I’m not much of a chocolate guy. After a big restaurant meal, I’ll usually pass over chocolate desserts in favor of something light and fruity. If after reading that, you’re thinking I must be from another planet, rest assured, I’m human and I do get an occasional chocolate craving. Perhaps it’s my palette’s way of protesting all the chocolate that I pass up, but when the urge hits, it’s pushy and unrelenting like a sleazy guy in a bar.
This chocolate pudding is about the fastest way to douse those fiery cravings and comes together in about fifteen minutes. For those of you who are thinking that that’s fifteen minutes too long, let me describe for you the reward for your pittance of patience. The moment the thick chocolate pudding hits your tongue, it liquefies into a silky pool of rich chocolate bliss. Dark, sweet, and luscious with a hint of contrasting bitterness, this chocolate pudding is like a mainline of uncut cacao that’ll sedate even the fiercest of chocolate cravings. Unfortunately, like most good things in life, your bowl of puddin’ won’t last for long, so be warned: that this chocolate pudding is habit forming.
Connoisseurs may argue that a pot de crème is a superior way of delivering chocolate into your system, but I’d like to see someone pull off a 15 minute pot de creme. Also, while this decadent chocolate pudding is far from healthy, it’s made mostly with milk, and is set with yolks and cornstarch instead of just yolks, so it’s a little less unhealthy, right? At least that’s what I tell myself as I lift spoon after spoon of this addiction inducing pudding to my mouth.
I made this using Valrhona Caraïbe (66%) chocolate and Scharffen Berger cocoa, but any high quality chocolate and cocoa will do. By using chocolate buttons, you’ll save yourself some precious time because you don’t need to chop them up first. Once made, this chocolate pudding will keep for up to a week in the fridge, and it makes great trifles with fresh raspberries or bananas. To dress it up a bit, try drizzling an equally quick raspberry coulis on top.
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole milk
- 5 extra large egg yolks
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 30 grams cornstarch (~1/4 cup)
- 15 grams unsweetened cocoa powder (~2 tablespoons)
- 140 grams dark chocolate (65+% cacao)
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon cultured unsalted butter
- 2 teaspoons
Steps
- Heat the milk in a small saucepan over medium heat until it's steaming and there are small bubbles coming up around the edges, but do not let it boil.
- While the milk is heating, put the yolks, sugar and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk at medium high speed until the eggs are a shiny pale yellow color (about 2 minutes).
- Add the cornstarch and cocoa powder and whisk until the mixture is smooth, scraping down the bowl as needed.
- With the mixer running at low speed, slowly pour in the hot milk along the edge of the bowl being careful to avoid the whisk. A pouring shield will help.
- Wash the saucepan out and then strain the pudding mixture back into the pot through a fine mesh sieve.
- Put the pot back on the stove over medium heat and cook the chocolate pudding, stirring constantly with the spatula. Be sure to scrape up the bottom of the pan as the mixture thickens so it doesn't burn.
- Your pudding is done when it's very thick and has reached 170 degrees F. Don't worry if some lumps form, provided you strained the mixture in step 5, the lumps should go away in the next step.
- Turn off the heat and then add the chocolate a little bit at a time. Stir vigorously with the spatula to incorporate the melting chocolate and to break up any lumps.
- Once all the chocolate has been added and your pudding is smooth, stir in the butter, cream and vanilla until uniformly incorporated.
- The pudding can be served warm, or you can cover with plastic wrap pressed up against the pudding to chill.
Hmm…I’m about to make chocolate pudding for dessert tonight and I saw this…. Yummy one recipe, thx for sharing ^_^
I am much the same. I don’t go for chocolate options very often but then at some point the urge hits and I will buy a block of chocolate and devour it! This pudding looks like a great alternative.
Oh, delicious! I tend to avoid chocolate desserts in restaurants…not because I don’t like it, but they’re often a bit disappointing – too sugary or rich or obviously bought in. Your pudding looks gorgeous – I’d probably just be eating it out of the pot!
The only pudding I’ve ever made is out of a box! 😉 Looks wonderful.
I used to look forward to my mothers choco pudding… it is such a special treat… never stopped to realize there is so many egg yolks. Nice contrast with the chocolate shavings…
This….looks….AMAZING. I had wanted to make chocolate pudding for my NYE dinner and was too under the weather to do much but the basics. Such a stunning photo, too. Thank you for sharing 🙂
Good call on the good chocolate! I would always go gaga over my mom’s cornstarch pudding made just with Hershey’s cocoa – might have to try this adult version soon…
Your description totally sold me. I’m so making this! Maybe for valentine’s day, if I can hold off that long!
I do love homemade chocolate pudding. It’s comfort food that can’t be equalled in a box. Apologies to Bill Cosby.
Oh my, this does look gorgeous! Haven’t made homemade pudding in a very long time and as soon as I can find that high quality chocolate, you can bet I’ll be whipping up a batch or two of this.
Mmmm…love what you have done here Marc! It looks so silky and gorgeous! Happy 2011!
Chocolate pudding is one of my favorite ways to get my craving under control. I love the idea of using cornstarch as a thickener!
So I’m not the only human that doesn’t constantly crave chocolate? Good to know. But when I do get the craving, watch out…and I’m thinking “lasts up to 1 week” is probably an exaggeration (especially if there are any chocoholics around).
This is a big help to my constant chocolate craving.
I’m right with you, Marc. I tend to make pudding as a snack on a frighteningly regular basis. And if all one has is Hershey’s or Nestle, I hope that they’d give this a shot anyway. After all, homemade w/Nestle or Hershey is better than anything out of a carton from the grocery! 🙂
Creamy chocolate decadence doesn’t even begin to describe this bowl of heaven! This is chocolate at its finest, really wonderful recipe.
Thanks for sharing this!! Just made this & it’s absolutely delicious! Can’t wait for tonight when I’ll be adding it to the crepes & macerated raspberries!
Chocolate IV. Yes, that sounds nice.
Man, despite the site name, your recipes are absolutely brilliant and the photos are stunning.
Do you think this would work with soymilk, coconut milk, or almond milk? My family doesn’t like cow milk.
Absolutely, I use soy and rice milk all the time.
chocolate IV? i’m all for it! especially, if it’s dark chocolate – and, i agree. no hershey’s or nestle’s. that looks more like a ganache, and i’m not complaining, either.
Um, yeah. Pudding.
Like the silkiest hug ever. Am hoping my chocoholic husband doesn’t glimpse this post, or I’m totally going to have to indulge in some pudding making myself 😉
I’m not a chocolate lover either, but I do love chocolate pudding! I had an urge to make the stuff last week when the kids were home from school but didn’t get around to it. Perhaps I’ll use your recipe and finally get to it this weekend.
Always great photos! I just love looking at them.
This is not an ordinaly chocolate pudding.
I definitely will try this recipe. Thanks!
I am usually a fruit person when it comes to desserts too but this chocolate pudding sounds and looks decadently delicious! Thanks for the recipe.
If Pie is 2010, I say Pudding is 2011.
http://donkeyandthecarrot.blogspot.com/2011/02/seductive-recipes-for-valentines-day.html
Gorgeous! Im craving some chocolate pudding myself….. but I can take chocolate in any form. 😀
I recently just started following you and I love your blog! The pictures are beautiful and you have a pleasant way of writing. I may just try this out, hope it turns out well!
I’ve made this twice in the past week and it is excellent!
you have a very nice chocolate pudding photos up there. looks delicious and tempting
can this pudding also be used for a cake filling
It’s probably a little loose to fill a cake, you’ll probably need to
add a bit more cornstarch to give it some body if you’re using it to
fill a cake. But I think it would taste delicious in a cake!
made this tonight for a small dinner party & it was fabulous! Thank you so much!!!
Having two chocoholics in the house and admittedly being one myself this would be great to make for a quick fix. I can make sure I have all this on hand (most already is). Thanks!!!
hii….yr recipe sounds dilicious…how do one add the dark chocolate..do we have to melt the dark chocolate bars and then add it to the mixture?-Liji
You just said you never add cream. But then why is it mentioned in the ingredients?
I’m not sure where you read that I never use cream, but if you’re referring to the part where I say this is made with milk instead of cream I’m comparing it to Pot de Creme which is made entirely of cream.
The basic pudding is made with whole milk. But your last instruction is “Finish with the cream, butter and vanilla and stir to combine. Serve the
pudding warm or let it cool off and refrigerate in an airtight
container.” That’s the 1/4 cup cream you list in the recipe. Can whole milk be substituted here, too? Or low fat cream?
I wish he would have replied to your comment. Have you tried it with the substitutes? I have everything in my house except for the milk and cream (I do have coconut and almond milk).
Yep, the original commenter was saying I stated I never use cream, which is not what I wrote. You can certainly substitute milk for the small amount of cream in the recipe, but then I would just increase the initial amount of milk to 2 1/4 cups so you don’t have to worry about adding it in at the end.
I’m not sure what you mean by not replying to the comment, if you expand the thread I posted a response 11 months ago shortly after the original commenter asked the question. As for coconut milk and almond milk I don’t see why it wouldn’t work.
Hi Marc: if i make this the day before, can I heat the pudding to serve on Christmas Eve?
You may need to add a bit more milk if it gets too thick. Also I’d reheat it in a double boiler to prevent burning, if that’s too much of a hassle, microwaving on low should work, just microwave a few times stirring between each time.
Amazing taste, now I can say I’ve discovered chocolate pudding. And it’s so freaking easy to prepare! Just one question, is there some advice to avoid this “skin” that is made when you let it cool down? maybe like pastry cream with a film touching it…
hey Marc I’m 11 and I’m watching you on chopped and your food looks great they are yummy too. i eat them every day. I want to be like you when i grow up. and i went to the Japanese table too
Hi Julian, thanks for your note! I’ve loved cooking since I was around your age, so anything is possible:-) Good luck!
OMG you were on Chopped and I missed it?! How’d you do???
I think you say nay otherwise you’ be a horse! Nice blog.
Nice catch, thanks!