Mississippi Mud Pie - Accomplished!

Managed to complete my mini mud pie project over a span of 24 hours. As you can see in my previous post, I did attempt it a few days back but didnt quite complete the entire mud pie. So this time round, back with a vengeance, I was determined to do it right to the end. 

And.. here it is. Mississippi Mud Pie.  

 Had a terrific outing with Hui Fong and Michelle today. People who know me will know that I dont have that many close female buddies (in Cantanose, they are called hou zi muis). It's not that I am arrogant or dislike people to that extent. It's just that I never found myself a bunch of people I could really relate to and laugh and be at ease for being myself. And I guess being with them.. felt like that in a way. Will be cutting a few slices of my mud pie to share with them tomorrow. 

We chatted over lunch from 2 to 5pm. Imagine that! We talked about a lot of things. Boys, batch mates, university life, each other's family. I know most things almost always feels good at the beginning but nevertheless, I feel glad to have met you people as my friends. 

Mississippi Mud Pie 

(adapted from 3pm Sunday Dinner)

Chocolate cookie crust:

35-40 Oreo sandwich cookies, crushed
5 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Flourless chocolate cake:
4 tbsp unsalted butter
170g chocolate, chopped
¼ cup strong coffee, room temperature
¼ tsp salt
1 tbsp vanilla extract
6 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
1 cup sugar *reduced to ¾ cup

Chocolate pudding: *Turned out that I made plenty of extra chocolate pudding. Portion can be reduced by half!
¾ cup sugar
½ cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ cup cornstarch
¼ tsp salt
4 large egg yolks
2½ cups whole milk
3 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tsp vanilla extract
85g dark chocolate 

Whipped cream: *omitted entirely simply because whipped cream is so hard to come by in my house. But what I did was substitute the whipped cream topping with a sprinkle of crushed walnuts. Gave it an elegant feel..

1½ cups heavy cream
2 tbsp granulated sugar

1. Preheat oven to 300F (150C).

2. Lightly coat a 9-inch springform pan with nonstick spray and then line the pan with parchment paper and coat that as well.

3. To make the crust, process the cookies in a food processor into fine crumbs. Melt the butter, pour over the crumbs and mix with rubber spatula until well-combined.

4. Spread the crumb mixture out evenly into your prepared pan leaving about ½ inch between the top of the crust and the top of the pan.  

5. Freezer for about 10 minutes to let it set then bake in the oven for about 10 minutes.  Set aside and let cool on a wire rack.  

6. To prepare the cake, increase oven temperature to 350F (177C).

7. Using a double boiler, melt butter and chocolate together and then set aside.

8. In a small bowl, mix together the espresso powder, coffee, salt and vanilla. Set aside.

9. Beat egg yolks with ½ cup sugar until mixture is light and has almost doubled in volume, about 5 minutes. Add the chocolate mixture and beat until combined.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix on low for 5 seconds.  Add the coffee mixture and beat until just combined.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix on low for 5 seconds.  

10. Beat egg whites until foamy.  Gradually increase the whisk speed to high and add in the remaining ½ cup sugar until the soft peaks form.  

11. Fold the whipped egg whites into the chocolate mixture.  Start with 1 cup of the mixture.  Remember not to over mix either.

12. Once incorporated, pour the batter onto the cookie crust (which should be cooled by now) and bake for 38-42 minutes.  The cake will be set however, it will still jiggle slightly and may not have the appearance of being completely cooked.  As the cake cools, it will look sunken in the middle.  (Mine also cracked a bit and I was worried, but the consistency was perfect and it was very gooey and moist! So don't be alarmed if yours looks this way too!) 

13. Tightly wrap and refrigerate the cake for a minimum of three hours or overnight.

14. For the pudding, whisk together the sugar, cocoa powder, cornstarch, and salt, in a saucepan.

15. Add the egg yolks and whisk until combined.  The mixture will look like a thick paste

16. Slowly pour in the milk, whisking constantly.

17. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly to prevent it from burning on the bottom of the pan.  (I found this step to be long and tiring, haha.  You really have to stand there and constantly whisk until it boils on medium heat, which for me took some time.  I think it's worth it, because who want's burned pudding? Not me! So, make sure you do whisk the entire time!)

18. Once the mixture reaches the boiling point, let it boil for 30 seconds then transfer to a medium bowl.  Add butter, vanilla, and chocolate and whisk until combined.  Continue to whisk for a few minutes to allow the mixture to cool slightly.

19. Let the pudding stand for 15 minutes at room temperature then cover with a piece of plastic wrap and press it directly onto the surface of the pudding to prevent a skin from forming.  Chill for at least 3 hours.  

20. To assemble, stir the pudding to loosen it, then pour it on top of the cake keeping it within the cookie-crust border. Use an offset spatula to spread the pudding into an even layer.  Put the pie back in the fridge while you prepare the whipped cream.

21. Pour the heavy cream into a chilled metal bowl and beat with a chilled whisk until soft peaks form.  Sprinkle the sugar onto the cream then continue to whisk vigorously until stiff peaks form.

22. Take the pie out of the refrigerator and spread the fresh whipped cream on top.