Silky Dark Chocolate Pudding
Inspired by techniques from America's Test Kitchen and NYT Cooking.
A glossy stovetop pudding of milk, cream, cocoa and egg yolks thickened with cornflour, enriched with butter and dark chocolate and chilled until silky.
Always check the labels of the products you use.
Method
- 1
Prepare the flavourings. Stir the vanilla and espresso powder together in the small bowl so the coffee dissolves; it deepens the chocolate rather than tasting of coffee. In the saucepan whisk the sugar, cocoa, cornflour and salt until even.
- 2
Add the liquids. Whisk in the yolks and cream first, scraping into the corners of the pan, to make a smooth paste. Then whisk in the milk; starting thick stops the cocoa forming lumps.
- 3
Cook until thick. Set the pan over medium heat and whisk constantly for 5-8 min, until the pudding thickens and bubbles across the whole surface. Keep whisking for 30 s more. Boiling fully cooks the cornflour so it sets firmly, and takes the yolks well past 82 °C.
- 4
Add chocolate and butter. Take the pan off the heat and whisk in the butter and chopped chocolate until both melt and the pudding turns glossy, then whisk in the vanilla mixture. Push it through the sieve into the serving bowl or glasses to catch any specks of cooked egg.
- 5
Chill. Press lightly buttered baking paper onto the surface to stop a skin forming and chill for at least 4 h. Give it a quick whisk or simply spoon it out to serve.
Storage
Keep covered in the fridge for up to 3 days. Not suitable for freezing, as the texture turns grainy.
EU nutrition claims
- Low salt: 0.28 g salt per 100 g (limit ≤ 0.3 g)
Per 100 g of the finished dish, worked out from the nutrition per serving and the lowest likely cooked weight (about 141 g a serving), so the true values are, if anything, lower. Thresholds from the Annex to EU Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. How we decide
Free sugars
21.4 g per serving
42.8 % of the 50 g daily maximum · 85.6 % of the ideal 25 g
Free sugars under 50 g a day, ideally about 25 g, based on WHO free-sugar guidance (not endorsed by WHO). The share shown is the share of one serving. WHO
Equipment
- small bowl
- large heavy saucepan
- whisk
- fine sieve
- serving bowl or 6 glasses
- baking paper
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 441 kcal |
| Protein | 7.2 g |
| Carbohydrate | 35.5 g |
| of which sugars | 27.3 g |
| of which free sugars | 21.4 g |
| Fat | 30.7 g |
| of which saturates | 18.2 g |
| Fibre | 2.9 g |
| Salt | 0.39 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
1.6 g High Protein needs ≥ 5 g (20% of energy)
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
