Caramel Cream Pie
My Caramel Cream Pie has a layer of espresso ganache and a caramel mousse all piled on top of a biscotti crust. Because who doesn’t love their cup of coffee with biscotti?! It’s creamy, sweet, a little bit nutty with just a hint of coffee. This is an adaption of the Caramel Mocha Macchiato Pie I entered at the 2018 National Pie Championships. If you like the Frappuccinos at Starbucks this pie is up your alley. The coffee flavor is subtle between the espresso ganache and the coffee mousse. You can even make it stronger by upping the coffee extract in the mousse.
Ingredient Notes
Below are some notes on key ingredients for this recipe. For a full list of ingredients, see the recipe card below.
- Biscotti: I love the nutty texture of almond biscotti for the crust. Check out my recipe further down the page. My recipe makes about 16 biscotti, you only need half of that for the Caramel Cream Pie. However for a shortcut you can use any flavor biscotti you find at the store. And for an even quicker shortcut you can substitute a pre-made graham cracker or chocolate cookie pie crust.
- Mascarpone cheese: I’m going for sort of an Italian theme here. You can enjoy a slice pie with your coffee and biscotti. Mascarpone cheese can be found in the deli section of your grocery store with the cheeses, as opposed to the dairy section. You can also substitute an equal amount of softened cream cheese.
- Coffee Extract: I am using this coffee extract from Nielsen-Massey. If you cannot find that you can substitute an equal amount of espresso powder.
- Caramel: I tried using store-bought caramel sauce/ice cream topping as a way to shortcut this recipe but it doesn’t set up enough. As soon as you cut into the pie the caramel gushed everywhere. My caramel recipe only requires 3 ingredients and sets up great in the pie.
- Espresso powder – I love using espresso powder in ganache, it’s a subtle flavor that pairs really well with chocolate. My favorite espresso powders are from King Arthur and Medaglia D’Oro
- Salted butter – I only bake with salted butter. You’ve probably heard to use unsalted butter because there can be discrepancies in how much salt is in different brands but I have yet to come across a brand of butter that is too salty. I find that when I use unsalted butter I have to add a lot of salt to balance out the sweetness of most of my recipes.
Biscotti Crust
I love this biscotti crust so much but it does add time to make your own. If you make your own, make it the day before you plan to make the pie or you can also take a shortcut and use your favorite biscotti from the grocery store. You can also use a graham cracker crust or Oreo cookie crust if you prefer.
To make the crust, crush biscotti to fine crumbs in a food processor. Combine 2 cups of crumbs with the melted butter and stir to combine. Press into a greased 9” pie plate. Bake crust at 350 for 12 minutes. Cool completely before filling.
Espresso Ganache
To make the espresso ganache heat the heavy cream and espresso powder over medium-low heat until it starts simmering. Put the chocolate chips and butter in a bowl and pour cream over top. Allow to sit for a couple minutes to melt and then whisk until smooth. Reserve about 1/4 cup of ganache for topping the pie. Pour the rest into the pie shell. Refrigerate until set.
Caramel
To make the caramel, melt the butter and brown sugar together in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat until it begins to boil. Cook for another 2-3 minutes, stirring continuously. Remove from heat and slowly add heavy cream, whisking until smooth. Whisk in the vanilla. Set aside to cool. Save about 6 tbsp to use later in the recipe and pour the remaining caramel over the chocolate ganache layer of the pie. Refrigerate until set.
Coffee Mousse
In a large bowl beat together the mascarpone, coffee extract, powdered sugar and vanilla extract until smooth. In a separate mixing bowl, whip 1 1/2 cups of the heavy cream until it forms stiff peaks. Fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture. Spread the mouse in an even layer over the caramel mixture in the crust. Using a piping bag, a small ziplock bag with the corner cut, or even just a spoon drizzle the remaining ganache and 2 tbsp of the reserved caramel over the pie. Refrigerate to set.
Caramel Whipped Cream
Using an electric mixer on high speed, whip the remaining 1 cup of heavy whipping cream to soft peaks. Add the remaining 1/4 cup of caramel and beat to stiff peaks. Pile on top of the pie or pipe a border around the pie. Garnish with any extra biscotti crumbs. Refrigerate at least 4 hours before serving.
Looking for more cream pies? Check out my Nutella Pie, Chocolate Banana Cream Pie, and Hazelnut Pie.
Caramel Cream Pie
Ingredients
- 2 cups almond biscotti crumbs, plus more for topping. (See my biscotti recipe at the bottom of the page or substitute your favorite store-bought biscotti)
- 7 tbsp salted butter, melted
- 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp heavy cream
- 1/2 tbsp espresso powder
- 1 cup chocolate chips
- 1 tbsp salted butter
- 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) salted butter
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 6 oz Mascarpone cheese
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tsp coffee extract
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream, divided
Instructions
- To make the crust, crush biscotti to fine crumbs in a food processor. Combine 2 cups of crumbs with the melted butter and stir to combine. Press into a greased 9” pie plate. Bake at 350 for 12 minutes. Cool at room temperature.
- To make the espresso ganache heat the heavy cream and espresso powder over medium-low heat until it starts simmering. Put the chocolate chips and butter in a bowl and pour cream over top. Allow to sit for a couple minutes to melt and then whisk until smooth. Reserve about 1/4 cup of ganache for topping the pie. Pour the rest into the crust. Refrigerate until set.
- To make the caramel, melt the butter and brown sugar together in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until it begins to boil. Continue cooking for another 2-3 minutes, stirring continuously. Remove from heat and slowly add heavy cream, whisking until smooth. Whisk in the vanilla. Allow to cool. Set aside about 6 tbsp to use later in the recipe and pour the remaining caramel over the chocolate ganache layer of the pie. Refrigerate until set.
- To make the caramel mousse beat together the mascarpone, coffee extract, powdered sugar and vanilla extract until smooth. In a separate mixing bowl, whip 1 1/2 cups of the heavy cream until it forms stiff peaks. Fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture. Spread the mouse over the caramel mixture in the crust. Using a piping bag, a small ziplock bag with the corner cut, or even just a spoon drizzle the remaining ganache and 2 tbsp of the reserved caramel over the pie. Refrigerate to set.
- Whip the remaining 1 cup of heavy cream to soft peaks. Add the remaining 1/4 cup of caramel and beat to stiff peaks. Pile on top of the pie or pipe a border around the pie. Garnish with any extra biscotti crumbs. Refrigerate at least 4 hours before serving.
Nutrition
Almond Biscotti
Almond Biscotti
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar
- 5 tbsp salted butter, diced and cold
- 3 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 1 cup almonds, coarsely chopped and toasted
- egg wash: 1 egg yolk + 1 tablespoon milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and brown sugar. Next, using a pastry blender or your hands cut in the butter until it resembles coarse crumbs and no large chunks of butter remain.
- In a small bowl combine the egg, milk, vanilla and almond extract and stir to combine. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir just until combined. Mix in the toasted almonds.
- With damp hands, divide the dough in half and form into two rectangles about 3/4" thick on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. My rectangles were about 8" x 3".
- To make the egg wash combine one egg yolk and 1 tbsp of milk. Brush the egg wash over the biscotti dough. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until lightly browned. Let the biscotti slightly cool.
- Once it's cool enough to handle move to a cutting board and slice into 3/4"inch slices. Turn the slices on their sides on the baking sheet and bake again for 20 minutes, flipping halfway through. Cool completely.
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