A flaky pastry crust, silky coffee custard, and glossy dark chocolate ganache make this Funnel Mill Kyoto Coffee Cream Pie. This is a true coffeehouse-inspired dessert. It borrows the custard-and-chocolate combination of Boston cream pie but turns it into a true pastry-crust pie.
Use Kyoto Cold Drip Coffee in the filling. The coffee concentrate is measured directly into the custard without diluting it first.
Yield: One standard 9-inch pie, 8 servings
Active preparation: About 45 minutes
Crust baking: 35–45 minutes
Chilling: About 6 hours, plus dough resting and crust cooling
Ingredients
Flaky pastry crust
- 1¼ cups (150 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
- ½ cup (113 g) cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 3–5 tablespoons ice water, as needed
Kyoto coffee custard filling
- 1½ cups (360 ml) whole milk
- ½ cup (120 ml) Kyoto Cold Drip Coffee
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 4 large egg yolks
- ¼ cup (32 g) cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt
- 2 tablespoons (28 g) unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Chocolate ganache topping
- 4 ounces (113 g) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
- ⅓ cup (80 ml) heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon (14 g) unsalted butter
Instruction
- Make the pastry dough. Whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. Cut in the cold butter until the mixture has pea-sized pieces. Add 3 tablespoons ice water and toss gently. Add more water, a teaspoon at a time, only until the dough holds together when pressed. Shape into a disk, wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- Line the pie dish. Roll the dough into a 12-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Fit into a standard 9-inch pie dish without stretching. Trim, fold under the edge, and crimp. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Fully blind-bake the crust. Line the chilled pastry with parchment and fill to the rim with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 20–25 minutes. Carefully remove the parchment and weights, then bake for another 15–20 minutes, until the base is dry and the crust is golden brown throughout. Shield the rim with foil if it browns too quickly. Cool completely. The filled pie will not be baked again.
- Start the coffee custard. Heat the milk and coffee concentrate in a saucepan until steaming. In a heatproof bowl, whisk the sugar, egg yolks, cornstarch, and salt until smooth. Slowly whisk about half the hot milk mixture into the yolk mixture, then return everything to the saucepan.
- Cook until thick. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly and reaching the corners of the pan, until the custard thickens and begins to bubble. Continue whisking at a gentle bubble for 1 full minute. Remove from heat and stir in the butter and vanilla.
- Fill and chill. Pour the hot custard into the completely cooled, fully baked crust and smooth the surface. Press food wrap directly against the custard to prevent a skin. Let stand for about 20 minutes, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours, until thoroughly cold and set.
- Make the ganache. Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat the heavy cream until steaming and pour over the chocolate. Let stand for 2 minutes, then stir gently until smooth. Stir in the butter. Cool until lukewarm but still spreadable.
- Top the pie. Remove the food wrap. Gently spread the ganache over the chilled custard, leaving the crimped pastry rim visible. Refrigerate for another 1–2 hours, until the topping is set.
- Slice and serve. Serve chilled. Use a sharp knife dipped in warm water and wiped dry between cuts for neat slices.
Tips for a crisp crust and smooth filling
Fully bake the pastry before adding the filling: an underbaked base will soften quickly beneath custard. Whisk the custard continuously while cooking, and do not shorten its final minute of bubbling. Let the filling set completely before adding lukewarm ganache; hot ganache can soften the custard.
Make-ahead and storage
The crust can be baked a day ahead and kept covered at room temperature once completely cool. Refrigerate the filled pie, covered, for up to 3 days. For the crispest pastry, serve within 24 hours of filling. Do not leave the finished custard pie at room temperature for more than 2 hours.