Chef Makoa
Butter Mochi (Hawaiʻi Local Mochiko Coconut Cake)
A chewy, golden Hawaiʻi Local square from mochiko, butter, and coconut milk, baked in one pan until the edges pull crisp and the middle stays tender.
Culinary Explorer
A cooking platform built around craft, culture, and the stories behind what we eat.
Chocolate Haupia Cream Pie (Hawaiʻi Local Coconut Pudding Pie)
Created by
A Hawaiʻi Local bakery pie from Oʻahu: firm coconut haupia over chocolate cream in a flaky shell, chilled clean, topped with soft whipped cream.
Pastries & Cookies
Polynesian, Hawaiian
Celebration
Special Occasion
Comfort Food
35 min
Active Time
25 min cook•5 hr total
Yield1 9-inch pie, 8 servings
The bakery box on a kitchen table can carry plenty genealogy too, not the old sacred kind from the loʻi, but the everyday kind, the auntie kind, the birthday-and-after-beach kind. This pie belongs to Hawaiʻi, especially Oʻahu, and to the Local table that grew when Portuguese, Japanese, Okinawan, Chinese, Filipino, Hawaiian, and other hands started feeding one another from the same neighborhoods.
Haupia is the Hawaiian coconut pudding, traditionally thickened with pia, Polynesian arrowroot, and now most home kitchens use cornstarch because that's what get. Coconut is family across the Triangle: Sāmoan peʻepeʻe, fresh coconut cream, goes into palusami; Tongan lolo enriches lū; Tahiti folds coconut through ʻia ota and sweet poʻe. Same coconut, different bowl. Here in Hawaiʻi Local style, that old coconut comfort sits on a chocolate cream layer inside an American-style pie shell. That's the islands talking to the bakery case.
This isn't deep food like poi or kālua from the imu. It's not pretending to be. It's what Hawaiʻi does well: take what arrived, feed everybody, and make something people start craving by name. Keep it cold, cut it clean, and don't make the whipped cream too sweet. The haupia already knows what it's doing.
Haupia is an older Hawaiian coconut pudding once commonly thickened with pia, Polynesian arrowroot, while modern versions usually rely on cornstarch for a firm, sliceable set. Chocolate haupia cream pie became a Hawaiʻi Local bakery icon in the late twentieth century, especially on Oʻahu's North Shore, where Ted's Bakery made the chocolate-and-coconut layered pie famous. It sits on the post-contact Local side of the table: American pie technique joined to Hawaiian haupia, carried through island bakeries, potlucks, and family celebrations.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
baked 9-inch flaky pie shell
Quantity
1
fully cooled
whole milk
Quantity
1 cup
canned coconut milk
Quantity
1 cup
well stirred
granulated sugar
Quantity
1/2 cup
fine sea salt
Quantity
1/4 teaspoon
cornstarch
Quantity
1/2 cup
cold water
Quantity
1/2 cup
semisweet chocolate
Quantity
4 ounces
finely chopped
cold heavy cream
Quantity
1 1/2 cups
powdered sugar
Quantity
2 tablespoons
vanilla extract
Quantity
1 teaspoon
toasted coconut flakes (optional)
Quantity
2 tablespoons
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| baked 9-inch flaky pie shellfully cooled | 1 |
| whole milk | 1 cup |
| canned coconut milkwell stirred | 1 cup |
| granulated sugar | 1/2 cup |
| fine sea salt | 1/4 teaspoon |
| cornstarch | 1/2 cup |
| cold water | 1/2 cup |
| semisweet chocolatefinely chopped | 4 ounces |
| cold heavy cream | 1 1/2 cups |
| powdered sugar | 2 tablespoons |
| vanilla extract | 1 teaspoon |
| toasted coconut flakes (optional) | 2 tablespoons |
Equipment Needed
- •9-inch pie pan
- •Medium heavy-bottom saucepan
- •Balloon whisk
- •Offset spatula
- •Hand mixer or stand mixer
Instructions
- 1
Ready the shell
Set the fully baked pie shell on the counter and let it cool all the way through. If the crust is warm, the chocolate layer softens and the whole pie starts sliding before it ever reaches the table. No rush the cool-down.
- 2
Cook the haupia
In a medium saucepan, whisk the milk, coconut milk, sugar, and salt over medium heat until the sugar dissolves and the edges just begin to quiver. In a bowl, stir the cornstarch with the cold water until smooth, then whisk that slurry into the hot coconut mixture. Keep whisking until it turns thick, glossy, and heavy enough that the whisk leaves tracks, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Cornstarch needs a full simmer to set clean. If you stop when it only looks creamy, the pie will slump. Let it thicken until it moves like soft pudding with backbone. - 3
Make chocolate layer
Scoop half the hot haupia into a bowl with the chopped chocolate and let it sit for one minute. Whisk until the chocolate melts smooth and the pudding turns deep brown and shiny. Spread it into the cooled pie shell in an even layer, pushing it gently to the edges.
- 4
Add coconut layer
Whisk the plain coconut haupia once so it stays smooth, then pour it over the chocolate layer. Level the top with a spatula. The two layers should sit clean, brown below and white above, like the bakery case pies people point at before they even read the label.
- 5
Chill it firm
Press a piece of plastic wrap lightly against the haupia surface and chill the pie until fully set, at least 4 hours and better overnight. The filling should cut firm and smooth, not runny, with a soft coconut sheen on the knife.
- 6
Whip and finish
Whip the cold heavy cream with powdered sugar and vanilla until it holds soft peaks. Spread or pipe it over the chilled pie, then scatter toasted coconut if you like. Cut with a warm, wiped knife for clean slices, and serve cold from the fridge, the way a good bakery pie wants to be served.
Chef Tips
- •Use full-fat coconut milk and stir it well before measuring. Thin coconut milk makes a pale haupia that tastes shy.
- •This is Hawaiʻi Local food, so canned coconut milk is honest here. Fresh is beautiful, but the bakery-case version most people love was built for the real pantry.
- •For the cleanest slices, chill overnight and wipe the knife between cuts. The first piece might still come out a little rough. That's the cook's piece.
Advance Preparation
- •Bake the pie shell 1 day ahead and keep it loosely covered at room temperature.
- •The filled pie can be made 1 day ahead and chilled overnight before adding whipped cream.
- •Add whipped cream the day you serve it so it stays soft and fresh.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 175g)
Calories
520 calories
Total Fat
36 g
Saturated Fat
22 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
14 g
Cholesterol
55 mg
Sodium
250 mg
Total Carbohydrates
46 g
Dietary Fiber
2 g
Sugars
26 g
Protein
5 g
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