This black bottom pie recipe is rich, decadent, and oh so delicious! This is one special treat that everyone will love.
Our black bottom pie is a crowd favorite. Between the rich chocolate cookie crumb crust and the smooth and creamy homemade pudding, you are going to swoon with each and every bite.
This black bottom pie is literally one of my favorite desserts ever! My mom and I used to make it for us on special occasions and truly, nothing compares.
You may have heard of Mississippi River (or Mississippi Mud) pie, which is super similar to this treat. Both have chocolate bottoms, but a Mississippi Mud pie uses chocolate custard or chocolate pudding. Both are amazing pies, just with different flavors!
You get the banana flavor and chocolate flaky crust, but the fluffy whipped cream, chocolate shavings and fresh strawberries lend another depth of flavor that you just can’t get enough of. Like our bento cake, chocolate orange cake and gluten-free apple cake, it is always a crowd pleaser.
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Not only is this dessert delicious, it is also really beautiful to serve up to guests at your next dinner party. As a whole it looks pretty on your favorite cake stand but each individual slice also looks gorgeous as well with the many layers.
I especially think this dessert is the perfect addition to a Thanksgiving meal. Our Thanksgiving Charcuterie Board and Thanksgiving mocktails are also great additions.
Top tip: Make sure you have extra chocolate curls because you will definitely munch on some while baking. I know I do.
What you need
This decadent dessert is the perfect dessert for any event. It is a fun summer treat with the tasty fruity flavors, but it is also perfect for a birthday cake for someone who doesn’t really like cake. I love how easy this recipe is and it doesn’t take a lot of time to bake.
Chocolate Wafer Cookies
Gluten-free chocolate wafer cookies make up our yummy chocolate cookie crusts. You could use regular pie crust (or a graham cracker crust) too if you want, but I love how the wafer cookies crumble up so well when making this crust. The chocolate layer gives this treat its name (you may also hear this dessert called a black bottom banana cream pie).
Another pie you should try is our Razzleberry Pie. It is also gluten-free and so tasty. If you want to try a pie that isn’t as fruity, try out our Gluten-Free Pecan Pie Bread Pudding or this chocolate pudding pie.
Gluten-Free Banana Extract
Banana extract is made of pure bananas. Just like vanilla extract, banana extract is used in baking when you are wanting that fresh banana flavor. We also use bananas in this recipe, but the banana extract gives this treat that extra banana taste. This is completely optional but it is great!
Corn Starch
Yes, corn starch is gluten-free! It is made from corn, which is naturally gluten-free. To learn more about baking with gluten-free products and what starches are, check out our Gluten-Free Flour and Starches post.
How to make it
- Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees
- Combine cookie crumbs and sugar in a medium bowl
- Pour melted butter over crumbs and mix together
- Press into the bottom and up the sides of a spring form pan
- Bake 8-10 minutes
- In a saucepan, heat chocolate chips and 4 ounces of cream until melted, stirring constantly
- Pour into cookie crumb crust and let cool (If you want a thicker ganache, add more in 2 to 1 ratios)
- In a medium saucepan on low heat, heat 1 cup milk, 2 cups whipping cream, 3/4 cup sugar and butter
- In a small bowl, cream together egg yolks and 1/2 cup sugar
- Whisk into hot cream mixture
- Allow mixture to cook, stirring frequently, until it starts to thicken (make sure heat is very low)
- Mix reserved milk and cornstarch together
- Slowly whisk into the hot mixture
- Whisking constantly, making sure to blend bottom and sides, and continue cooking until mixture is a thick pudding then remove from heat
- As the pudding starts to cool, place plastic wrap on top to avoid filming then continue cooling in fridge
- Slice bananas an toss with lemon juice
- Pat dry with a paper towel
- Line bananas on top of cooled ganache then pour cooled pudding over top and place in fridge to continue cooling
- When ready to serve, prepare whipped cream by adding all ingredients together and whipping until soft peaks form
- Spread whipped cream over pudding with a wooden spoon and garnish with shaved chocolate and strawberries
- Remove sides of spring form pie pan and slide pie from bottom onto a serving plate
This pie is also super similar to our black bottom pie. Both have the “black bottom” or chocolate crust and both are topped with whipped cream. The French black bottom pie has a chocolate pastry cream layer or pudding. Sometimes instead of whipped cream, a French black bottom pie will have meringue on top.
All it really means is a pie with a black bottom layer, either chocolate pastry or chocolate crust. You will typically find them with a graham cracker crust. This dessert uses a pre-baked pie crust (just like ours).
This pie needs to be refrigerated. If left out at room temperature for too long, it can spoil. Either place an airtight lid over the container or use plastic wrap before storing in the fridge.
Thank goodness for me, my mom created this delectable gluten-free black bottom pie rendition. It certainly ends up being much cheaper than the $7 a slice we used to pay for it which is a plus. This is definitely a dessert we all ask for often. Be sure to snag your copy of Gluten-Free on a Budget that my mom and I published and is full of over 100 delicious gluten-free recipes. You can get a copy HERE.
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Black Bottom Pie with Chocolate Crust & Ganache
Ingredients
Cookie Crust
- 3 cups gluten-free crushed chocolate wafer cookies
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- 3/4 cup butter melted
Chocolate Ganache
- 8 ounces chocolate chips
- 4 ounces heavy cream
Homemade Pudding
- 2 cups milk divided
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 4 egg yolks
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 6 tablespoons corn starch
- 1 teaspoon gluten-free banana extract (optional)
- 2-3 bananas
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Whipped Topping
- 16 ounces whipping cream
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon gluten-free vanilla
- small chocolate bar and fresh strawberries to garnish
Instructions
Cookie Crust
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees
- Combine cookie crumbs and sugar in a bowl then pour melted butter over crumbs and mix together
- Press into the bottom and up the sides of a spring form pan and bake 8-10 minutes
Chocolate Ganache
- In a saucepan, heat chocolate chips and 4 ounces cream until melted, stirring constantly
- Pour into cookie crumb crust and let cool (If you want a thicker ganache, add more in 2 to 1 ratios)
Homemade Pudding
- In a saucepan on low heat, heat 1 cup milk, 2 cups whipping cream, 3/4 cup sugar and butter
- In another bowl, cream together egg yolks and 1/2 cup sugar and whisk into hot cream mixture
- Allow mixture to cook, stirring frequently, until it starts to thicken (make sure heat is very low)
- Mix reserved milk and cornstarch together and slowly whisk into the hot mixture
- Whisking constantly, making sure to blend bottom and sides, and continue cooking until mixture is a thick pudding then remove from heat
- As the pudding starts to cool, place plastic wrap on top to avoid filming then continue cooling in fridge
- Slice bananas an toss with lemon juice and pat dry with a paper towel
- Line bananas on top of cooled ganache then pour cooled pudding over top and place in fridge to continue cooling
Whipped Topping
- When ready to serve, prepare whipped cream by adding together whipping cream, powdered sugar and gluten-free vanilla and whipping until peaks form
- Spread whipped cream over pudding and garnish with shaved chocolate and strawberries
- Remove sides of spring form pan and slide pie from bottom onto a serving plate
Notes
How to store leftovers
This pie needs to be refrigerated. If left out at room temperature for too long, it can spoil. Either place an airtight lid over the container or use plastic wrap before storing in the fridge.Nutrition
This recipe was originally posted December 12, 2017 and has been updated with new information and tips July 23, 2022.
Sydney Wynne says
This is my ALL time favorite dessert! Its also my dads (who is not gluten-free) favorite. This will be a recipe that I make often!
Starla says
This looks so delicious. I will make a German chocolate cake if I win!
Rust says
I’ll make cheesecake, and lots of cookies.
Karla R. says
I would make some brownies.
Anita Jude says
I would make cupcakes or cake with it
Melissa Craig says
gluten free bread
Elicia p says
Bread, doing it by hand gets old and tiresome.
Erin M says
I would start with butter cookies.
Jenny Ham says
Chocolate cake is what I would make first
laura bernard says
I would make brownies for sure!
Starla says
Holy moly that looks delicious! If I were to win I would definitely make my Nana’s better than “everything’ cake first. She passed away last year and her baking and cooking was out of this world. I would definitely try out her cake which we both loved making together!
Sarah Hayes says
my daughter would be sooo happy to have this! she wants to be a baker when she grows up and loves to make anything she can for others. Id love to encourage her generous spirit by having a better mixer than the hand mixer my parents got as a wedding gift over 40 years ago lol. she would make brownies with sprinkles