Equipment
* optional
Ingredients
Pie Crust
- 160 g all-purpose flour
- 2 g granulated sugar
- 3 g fine sea salt
- 50 g vegetable shortening, chilled
- 75 g unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
- 45 ml ice water
Coconut Custard Filling
- 240 ml evaporated milk
- 240 ml heavy cream
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 6 egg yolks
- 40 g cornstarch
- 45 ml cream of coconut
- 15 g unsalted butter, room temperature
- 5 ml vanilla extract
- 1 ml coconut extract
Topping and Garnish
- 85 g sweetened shredded coconut
- 480 ml heavy cream, chilled
- 50 g granulated sugar
- 5 ml vanilla extract
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 768 kcal
- Protein
- 9 g
- Carbohydrates
- 53 g
- Fat
- 59 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sugar
- 32 g
- Sodium
- 241 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 35 g
- Trans Fat
- 2 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 16 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 4 g
- Cholesterol
- 280 mg
- Potassium
- 259 mg
- Calcium
- 163 mg
- Iron
- 1.0 mg
- Magnesium
- 25 mg
- Phosphorus
- 203 mg
- Zinc
- 1.1 mg
- Vitamin A
- 518 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 1 mg
- Vitamin D
- 2.8 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 1.9 mg
- Vitamin K
- 7 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.1 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.5 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.09 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.36 mg
- Niacin
- 0.4 mg
- Folate
- 33 mcg
- Water
- 95 g
- Alcohol
- 0 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Preheat the oven to 160°C/320°F. Spread the shredded coconut on a baking sheet and toast until light golden brown, about 7 minutes. Set aside to cool.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, and fine sea salt. Cut in the chilled vegetable shortening and unsalted butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal with pea-sized lumps.
Drizzle the ice water over the flour mixture one tablespoon at a time, tossing gently until the dough just comes together. Form the dough into a disc, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and chill for at least 1 hour.
On a lightly floured surface, roll the chilled dough into a 12-inch circle. Carefully transfer it to a 9-inch pie pan, crimp the edges, and prick the bottom multiple times with a fork.
Line the pie crust with parchment paper and fill with pie weights. Bake at 190°C/375°F for 20 minutes. Remove the weights and parchment, then bake for an additional 10 minutes until the bottom is thoroughly cooked. Let cool completely.
In a mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks, granulated sugar, and cornstarch until pale, smooth, and slightly thickened.
In a saucepan, combine the evaporated milk, heavy cream, and cream of coconut. Heat over medium heat until it just begins to simmer, around 85°C/185°F.
Slowly pour about half of the hot milk mixture into the egg yolk mixture in a thin stream while whisking constantly to gently raise the temperature of the eggs without scrambling them.
Pour the tempered egg mixture back into the saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until the custard reaches a slow boil and thickens significantly, ensuring it surpasses 74°C/165°F for food safety, about 5 to 7 minutes.
Remove the saucepan from the heat. Whisk in the unsalted butter, vanilla extract, and coconut extract until fully incorporated and glossy.
Pour the hot coconut custard directly into the cooled, baked pie crust. Smooth the surface with an offset spatula. Press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the custard to prevent a skin from forming.
Transfer the pie to the refrigerator and chill until the custard is completely set and firm, at least 3 hours.
In a stand mixer or using a hand mixer, whip the chilled heavy cream, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract until stiff peaks form.
Remove the plastic wrap from the chilled pie. Mound the whipped cream high in the center of the pie, creating a dramatic dome shape. Sprinkle the toasted coconut evenly over the entire dome of cream before serving.
Chef's Notes
- To achieve the authentic department store tea room presentation, mound the whipped cream high into a grand dome in the center rather than spreading it flat across the surface of the pie.
- Cream of coconut provides a distinct mid-century flavor profile that differs significantly from modern canned coconut milk or coconut cream. Ensure it is well stirred before measuring, as its fats and syrups tend to separate in the can.
- Blind baking the crust thoroughly before adding the wet filling is crucial. A fully baked crust acts as a structural barrier and prevents the dreaded soggy bottom, a very common flaw in homemade cream pies.
- Covering the warm custard with plastic wrap directly touching its surface immediately after pouring stops evaporation and prevents an unappealing rubbery skin from forming as the pie cools.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — The crust will gradually soften after the first day.
Troubleshooting
Custard remains soupy and does not set after chilling
Cause: Cornstarch was not cooked out sufficiently, or amylase enzymes from undercooked egg yolks broke down the starch structure.
Fix: Cannot be fixed once poured into the pie shell. The filling can be spooned out and served in bowls as a delicious pudding.
Prevention: Allow the custard to reach a slow boil and bubble for at least 1 full minute while whisking vigorously to activate the starch fully and neutralize enzymes.
Scrambled egg bits in the custard
Cause: The hot milk mixture was added to the egg yolks too quickly during the tempering phase.
Fix: Pass the hot custard through a fine mesh strainer immediately before pouring it into the baked pie shell to remove any cooked egg fragments.
Prevention: Pour the hot liquid in a very slow, thin stream while whisking the yolks rapidly to gently equalize the temperatures.
Pie crust shrinks heavily down the sides of the pan during baking
Cause: The dough was not adequately chilled before baking, or the pie weights were removed before the structure had set.
Fix: Cannot be fixed.
Prevention: Ensure the dough rests in the refrigerator for at least one hour, and blind bake thoroughly with weights until the edges are fully rigid.
Cultural Context
Bullock's Wilshire was an Art Deco architectural masterpiece and a beacon of Los Angeles luxury shopping from 1929 until 1993. Its glamorous top-floor Tea Room served this legendary coconut cream pie to the Hollywood elite and society ladies. The pie offered a rich, unapologetically comforting counterpoint to the era's otherwise delicate ladies-who-lunch fare, remaining a menu staple for over six decades.
