French Silk Pie

Ingredients

• 1 pre-baked 9-inch graham cracker crust
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 oz unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup heavy cream, whipped

Method

1. Beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
2. Beat in the melted chocolate and vanilla, then add the eggs one at a time, beating 3 full minutes after each addition (this is what makes the filling silky).
3. Fold in the whipped cream.
4. Pour the filling into the crust and smooth the top.
5. Refrigerate at least 4 hours, or until fully set, before slicing.

The Tale of French Silk Pie

Story updated September 19, 2026

Despite its name, French silk pie is an American creation. Betty Cooper entered her French Silk Chocolate Pie in the 1951 Pillsbury Bake-Off, where it took the prize for best pie. By some accounts she adapted it from a chocolate icebox pie given to her by a friend's mother, Hilda Larson. The filling is uncooked: butter, sugar, melted chocolate, and eggs beaten until silky and light, then chilled in a baked crust. The contest publicity sent the recipe into American kitchens through the 1950s, and the French name is generally taken to signal the filling's smooth, mousse-like texture.