Chess pie is a sweet dessert similar to pecan pie, but without pecans. It may have originated in England and is sometimes called a translucent cake. The name’s origin is unclear, but it is not related to the game of chess. Recipes typically include sugar, butter, eggs, vanilla, and cornmeal, and variations may include chocolate, coconut, or lemon flavor. Overbaking can ruin the cake. It should not be confused with chess squares or chess pie with cream cheese.
Chess pie is a popular dessert in the United States. It can also be called a translucent or transparent cake. It is a single tart, quite similar in taste to a pecan tart, but without the pecans. In fact most recipes for this pie are nearly identical to recipes for pecan pie, omitting the pecans.
Chess cake tends to be a bit gelatinous and quite sweet. It may have a little more texture than a pecan pie since many recipes add a tablespoon or two of cornmeal. Food historians suggest that the cake may have originated in England. In fact it is somewhat similar to treacle tart. However, many are puzzled by the name of the cake.
There is little association between the game of chess and chess pie. Some suggest that the initial recipes for this cake may have come from Chesterton in England. Others venture that the chess pie name may be a corruption of cheese pie. Yet the recipes certainly don’t call for cheese. However, the texture of the cheesecake curd is somewhat similar to chess pie.
Most checkerboard pie recipes for an 8- to 9-inch pie call for about a cup of sugar, a half cup of melted butter, 2-3 eggs, vanilla, and a tablespoon or two of cornmeal. The more eggs will make for a more gelatinous cake.
The mixture is poured into a pie shell and baked for about 45 minutes. Overbaking the cake can ruin it, as it can cause burns or the cake filling can become unstable. Variations include recipes that call for chocolate, coconut, buttermilk, or lemon flavor. Some recipes simply use pecan pie and leave the pecans out. This produces a perfectly respectable version of chess pie.
Chess pie is not to be confused with chess pie. Chess pie usually means a type of pie with added cream cheese, usually as part of a baked topping combined with fruit. Chess squares can be a cookie recipe with cream cheese and fruit sauce.
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