This lemon chiffon pie is filled with a perfectly creamy no-bake lemon custard. Not to mention the extra crispy Oreo crust is another factor makes you fall head over heels for this dessert.
If you're looking for such creamy, fluffy, sweet with a hint of sour pie, then this no-bake lemon chiffon pie or lemon meringue pie is definitely for you. Better yet, not a fan of pie? You can easily transform this into a lemon chiffon cake. But I bet the extra-crispy Oreo crust in this pie will definitely change your mind.
No-bake lemon chiffon cake deconstruction
This no-bake pie has two parts: the creamy filling and the crispy crust.
The lemon chiffon filling, just like chiffon cake, is leavened with whipped egg whites. Also, the addition of egg yolks and heavy cream help to makes the filling moister and richer. That is why it is safe to also call this as lemon meringue pie.
The crispy crust is made of Oreo cookies. You have an option to bake and not to bake the crust. Though the baked version of Oreo crust will be slightly crispier than the no-bake one, you can barely tell the differences between the two.
What goes in this no-bake pie recipe?
For Oreo crust:
Oreo cookies - you'll need 2 packs of Oreo for the crust, about 15 cookies with their fillings removed. Then you can either crush them by using a food processor or a rolling pin. If you insist on using a rolling pin, simply put the cookies inside a zip log bag then gently crush them. I prefer using the rolling pin method simply because it's faster and easier to handle.
Butter - I used unsalted butter in the recipe. However, if you like your crust a little bit lightly salty, you can always switch for salted butter.
Substitution - You can substitute Oreo crust for any other types of crackers such as saltine cracker. If you do, make sure to use unsalted butter as these crackers are already salty.
For lemon chiffon fillings
Gelatin sheets - because this is a no-bake pie, the appearance of gelatin is a must to bind everything together. 4 gold-rank gelatin sheets are called in the recipe, you can substitute for 1 packet of gelatin powder if prefer. You can read more about gelatin types, ranking, and usage here.
Egg whites - to create the voluminous filling, make sure to whip the egg whites to stiff peaks. If egg whites are too soft, the filling will become dense instead of airy and fluffy. That is why I also like to call this as lemon meringue pie.
- You can use pasteurized eggs instead of regular eggs as the whipped egg whites/meringue in this recipe is not cooked. However, it might be hard or impossible to get a stiff peak with these eggs because the pasteurization process affects the ability of the proteins in the eggs to get firm.
Whipping egg whites Whipping heavy cream
Egg yolks - as mentioned above, the yolks help this no-bake lemon chiffon pie moister and richer. Egg yolks are cooked on a double boiler then carefully tempered and incorporated in the egg whites with the help of sugar and heavy cream.
Heavy cream - another factor that helps the pie creamy and tasty.
Lemon - Lemon pie won't be completed without the most important ingredient "lemon". You'll need both lemon zest and fresh squeezed lemon juice for this chiffon cake recipe.
Other awesome and inspired desserts recipes
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Did you make this recipe? If so please leave a rating and let me know how it went in the comment section. Also, don't forget to tag me #cookmorphosis on Instagram and Pinterest.
No-bake lemon chiffon pie
Equipment
- 8 inch cake pan
Ingredients
For Oreo crust
- 2 packages Oreo cookies about 15 cookies, filling removed
- 4 oz unsalted butter melted
For lemon filling
- 4 sheets gelatin sheets or 1 package of unflavored gelatin
- 4 medium eggs separated, room temperature
- 1 ½ c sugar
- ½ c heavy cream
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- ⅓ c lemon juice
- ¼ tsp Kosher salt
For garnish (optional)
- mint leaves
- fresh lemon slices
- whipped cream
- fresh fruit
Instructions
For Oreo crust
- Put Oreo cookies in a zip log bag and use a rolling pin to crust them into fine crumbs. In a mixing bowl, mix cookies crumbs and melted butter until they are combined.
- Lightly greased your baking pan then pour Oreo crumbs into a pan. Use a measuring cup to press into an even and tight layer.
- Refrigerate the baking pan until the filling is ready.
- For extra crispy crust, you can bake the crust at 350F for 15 minutes. Then let it cool down to room temperature completely before add the filling in.
For lemon chiffon pie fillings
- Bloom gelatin sheets (or gelatin powder) in ice cold water. Let them bloom while prepping other ingredients.
- Put egg yolks in a large mixing bowl, use a whisk and beat them until thick, approximately 2 minutes. Set up a double boiler (see notes for set up instructions).
- Then cook beaten egg yolks, 1 cup of sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt over medium heat until sugar dissolved completely and the mixture is thickened, approximately 2 minutes. Remember to stir constantly with a whisk.
- Don’t let egg yolks cooked and become scramble .If so, discard the mixture and start over.
- Turnoff the heat. Squeeze excess water out of gelatin sheet then put them in the mixture. Stir the mixture until all the gelatin sheets dissolved completely. Take the top of the double boiler off the stove immediately.
- Strain the yolk mixture through a fine sieve mesh.
- Let the mixture cool down at room temperature, about 30 minutes to 1 hour. Stirring occasionally.
- Put egg whites in a mixing bowl of a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment. Beaton medium high speed until foamy. Gradually add the remaining ½ c of sugar to the egg whites. Increase the speed to high and continue to beat until stiff peaks are formed, approximately 2 to 3 minutes.
- Transferred egg white mixture to another clean mixing bowl.
- Clean the mixing bowl of stand mixer before add heavy cream in. Beat heavy cream on high speed until stiff peaks are formed, about 2 minutes.
- Fold ⅓ of egg white mixture into the yolk mixture. When the egg whites combine completely, continue to add another ⅓ of egg white mixture with ½ of whipped cream into the yolk mixture.
- Continue to fold/whisk until everything combined. Then add the rest of the egg white into this mixture, and continue the process.
- Line the side of baking pan with parchment paper. Pour the chiffon mixture onto the crust.
- Refrigerate the cake until set, at least 3hours.
- Serve the cake chill with your favorite garnish.
Notes
- Simply bring two cups water to a boil then lower the heat to simmer.
- Then place a mixing bowl with your ingredients inside over top. You want it to fit snugly without touching the water (if it dips into the water, it will get too hot).
- Then you have a double boiler at your service.
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