Buttermilk chess pie with lemon curd and whipped cream is a delicious Southern dessert that combines rich, tangy, and sweet flavors in perfect harmony. The pie itself is a traditional custard-base, with a smooth and creamy texture. Made with simple ingredients like buttermilk, sugar, eggs, and a bit of cornmeal, it offers indulgent, comforting flavor.
What makes this version of chess pie truly special is the addition of lemon curd. It brings a bright citrusy punch that cuts through the richness of the pie, providing balance and complexity. Its silky texture pairs beautifully with the creamy custard.
To complete this delicious dessert, whipped cream on top adds a sweet contrast to the dense pie and lemon curd. It perfectly mellows the tartness of the lemon, creating a wonderfully balanced bite.
Whether served as a show-stopping finish to a meal or enjoyed with afternoon tea, buttermilk chess pie with lemon curd and whipped cream is a delightful treat that satisfies your sweet tooth.
Let’s Make A Buttermilk Chess Pie!
You may choose to make your own crust for the flakiest, lightest possible, or a pre-made crust that will still yield a delicious pie. If you wish to make your own, start here with a par-cooked crust. Par-baking your crust prevents a loose, wet filling from contributing to a soggy bottom in the final product.
Rolled, trimmed and formed. Don’t forget to use a fork to poke holes in the crust, it prevents bubbles from forming while baking.
Ready to par bake. You can use ceramic weights, of fill the bottom with dried beans.
Egg washed and par-baked pie crust, ready for the filling! Print
Pie Crust
A flaky, par-baked crust perfect for buttermilk chess pie
Ingredients
For the crust
- 1 cup ice cold water (place the water in a bowl of ice)
- 1 TBL refrigerated apple cider vinegar
- 2 1⁄4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 stick (8 oz) unsalted butter -cut into 8 pieces – place the butter in the freezer to get cold
For the egg wash
- 1 egg
- 2 tsp water -room temperature
Instructions
- In a small bowl, stir together the ice water and vinegar – place in the freezer
- In a food processor, combine the sugar, salt and half the flour. Add half the cold butter and pulse a few times to cut up the butter. Add the remaining flour and butter and pulse. Stop when the butter is pea size. Do not over-process! If you can’t see the butter, you have gone too far.
- Transfer to a large mixing bowl
- Give the vinegar-water a stir and then sprinkle 4 tablespoons, 1 at a time, over the flour mixture, scraping the bowl and folding in the flour and shake the bowl between additions. Pinch the dough; when it holds together, it’s ready. If it’s too dry, add 1 to 2 more tablespoons of the vinegar-water, scraping and folding after each addition
- Lightly flour a work surface. Turn the dough out onto the surface, shape and roll it into a ball then split into two even balls. Flatten each ball into a disk, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and for up to 2 days
- Preheat the oven to 425. Whisk together the egg wash
- Remove the dough disk from the refrigerator and roll out into an 11-inch circle, about 1/4-inch thick
- Fit the dough into a 9-inch, metal pie pan so that you have 100 percent surface contact between the dough and pan. Do not use a glass pie pan
- Trim the excess pie dough, leaving a uniform 1/2-inch overhang. Then tuck this overhang under the inside rim of the pie pan and crimp the edges for a decorative appearance. Use a fork and prick the pie dough everywhere on the bottom and sides
- Freeze the pie tin with the dough for 1 hour or more
- Remove the pie crust from the freezer. Place a piece of parchment paper in the pie dough and weight it down with pie weights
- Bake 5 minutes. Lift out weights and parchment paper, brush with the egg white, return to oven and bake another 2 minutes
- Remove from oven and reduce heat to 375, ready to bake the pie
Making Lemon Curd
Lemon curd provides balance to the sweet flavor of the pie. Make this up to a week in advance and keep refrigerated in a tightly sealed container.
Whisk together the sugar, egg and lemon juice.
Cook over medium heat and whisk continuously. It will begin to foam as the water cooks out and it will thicken. When it stops bubbling after about 5 minutes, it’s ready for the next step.
Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter one piece at a time. When all the butter is in, transfer to an air tight container and refrigerate. It will thicken as it cools and keep for 1 week.
Lemon Curd
A tart, creamy companion for a sweet buttermilk chess pie
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 10
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 3/4 cup 1x
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/3 cup lemon juice
- 4 TBL butter
Instructions
- Add the sugar, egg, and lemon juice to a small sauce pot and whisk together until smooth
- Cook over medium heat and whisk continuously. The mixture will become very frothy as you whisk. When the liquid becomes hot enough to cook the egg, the mixture will begin to thicken and no more liquid will separate from the foam. It will take about 5 minutes to thicken, but will vary depending on your cookware. The mixture should be thick enough to coat a spoon
- Remove from the heat and add one tablespoon of butter at a time, whisking until it has fully melted into the sauce before adding the next. As the butter is melted into the sauce, it will become less frothy and more silky in texture, and look more glossy
- When all the butter has been whisked in place it in an air-tight container and refrigerate. It will thicken as it cools. It will keep 1 to two weeks refrigerated.
Finishing The Buttermilk Chess Pie
While the par-baked pie crust is cooling, whisk together the egg yolks, melted butter, sugar, vanilla extract, milk, and white vinegar in a large bowl. Then, add the flour, cornmeal, and salt to the batter and stir until smooth. Pour the batter into the par-baked pie shell, and place on the baking sheet in the oven
Bake the chess pie until the filling is golden brown and completely set, about 50 minutes until fully cooked and the center does not jiggle. Remove the pie from the oven and cool it on a wire rack for 1 hour before slicing and serving
Garnish with lemon curd and whipped cream.
Buttermilk Chess Pie
A sweet and tangy custard pie with lemon curd and whipped cream
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 50
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 1 1x
Ingredients
- 1 Par-Baked Pie Crust
- 4 large egg yolks
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
- 1–1/2 cups sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup buttermilk
- 1 TBL white wine vinegar
- 1 TBL all-purpose flour
- 1–1/2 TBL finely ground cornmeal
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 375 and while the pie crust is cooling, whisk together the egg yolks, melted butter, sugar, vanilla extract, milk, and white vinegar in a large bowl until well combined
- Add the flour, cornmeal, and salt to the batter and stir until smooth and well combined.
- Pour the batter into the par-baked pie shell, and place on the baking sheet in the oven
- Bake the chess pie until the filling is golden brown and completely set, about 50 minutes until fully cooked and the center does not jiggle
- Remove the pie from the oven and cool it on a wire rack for 1 hour before slicing and serving
- Garnish with lemon curd and whipped cream