Step 1

Preheat oven. Adjust the rack to the middle position and preheat your oven to 350°F / 180°C / gas mark4.

Step 2

Make coconut crust. Put the shortbread, flaked coconut, and melted butter into a food processor. Pulse until everything is finely ground. Then press the crumb mixture firmly into the bottom and up the sides of a deep-dish 9-in / 23 cm pie pan. The crust should be approximately 1/4 in / 6 mm thick.

Step 3

Bake crust. Bake the crust for 15 minutes until golden brown. If the crust shrinks or cracks, press it back together and up the sides with the back of a spoon while it's still hot. Set aside to cool.

Step 4

Dissolve cornstarch. Add the cornstarch, eggs, and yolks to a mixing bowl. Whisk until combined and you no longer see lumps of cornstarch.

Step 5

Heat milks. Pour the coconut milk and sweetened condensed milk into a medium saucepan. Stirring frequently, bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Then turn off the heat.

Step 6

Temper egg mixture. Whisking constantly, ladle 1 cup of the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture and stir well to combine. This heats the eggs gently without scrambling them.

Step 7

Cook custard. Pour the tempered egg mixture back into the saucepan with the hot milk mixture. Switch to a wooden spoon and cook over medium-high heat, stirring continuously, until the mixture reaches a boil and thickens, about 2 to 3 minutes. The custard must boil for at least 30 seconds to fully thicken.

Step 8

Finish custard. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Whisk in the shredded coconut, butter, and vanilla extract until fully incorporated.

Step 9

Fill pie shell. Pour the coconut cream pie filling into the cooled pie crust. Smooth out the surface with a spoon or spatula. Press plastic wrap (cling film) directly onto the surface of the custard. This prevents a skin from forming.

Step 10

Refrigerate. Chill the pie in the fridge until firm, for at least 6 hours or overnight.

Step 11

Whip topping. Up to 3hours before serving, add the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract to a cold bowl. Beat with an electric mixer (or stand mixer with the whip attachment) until stiff peaks form. Be careful not to overbeat the cream.

Step 12

Garnish. Remove the plastic wrap (clingfilm). Top the pie with the whipped cream topping and sprinkle generously with toasted coconut flakes.

Step 13

Serve. Enjoy the pie refrigerated!