Blueberry Black Forest Pie
intro
A luscious German-American fusion twist on classic Black Forest flavors, pairing juicy blueberries, rich dark chocolate, and fluffy cream in a buttery chocolate crumb crust.
Ingredients
Steps
Bake the chocolate crust
Preheat oven to 175°C (350°F). In a medium bowl, mix 1 ½ cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs, 2 tbsp granulated sugar, and 6 tbsp melted unsalted butter until crumbs are evenly moistened. Press the mixture firmly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie dish. Bake for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely for 20 minutes before filling.
Cook the blueberry filling
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine 3 cups of fresh blueberries, ½ cup granulated sugar, 3 tbsp cornstarch, ¼ cup cold water, and 2 tbsp lemon juice. Stir constantly as the mixture comes to a gentle simmer, cooking for 6-8 minutes until blueberries burst and the sauce thickens to a jam-like consistency that coats the back of a spoon. Remove from heat, stir in 1 tsp vanilla extract, ¼ tsp almond extract, and 2 oz (57g) of the chopped dark chocolate, stirring until chocolate fully melts.
Fill and chill the pie
Fold the remaining 1 cup of whole fresh blueberries into the warm filling, then pour the entire mixture into the fully cooled chocolate crust. Spread the filling evenly with a spatula, then cover the pie loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours until the filling is fully firm and set.
Make chocolate shavings
While the pie chills, melt the remaining 2 oz (57g) of chopped dark chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water (double boiler method), stirring for 2-3 minutes until completely smooth. Pour the melted chocolate in a thin layer onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, spread to ⅛-inch thickness, and chill for 10 minutes until firm. Use a metal spatula to scrape the chocolate into delicate curls and shavings, set aside for garnish.
Whip the cream topping
In a cold medium bowl, combine 1 cup cold heavy whipping cream and 2 tbsp powdered sugar. Whip with an electric mixer on medium speed for 2-3 minutes until soft, billowy peaks form that hold their shape without drooping. Take care not to overwhip, as this will cause the cream to curdle.
Garnish and serve the pie
Once the pie filling is fully set, remove the plastic wrap. Dollop the whipped cream evenly over the top of the pie, or pipe it in decorative rosettes if preferred. Sprinkle the reserved dark chocolate shavings over the cream, and top with ¼ cup pitted fresh sweet cherries for a classic Black Forest touch. Slice into 8 even wedges and serve chilled.
Tips
2.If fresh blueberries are unavailable, use frozen unsweetened blueberries; add 1 extra tablespoon (8g) of cornstarch to the filling to compensate for extra released juice during cooking.
3.For a traditional adult Black Forest twist, stir 1 tbsp (15ml) of kirsch (cherry brandy) into the warm filling; omit almond extract if serving guests with nut allergies.
OMG this Blueberry Black Forest Pie was the star of our Sunday family dinner! I was a little nervous tackling a medium difficulty recipe, but the steps were so clear. The tart blueberries cut through the rich chocolate perfectly, SO good. My kids asked for second slices before they even finished their first!
Brought this to my office potluck yesterday and people were literally scraping the pie plate clean. I was worried the 1 hour 5 minute cook time would cut into my morning commute prep, but I pre-baked the crust the night before and it came together seamlessly. Absolute game changer, will be making this for every summer gathering from now on.
The flavor combo is insane, I’ll give it that! I ran into a little trouble with my crust getting too dark around the edges halfway through baking, though—ended up having to wrap it in foil mid-cook, which stressed me out a little. Still tasted amazing, my roommate ate half the pie in one sitting lol.
Made this for my post-hike picnic with friends last weekend and it held up so much better than I expected! I used wild blueberries I picked on a trail the week before (froze them first) and it added such a nice, bright pop. 10/10, even my friend who swears he ‘doesn’t like fruit pie’ went back for thirds.
I was skeptical this pie would hold up for meal prep but I sliced it up and kept individual slices in airtight containers in the fridge for 4 days and they tasted just as good as day one! The chocolate layer doesn’t get soggy at all, which is a total win for my weekday sweet treats. No more sad vending machine chocolate bars for me!
I’m pretty new to baking so this medium difficulty pie was a bit of a stretch for me. My filling came out a little runnier than I expected when I pulled it out, I think I didn’t let it cool long enough before slicing? It still tasted good but was pretty messy to serve at my partner’s birthday dinner.
Y’all, I swapped the regular dark chocolate for dark chocolate with sea salt and I am NEVER going back. The little salty kick with the sweet blueberries and cherry layers is absolute heaven. My neighbor came over to borrow a cup of sugar and ended up staying for two slices, haha.