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Hula Pie

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Homemade Hula Pie

The signature dessert at Duke’s restaurant in Hawaii (and other locations) is the Hula Pie. This delicious frozen pie is the perfect dessert to share with friends on a warm, tropical afternoon. The base is a chocolate crumb pie crust, which is piled high with creamy macadamia nut ice cream and then topped with a chocolate fudge glaze. Each slice of the pie is served on a signature plate with a special spork that is engraved with the name of the dessert. It is huge and well worth ordering a slice to share.

Duke's Hula Pie

I sampled a slice of this delectable dessert when I was in Oahu and wanted to recreate it at home to share with friends. It’s a fun dessert to make during the summer, since it can be prepared in advance and stored in the fridge until you’re ready to serve it. I used a chocolate graham cracker crust for this pie, however any chocolate crumb crust – including store-bought crusts – will work well. The original Hula Pie uses macadamia nut ice cream as the filling, a flavor is easy to find in Hawaii, but much less common outside of the islands. I use vanilla ice cream and blend in finely chopped roasted, salted macadamia nuts. The salted nuts bring a lot of flavor into the ice cream, but you must take care to chop them finely because large nuts will be difficult to slice through when you are ready to serve the pie.

For the topping, I made a dark chocolate ganache, infused with a hint of coffee. The ganache goes onto the ice cream filling while it is warm and will start to set up almost right away. Have a small offset spatula or knife handy while you are pouring the ganache, so you can spread it into an even layer while it is still liquid. I added a bit of corn syrup to this ganache because it helps ensure the sauce has a glossy finish and keeps the texture of the ganache soft even while frozen, allowing for easier slicing.

To slice this pie, run a sharp knife under hot water, then dry it off with a paper towel or dish towel just before slicing. The slices can be served as-is, or garnished with whipped cream and additional ganache if you want to really nail the restaurant’s plating.

Homemade Hula Pie

Hula Pie
1 9-inch chocolate crumb crust
1 1/2 gallons vanilla ice cream, softened
1 cup roasted, salted macadamia nuts, finely chopped
3 oz butter
4 oz dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 tsp instant coffee powder
1 tbsp corn syrup (optional)

In a large bowl, fold together vanilla ice cream and finely chopped macadamia nuts. Transfer the ice cream mixture into the chocolate pie crust, spreading it evenly over the base of the pie plate and shaping it into a rounded dome. Place in freezer to set up for 1-2 hours.
In a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl, combine butter, dark chocolate, coffee powder and corn syrup. Microwave in 20-30 second intervals, stirring between each interval, until the mixture is smooth and glossy.
Slowly pour the warm ganache over the top of the frozen pie, spreading it into an even layer as you pour with an offset spatula.
Return pie to freeze to set up for 1 hour, or more, before serving.
Garnish with whipped cream and a second batch of ganache, if desired.

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3 Comments
  • Joshua Hampton
    July 4, 2015

    That hula pie looks so good. I’m crazy for anything with ice cream filling in it. Even more that it’s got chocolate. Yum.

  • David
    July 4, 2015

    You could try mixing macadamia nut liqueur into the ice cream.That is available even here in Kenai,Alaska !

  • Brother Bear
    July 6, 2015

    Duke’s magic hula pie that is so devine now has a recipe. My cooking gloves is on!

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