Mayan Chocolate Cream is a spiced up pie inspired by cinnamony Mexican hot chocolate. Mayan Chocolate cream also has an extra kick of cayenne pepper. The combination of cinnamon and cayenne is a life changing experience. No worries, you control the amount of spice to your liking. Regardless of spice & heat, if you ever have the chance to visit and learn about Mayan culture, take it!
Beating the butter and granulated sugar until white and fluffy is the most important step. This takes a good 10 -12 minutes depending on your mixer. Pro Tip: Do not skimp on this step. You will end up with a gritty finished pie, no bueno. I did add an additional 2 minutes beating time (on super high speed) so the picture below is not quite as creamy as it should be.
As this does have raw eggs, click on the following link to pasteurize your eggs before using them. Pasteurizing is optional, sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t. (I have my own chickens, so I know exactly where my hens have been.)
At the end of beating the eggs and chocolate are added in and remaining grit melts away. It will be as creamy as it looks below. I could dive on in with a spoon, but the refrigerator awaits.
This is one of the most fun and easy pies to make but you really need an electric mixer. Using a stand-up mixer (like my KitchenAid) is really the best way to whip the filling. A hand-held electric mixer will work; it’s a little tiresome with the amount of whipping going on.
The first bite is super creamy, then you taste a pinch of the cayenne followed by a cinnamon chaser. It’s so perfectly balance with the silky chocolate cream you will definitely go back for more.
Like I mentioned above, you control the spice & heat. Feel free to reduce the cinnamon and cayenne by 1/2-teaspoon each BEFORE you add it to the filling. You can always increase it.
Drizzle on the ganache and serve. Mayan Chocolate Cream is one of my most requested cream pies, it’s truly worth the time and effort. It’s also one of my family’s favorites, saving the last slice around here requires strategy. Game on family!
Mayan Chocolate Cream
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate (or 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa +1/4 cup cooking oil)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 whole eggs
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon dried cayenne pepper
- 1 prepared cinnamon graham crust or chocolate crumb crust (see instructions below for gluten free)
- 1/2 cup chocolate ganache
Instructions
- Melt the unsweetened chocolate in microwave just until melted (about 30 to 50 seconds), set aside. (If you are using unsweetened cocoa and cooking oil as a substitute, mix it in a bowl with a fork to make sure there are no lumps).
- In an electric mixer (I like KitchenAid) on high speed, beat the butter and sugar until white and fluffy (10 – 12 minutes). If you do not make sure it is fluffy, you will taste sugar grit/granules in the pie filling when done (this is a very important step).
- Add the chocolate, beat with mixer an additional 5 to 7 more minutes. (If you still taste grit at this point, but you have properly beat the times above, you are fine, once the eggs get beat in the grit goes away.)
- Add the eggs, one at a time, beating each into the filling thoroughly. After the last egg is mixed in, beat the filled (which will fluff up) an additional 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add the vanilla, cinnamon and cayenne pepper. Spread into prepared crust and chill about 3 to 4 hours.
- Drizzle on chocolate ganache after refrigerated.
You didn’t include your ganache recipe for the topping…..
The ganache I use is from one of my other blogs. Here is the link (you can leave out the espresso powder, it won’t affect the ganache): https://portlandiapielady.com/chocolate-mocha-ganache-2/
You didn’t include your ganache recipe for the topping…
I make a French silk which is identical to this except there is no cinnamon or cayenne pepper. I serve it with some stabilized whipped cream. Do you think the stabilized whipped cream would be a good substitute for the chocolate ganache on your recipe or does the ganache make it?
I have made Mayan with and without the ganache, and with and without whipped cream. Either way is great! It’s the spicy creamy filling that makes the pie in my humble opinion.
Who doesn’t love chocolate?!?!
I feel sad for people who don’t love chocolate.