Well, when we created our Confetti Cream Pie, we knew we had to make it a mini! This cake-mix-infused vanilla cream pie is like Fiesta in pie form. It’s a cozy classic that can be dressed up or down depending on the occasion and the colorful sprinkles are like little specks of Fiesta dinnerware (amiright?!).
While our original Confetti Cream Pie went the more casual route, with a vanilla cookie crumb crust and instant pudding filling, these little gems are a bit more sophisticated. For starters, they feature a homemade sprinkle-studded crust, rolled to perfection and blind baked until golden brown.
Next up is the filling. We’ve upgraded the instant pudding to an ultra-rich vanilla bean custard. We’ll level with you here. Yes, it is a bit more involved than its distant cousin of the boxed variety, but have you had homemade pudding recently? It is to-die-for.
To top it off? Classic whipped cream, piped with a star-tipped pastry bag (okay so we didn’t change that part, but isn’t it obvious why?).
Trimmed with colorful rainbow sprinkles, these bad boys are ready to go.
This recipe makes enough for three mini pies using our Small Pie Baker. You could make it a classic full sized pie, of course. Just reach for our Deep Dish Pie Baker instead!
- 1-1/2 cups all purpose flour
- ½ cup boxed funfetti cake mix
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cup cold shortening
- ¼ cup rainbow sprinkles
- 7 tablespoons cold water
- 1 cup sugar
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2-1/2 cups milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 large egg yolks
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into chunks
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
- Rainbow Sprinkles
- Combine flour, cake mix, and salt in a food processor, pulsing to blend. Add in the cold shortening in small bits then pulse about a dozen times until the shortening is cut in. Sprinkle in the ¼ cup of rainbow sprinkles and pulse a few times until fully incorporated. Add water a table spoon at a time until the dough is just moist enough to hold together when you squeeze it in your hand. Dump the pie crust onto a clean surface and shape it into a disk. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and set aside in the refrigerator for about an hour.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough until it is about 1/8-inch thick. Place the three Small Pie Bakers upside down on the crust and cut around the rim with a knife, allowing for an extra half inch of excess dough per pie.
- Put the dough rounds into each of the three mini pie bakers and shape the edges in your preferred style. Pierce the bottom of the crust all over with a fork. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 375F. Line each pie shell with a piece of parchment paper and then fill with pie weights or died beans. Bake for about 15 to 18 minutes until the edges start to look gold. Remove the weights and parchment the bake until the crust is golden brown, about 12 to 15 minutes more. Let cool on a wire rack.
- For the custard, combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a medium sauce pan. Whisk in milk. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly until thick and bubbly, about 7 minutes.
- Whisk egg yolks in a medium bowl and slowly add custard mixture, whisking until combined. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium hear, stirring constantly, until it returns to a boil, about 2 minutes.
- Pour mixture through a sieve into a large bowl. Stir in vanilla extract. Add the butter, one chunk at a time, stirring well after each addition. Let the custard cool, stirring occasionally.
- Pour custard into the prepared pie crusts, dividing evenly between the three dishes. Press plastic wrap directly onto the custard and refrigerate pies for several hours, until firm.
- Once pies have set, place cream in the bowl of an electric mixer. Whisk cream until soft peaks form. Add vanilla extract and confectioners’ sugar and continue whisking until stiff peaks form. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip and pipe over each pie.
