, but it’s really grown on me. Your pie photos look pretty delicious to me! :)
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Love your blog and recipes. The pie filling looks wonderful. If you wouldn’t mind a tiny bit of advice? Your pie crust is rolled too thin, and that’s one reason it’s so brown as well. It shouldn’t be see-thru when you roll it and place into the pie pan. I learned from an expert. My mom. Best pies on the planet, and taught me everything I know about baking. I own a few bakeries in Dallas and every time I make a pie. I hear my mom’s voice when making my crust. “Use a little more fat then a recipe calls for, and don’t roll it too thick or too thin “. Still can’t compete with mom’s, but it’s close. You’re a doll and I SO enjoy your blog and recipes. Thanks for all you do to inspire and make us drool! 😍
thank you so much toni!! haha i am a work in pie progress. :)
You are amazing!! I just love your blog. My mom passed away last June at the age of 90. I would bring her a piece of pie from my bakery, and clench my hand to my mouth, hoping she would approve. She was always coaching me on my crust. I felt my mom speaking to me and felt compelled to pass the along – haha!
Keep up the great work. I just love your recipes AND photography!
Is the powdered sugar in the coconut whipped cream required? Like, is it more for taste or to stabilize? I ran out of powdered sugar and am too lazy / cheap to go to the store for just a tbs if it’s not complete necessary hahah.
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My husband made this Coconut Custard Pie for me this weekend, and IT IS PHENOMENAL. I hate making pies (pie crust and I do not have a good relationship), so when my husband asked what dessert I wanted for my birthday weekend, I asked him to make me this pie, haha. I have tried a bajillion coconut custard pies over the years, and this is seriously one of the top CCPs I have ever tasted. I love how chock-full of shredded coconut it is, and although I was a little skeptical of the coconut whipped cream on its own, it works perfectly on top of the pie (I should never have doubted you). I’ve already eaten half the pie and am fighting myself not to polish the rest off tonight. It is SO GOOD. Thank you for sharing this recipe. :-D