Irish Coffee Chocolate Tart for Pi Day: Any Excuse for Pie Will Do!

I’m sure you’ve seen the “mind blown” meme of a piece of paper with “3.14” written on it and its mirror image: “PIE.” The truth is that any excuse will do to throw a pie party, though perhaps I do need a yearly reminder to put pie on the table since I definitely do not make it often enough.

2 years ago for Pi Day, I was a little snarky with my admission, submitting Whoopie Pies. 3.14 of them, to be exact. Which conveniently also worked as a shamrock, pulling double dessert duty that month. This time, I’ve decided to go a more traditional route. Something a little more sophisticated, while still capturing the essence of the occasion. Something like a chocolate tart. An Irish Coffee Chocolate Tart, to be exact.

Since I still have an irrational fear of working with pie dough, I fashioned my tart with a pre-made, deep dish, frozen pie crust. This meant that I also was stuck with the shape of the tin it came in, as I was baking at 6AM. I don’t think my boss would accept “I was waiting for pie dough to become malleable” as an excuse for being late for work.

In spite of the more pie-like presentation–which lends itself better to the holiday anyway–this is high class all the way. A layer of rich, chocolatey filling kissed with Irish cream, topped with cocoa coffee whipped cream–and a dash of Irish whiskey to boot! Delicious! A small serving will do–it’s very filling–but that just means you can share more love. That’s what Pi Day is all about, right? No? I wasn’t very good at math, so what do I know?

Irish Coffee Chocolate Tart

adapted from Pillsbury

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Servings 12

Ingredients

  

Tart

• 1 frozen pie crust or 1 layer of your favorite crust
• 1 1/2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips
• 1 14- ounce can sweetened condensed milk
• 1/3 cup Irish cream liqueur
• 2 large eggs

Topping

• 1 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
• 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/3 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
• Dash salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon Irish whiskey

Instructions

 

Tart

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Place pie crust in pie plate on a rimmed cookie sheet and poke holes in the bottom to allow steam to escape. If you have pie weights, it's also a good idea to line the crust with parchment paper and place them in the crust to keep it from puffing up too much.
• Bake the crust for 10 minutes, or until very lightly golden. Remove and let cool.
• Dump the chocolate chips in a large microwavable bowl and heat in the microwave at 50% power, stirring every 30 seconds until smooth. Let cool for 3 minutes.
• Add the sweetened condensed milk, Irish cream, and eggs, and beat with a hand mixer until smooth. Pour into the prepared pie crust and spread evenly.
• Bake for 15 minutes, then turn the temperature down to 350 degrees and bake for another 20-30 minutes. Keep an eye on the crust: if it looks like it's browning too much, cover with a pie shield or strips of aluminum foil.
• Remove from oven when no longer jiggly in the middle. Let cool completely, then put in the refrigerator for 2 hours to chill.

Topping

• In a large mixing bowl, combine the heavy whipping cream and instant espresso powder. Let sit for a few minutes.
• Add the rest of the ingredients and beat with a hand mixer until thickened and spreadable. (Be careful not to overbeat like I did.)
• Spread over the top of the pie.
• Cut into slices and top with freshly whipped cream. Find your bliss!