I’ve always found archetypal coconut cream pies to fall short of my ideal – either they have a bland, pale pie crust, a too-sweet filling that doesn’t taste of coconut or a watery meringue that seeps into the pie. So I thought, let’s throw everything out the window and start again. This pie has a crumbly crust like a cheesecake, a super-coconutty pastry cream, a rich cream and Malibu topping and of course shredded coconut and drizzled chocolate on top. Heaven.
400 g/14 oz. HobNobs, graham crackers or anzac biscuits
75–100 g/¾–1 stick unsalted butter, melted
500 ml/2 cups double/heavy cream
50 g/½ cup icing/confectioners’ sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 shot of Malibu liqueur (or more)
to decorate
soft shredded coconut e.g. Baker’s Angel Flake (do not replace with desiccated coconut), toasted
dark/semi-sweet chocolate, melted
white chocolate, melted
23-cm/9-inch pie dish/plate, greased and baselined with parchment paper
baking beans
serves 8–10
Preheat the oven to 145˚C (290˚F) Gas 3.
To make the crust, crush the biscuits/graham crackers until you get fine crumbs. Add the melted butter – the amount of butter you will need is variable. Test by grabbing a bit of the mixture and squeezing into your hand to make a ball, then releasing your hand. The mixture should hold its shape, but also fall apart when touched slightly. If it doesn’t hold its shape, add more butter, otherwise the biscuit/cracker will dissolve into the cheesecake and you’ll have no crust. If it holds its shape too well, add more biscuits/crackers to absorb the butter, otherwise your crust will be too hard.
Press the mixture into the pie dish/plate, going all the way up the sides. Cover with a round of parchment paper and fill with baking beans to the top. Bake in the preheated oven for 12–20 minutes until the crust is firm and dry. Remove from the oven and let cool.
To make a Malibu whipped cream, combine the cream, icing/confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract and Malibu in a bowl and whisk to stiff peaks.
Spread a thin layer of the Malibu whipped cream over the base of the baked pie shell. Spoon the Coconut Pastry Cream into the pie and level with a spatula. Dollop the remaining Malibu whipped cream on top.
Sprinkle toasted flaked coconut over the top and drizzle with dark and white melted chocolate. Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.