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Strawberry Cream Pie

A strawberry Cream Pie

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Made with fresh strawberries and real cream, this Strawberry Cream Pie is going to be a new family favorite. Homemade strawberry pudding is topped with whipped cream and more fresh strawberries and tucked inside of a graham cracker crust.

Ingredients

  • 1 batch Graham Cracker Crumb Crust, prepared (see note for alternatives)
  • 1/3 cup (40 grams) cornstarch 
  • 3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated sugar (see notes for sweet strawberries)
  • Pinch salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 2 quarts (32 ounces) strawberries, washed, hulled and divided (see notes)
  • 1 cup (227 grams) whole milk
  • 1/2 cup (115 grams) heavy cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • ¼ teaspoon almond extract
  • 2 tablespoons (25 grams) unsalted butter

For Stabilized Whipped Cream:

  • 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) cream cheese
  • 2 tablespoons sugar (optional)
  • ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
  • 1 cup (227 grams) heavy cream

Instructions

  1. Prepare Graham Cracker Crumb Crust in a 9" pie plate, making sure to blind bake it as instructed in that recipe.
  2. Place a fine-mesh strainer over a medium bowl; set aside.
  3. Puree 16 ounces of hulled strawberries in a blender until smooth. You will need 2 cups of strawberry puree.
  4. In a medium saucepan, off heat, whisk together cornstarch, sugar and salt. Whisk in eggs and yolks until you have a light yellow paste. Then add in pureed strawberries, milk and cream and whisk together until it’s fully combined. Use a spatula to get into the crevices of the saucepan to make sure there are no bits of eggs.
  5. Place the sauce pan over medium and cook the mixture, whisking constantly, and occasionally taking a spatula and scraping up any thickened pudding in the edges of the pan. Cook until the pudding has completely thickened and large bubbles are forming and popping, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; immediately pour through the strainer and into a bowl, using a spatula to push all the pudding out while leaving behind any seeds or cooked egg.
  6. Add in the extracts, lemon juice and butter to the pudding and whisk until combined. Pour the pudding into the prepared pie crust and smooth over the top. Alternatively, you could place the pudding in a bowl if making ahead of time. Place plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pudding to prevent skin from forming (or if you don't care about the thickened crust forming, skip this) and chill the pie for at least 4 hours or overnight.
  7. Make the whipped cream: To the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, add cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Beat on medium speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl halfway through for 2 minutes. Add heavy cream and beat on medium speed until the cream has reached soft stiff peaks, about 2 minutes more.
  8. When ready to serve, remove the plastic wrap from the pie and place the prepared whipped cream on top as desired, along with additional fresh strawberries.
  9. Serve immediately or keep chilled until ready to serve. Once assembled, this pie is best served on the same day.

Notes

Looking for an alternative to a graham cracker crumb crust?

This recipe was developed using regular grocery store strawberries, which is to say ones that aren't super sweet. If you have amazing perfectly ripe, sweet strawberries, you can reduce the amount of sugar in the pudding to just 1/2 cup.

Make sure to place enough strawberries to yield 2 cups of strawberry puree. You will need 16 ounces of strawberries after they have been hulled. That means you will likely use more than 1 quart of strawberries to yield 16 ounces. If you don't have a scale, you can measure out the amount of puree you get in a measuring cup to ensure it is 2 cups.

You can skip the stabilized whipped cream and top this pie with a simple whipped cream, using these instructions.

Check out the photos in the post for ideas on how to decorate the top of the pie.