Yesterday was National Pi Day, and I made sure to celebrate in style with this Confetti Birthday Pie. It wasn’t really anyone’s birthday, but I was craving Birthday Cake Crumble – so it just kind of happened.
I have a soft spot for pie’s because my first real job in a bakery was at Pie Sister’s in Washington D.C. It was here that I realized that I had a passion for baking. I figured if I could get myself up at 4:30 in the morning (as a second semester senior in college) to roll out a bunch of pie dough, this was something I should consider as a career.
So here we are, 5 years later, and I am still rolling out pie dough. But of course now, there are sprinkles involved. And I don’t have to get up before sunrise – so things are looking pretty good. This pie has a flaky confetti crust, a sweet birthday cake filing, and is topped with mounds of whipped cream and birthday cake crumble.
CONFETTI BIRTHDAY PIE
Ingredients
PIE CRUST
- 2 cups flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2/3 cup + 1 tablespoon cold shortening
- 3 tbs cold water
- 3 tbs cold milk
- 1/4 cup sprinkles
CONFETTI BIRTHDAY FILLING
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups milk
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon imitation vanilla extract
- A few drops of pink food coloring
- 1/2 cup sprinkles
WHIPPED CREAM
- 2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
- Birthday Cake Crumble
- 1/4 cup sprinkles
Instructions
FOR THE CRUST:
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, combine flour, salt, sugar and sprinkles.
- Add shortening and mix until just combined.
- Add cold water and milk 1 tablespoon at a time. Mix until dough comes together.
- Gather dough into a ball and shape it into a flattened round on a floured surface.
- Roll pie crust into a circle 2 inches larger than the upside down pie plate.
- Carefully transfer dough to pie plate and trim dough to a 1-inch overhang. Fold the extra piece under and pinch to seal it. Decorate edges as desired.
- Using a fork, poke a couple of holes in the bottom of the crust.
- Line the bottom of the crust with parchment and fill it with pie weights.
- Bake the crust for 20 minutes.
- Remove pie weights and parchment.
- Bake for another 10-15 minutes, or until the bottom is golden.
FOR THE FILLING:
- Whisk egg yolks in medium bowl and set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt.
- Add milk and cook on medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is bubbling and thick.
- Add the mixture to the eggs yolks a little bit at a time. Whisk until combined.
- Return the mix to the saucepan and cook on medium hear, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil.
- Transfer mixture to a medium bowl and stir in imitation vanilla. Cover with plastic wrap and put in the fridge until the filling is completely set (about 4 hours).
- Once it is set, stir in pink food coloring and sprinkles. Add to the cooled pie crust.
FOR THE TOPPING:
- Make Birthday Cake Crumble according to recipe. Set aside to cool.
- In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, combine heavy cream and powdered sugar.
- Mix on a high speed until stiff peaks form.
- Put whipped cream on top of filling and smooth with spatula.
- Add crumble and more sprinkles.
Can you make this a day ahead of time and store in the refrigerator or will it make the crust soggy?
You can definitely make it the day before and cover it with plastic wrap and keep it in the fridge. But I would wait to add the crumbles until the day you serve it!