Mississippi Mud Pie

This cake has been two years in the making.  Well, it took me two years to work up the guts to try it again after the first one was an epic failure.  Epic.  I originally found this recipe on Martha Stewart's website and decided to make it for my dad's birthday.  I'm still not totally sure what happened... The oreo crust somehow leaked some sort of grease onto the bottom of my oven which burned off to create a noxious gas in my apartment. Then I think I rushed things a bit. I didn't really strictly follow the chilling time, so my pudding layer kind of got swallowed by the cake.  I can't even remember if I topped it with whipped cream or if I just quit at that point.  To top things off, it had a faint scorchy taste, which everyone else said they didn't notice.  Maybe they were just being nice?  Well, round two, and I decided to do a little bit more research.  I found this recipe on a lot of different blogs, with a variety of suggestions.  This time, I'm pleased to announce, the pie was a complete success.  If your heart goes pitter patter over oreos, flourless chocolate cake, chocolate pudding, and whipped cream, then this pie is for you.  Notes: I deviated from Martha's recipe just a bit.  I substituted water for coffee in the cake, and added chocolate extract.  I added slightly  more cornstarch and 2 whole eggs instead of 4 egg yolks to the pudding.  I also stabilized the whipped cream to help the leftovers last longer without melting into whipped cream puddles.

Mississippi Mud Pie

Crust:

16 ounces whole (cream included) Oreos (35-40 cookies), crushed

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Flourless Chocolate Cake:

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

6 ounces good-quality dark chocolate (60-70%), chopped (I used chocolate chips)

1/4 water

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

2 teaspoons chocolate extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

6 large eggs, separated, at room temperature

1 cup sugar, divided

Chocolate Pudding:

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

6 Tablespoons cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

2 1/2 cups milk

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

3 ounces good-quality dark chocolate (60-70%) (I used chocolate chips)

Stabilized Whipped Cream:

4 teaspoons granulated sugar

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1 cup heavy whipping cream, divided

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the crust, preheat the oven to 300F.  Lightly grease a 9 inch springform pan with cooking spray.

Place the cookies in a food processor and process until you have fine crumbs.  Transfer the crumbs to a bowl and pour in the melted butter.  Stir together until evenly moistened.  Press the buttered crumbs evenly onto the bottom and up the sides of the prepared pan, leaving about 1/2 inch at the top of the pan.  Bake for about 10 minutes.  Remove crust from the oven and let cool.

For the chocolate cake, increase the oven temperature to 350F.  Place the butter and chocolate in a microwaveable bowl, and heat in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring after each, until chocolate is melted and smooth.  Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the water, vanilla extract, chocolate extract, and salt.  Set aside.

Place the egg yolks and 1/2 cup of the sugar in a bowl.  Beat until the mixture is a pale yellow color, 3 to 4 minutes.  Add the chocolate mixture and beat until just combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.  Add the water mixture and beat on low until just combined.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until foamy.  Continue to beat while gradually adding the remaining 1/2 cup sugar until soft peaks form.  Scoop about 1 cup of the egg whites into the chocolate batter and fold in gently with a spatula.  Add the remaining egg whites and gently fold in until incorporated.

Pour the batter into the prepared crust and smooth the top.  Place the cake in the oven and bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until the cake is set, but has a wiggle to it.  The cake may look underdone.  Remove cake from the oven and let cool completely.  The cake will sink in the middle (leaving lots of room for pudding!).  Cover the cake tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 3 hours, or overnight.

For the pudding, place the sugar, cocoa powder, cornstarch, and salt in a large saucepan and gently whisk together. Whisk in the eggs until combined.  Slowly whisk in the milk.  Cook the mixture over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until the pudding thickens and just starts to bubble.  Don't let it boil, or the eggs will scramble.  Whisk in the butter, vanilla, and chocolate until melted and well blended.  

Transfer the pudding to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap directly on the pudding surface to prevent a skin from forming on the top.  Chill for at least 3 hours, or overnight.

For the stabilized whipped cream, place the sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl and stir together.  Add 1/4 cup of the whipping cream and stir until smooth.  Micrwave in 15 second intervals, stirring after each, until the mixture comes to a boil (be careful that it doesn't overflow in the microwave!).  Stir the vanilla into the thickened mixture, then let cool completely.

Place the remaining 3/4 cup whipping cream in a bowl and beat until tracks begin to form in the cream.  Continue to beat while slowly adding the thickened cream mixture.  Beat until stiff peaks form.

To assemble the pie, spoon the cold pudding onto the cooled cake, staying within the crust, and smooth the top.  Spread the whipped cream over the pudding.  Refrigerate the cake for at least 30 minutes before serving.  Makes 16 to 20 servings.

Enjoy!  -Cardamommy