Malted Milk Cream Pie

Malted Milk Cream Pie is a luscious and comforting treat. Buttery graham cracker crust is filled with a custard flavored with malted milk powder. The whipped cream topping also has malted milk flavor. What is that malted milk flavor?

I think “malted milk” tastes like “cereal” milk. The milk at the bottom of your bowl of breakfast cereal is slightly sweet with a “grain” flavor.

Baked goods flavored with malted milk powder have a sweet, slightly salty, grain flavor that I find comforting and homey. To me it’s a sort of old-fashioned, yet complex flavor.

My one goal with this pie was to emphasize the milky-sweet flavor without overwhelming it with other, stronger flavors. Since pastry cream is a milk-based custard, it’s the perfect filling to show off what malted milk powder can do in dessert.

How to make Malted Milk Cream Pie:

• Whisk the malted milk powder into the milk until there are no lumps.

• This is what “scalding” milk looks like. It begins steaming and foam forms on top. Bubbles simmer around the edges. If you wait for the milk to come to a full boil it will boil over.

• For a smooth cream, strain the custard through a sieve and stir until the butter is melted.

• Place a piece of waxed paper or buttered parchment directly on the surface of the custard.
• Top the pie with the malted whipped cream and white chocolate shards.
• (You could make white chocolate curls by using a potato peeler to peel along the edges of a bar of white chocolate. As you peel, let the curls of white chocolate fall onto the pie. You can see a photo of me making white chocolate curls in my White Chocolate Sacher Torte post.)

• Spread melted white chocolate into a thin layer on a silicone baking mat or a sheet of parchment paper. Allow it to set completely.

• Once the chocolate is set, break it into long shards.

• Break the shards into the desired sizes before placing on the assembled pie.

Pastry Chef tips for Making Malted Milk Cream Pie:

• The graham cracker crust can be made and baked up to 2 days ahead. It can stay at room temperature, but wrap the pan so it doesn’t dry out.
• Strain the custard as soon as it’s cooked. This will remove bits of egg and any lumps of starch or milk powder.
• To prevent a skin from forming, place a piece of waxed paper or buttered parchment directly on the surface of the custard once it’s poured into the pie shell. I don’t like to use plastic wrap on warm food since some wraps may leach chemicals into hot foods. Use your own judgement.
• The pastry cream filling can be made and poured into the crust up to a day ahead. The covered pie can be refrigerated up to one day. After a day or so some of the liquid may leach out of the custard and it can become runny.
• Once the whipped cream topping is added to the pie, it’s best served within a day before the cream deflates.

What else can you make with malted milk powder?

• Malted Milk Ice Cream
• Malted Milk Blondies
• Malted Milk Brownies
• Malted Milk Skillet Cookie
• Double Malted Chocolate Ice Cream
• Malted Chocolate Frosting

If you love this recipe as much as I do, please consider giving it a 5-star review.