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Best of all, this pie is vegan! |
Mirror glaze? Jelly Cakes? Of course, they're all gorgeous, but what has caught my eye as of late is the new trend of "Desperation Pies." I must not be the only one who's attention has been grabbed, as Bon Appetit has written about them, as well! This pie is a twist on an American classic desperation pie, known as a Sugar Cream pie...also known as a Hoosier pie! What is so amazing about this pie is that there are no eggs in it. This is great if you have a dietary restriction, a food allergy, or even just plain don't feel like driving to the store when you're out of eggs. Either way, it's an impossibly silky texture with only a few simple ingredients. Here's how to make it!
Vegan Sugar Cream Pie
*marshmallows optional
- 1 can full-fat coconut milk
- 1/2 c almond or hemp milk
- 1/2 c or 3.5 oz white sugar
- 1/2 c or 3.5 oz brown sugar
- 1/3 c dark cocoa powder
- 4 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 4 Tbsp tapioca starch
- 1 tsp instant coffee
- The freeze-dried kind, if you please!
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- ** 1 tsp cardamom
- I just really like cardamom and chocolate, but you can omit this if you like
- 1 pie shell, unbaked
- If you need a recipe, follow this one!
- 14 oz all-purpose flour
- 4 oz vegan butter such as Earth balance or Flora
- 4 oz vegetable shortening
- Enough vodka to bring it all together, usually 1/2 c
- Simply blend this by hand or in a standing mixer with a paddle attachment, wrap, and chill for an hour before rolling out to use. So easy!
Roll your pie dough out into your chosen pie dish and chill while you let your oven preheat to 325 degrees F. I suggest also lining a sheet pan with aluminum foil so you may set your pie on later. Even better, set the baking rack of your oven to the lowest point, so that the crust will be closer to the bottom. It's imperative that your dough be quite cold when it goes in the oven, so you'll get a flaky crust! Please note that you may parbake this crust if you like, but in all honesty I've never noticed much of a difference so you may as well save yourself the extra step and just bake it straight.
To make your sugar cream pie, simply combine all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl with a whisk. This is the most-important step to getting a lump-free custard, so make sure that all of the dry ingredients - cocoa powder, sugars, flours, etc. - are all in there and all well-mixed. Slowly add your 1/2 cup of almond milk and stir in with a whisk. Add in half the coconut milk and stir until completely combined and utterly smooth, being sure to scrape the sides well. The last thing you want in this pie is patches of dry stuff!
Add the last of the coconut milk, scrape all sides with a spatula, and stir well. You may even put this mixture in the blender, if you like, to ensure that it is as smooth as it could be! Cover this mixture with plastic wrap and let sit for about 10 minutes to hydrate.
When you're ready to bake, place your chilled pie dish on the foil-lined sheet tray and open your oven door. Uncover your chocolate mixture and give it a good, slow stir with a spatula first, and then a whisk. You do not want any sedimentary action in your bowl! Everything should be floating when you put your pie custard into the oven, and that's how you get such a silky texture. Get ready!
Pull the bottom rack of the oven halfway and place your sheet tray and pie pan upon it. Grab your custard, give it a final stir with a spatula, and pour it straight into the pie shell. It should fill it all the way up to the top! If you have any bubbles, you may pop them with a quick blast of a torch, but it is not necessary. Finally, gently push the pie on the rack back into the oven, being slow and steady so you won't spill this extra-liquidy filling everywhere. Close up the oven and bake at 325 for 45 - 60 minutes, depending on the weather. This pie will take quite a while to set up, but you won't have to worry too much about over-baking it because there are no eggs to scramble!
In the meantime, while we wait, may I speak for a moment about the history of Desperation Pies? If you'd like to skip this part, just click here to your next step...
You might know a desperation pie not by type, but by name: Vinegar pie, Sugar Cream Pie, Shoofly Pie, even Water Pie... These pies came out of the kitchens of American cooks during times of economic hardship, such as the American Civil War or the Great Depression. I even recall hearing Caroline Ingalls mention "Vinegar pie" during an old rerun of Little House on the Prairie as a child. It sounded old-timey and disgusting, but this funny treat has gained quite a bit of notoriety recently! I suppose it's no surprise with the pandemic. I personally am glad that these forgotten treats are making their way back onto the table. I just love eating history!
A desperation pie is a pie that's simply made with few ingredients that may be found in a pantry. I know that "water pie" doesn't sound great, but you must admit that it does intrigue, by only name alone. How could something called 'water pie' be tasty? Or Vinegar pie? Quite simply!
Humanity has always been resourceful. Sugar cream pie, or Hoosier pie, itself is said to be an Indiana staple brought over from the Quaker settlers. We love a sweet treat, but resources are likely scarce on the prairie when you're trying to build a barn and keep wolves away at the same time. It's traditionally made simply with milk, flour, and sugar. We can't have dairy, of course, so I made one for us with coconut and almond milks instead. It is only a happy coincidence that this pie is made vegan, and is just about the tastiest, creamiest pie I've made in quite a long time! Why is that?
Eggs are wonderful when it comes to baking. They lend an unctuous fattiness to anything and help achieve creaminess in any recipe. The risk when baking with eggs, however, is that they may overcook and then scramble in your custard, leaving you with a less-than-desireable texture. What's lovely about this particular pie is that there's no risk of scrambling eggs, so you can leave it in the oven for as long as it needs to be, which is to say "until it's set."
Is your pie set? Has it bubbled or is it no longer jiggling? Great! Let's take it out and let it cool on the counter for about 30 minutes, before popping it into the fridge and letting it chill until cold. This could take 2 hours, but it is ideal that you do this overnight. Then, cut and serve! It's cool, refreshing, and oddly light for such a dark-colored pie!
To top it, you can leave it plain with some powdered sugar, whip up some coconut cream, or toast some vegan marshmallows for a s'mores-like treat! This pie is chocolatey without being too fudgy and heavy, and it is such an impressive thing to have in your fridge when you feel like giving yourself a little treat after a hard day.
Thanks so much for joining me today! I hope you learned some cool stuff.
Happy cooking and happy eating!