Looking at its creamy swirls and dark peaks, you can just imagine how cool this chocolate pudding will feel as it dissolves on your tongue, how light yet luxurious, the bittersweet chocolate smoky and smooth.
If you’ve never made chocolate pudding from scratch, was it because you thought it was just too easy to mix up some of the powdered stuff or, quicker still, tear the lid off a tub of a ready-made brand from the refrigerated section? Or have you made it and been disappointed – because it came out too thin or too lumpy, or not chocolatey enough?
Let’s get the homemade-vs.-commercial discussion out of the way first: puddings from boxed mixes are always slightly gritty and overly sweet, while the ready-made ones have an unpleasant chemical taste, a gelatin-like texture and a long list of artificial ingredients. Once you’ve made your own chocolate pudding using fresh cream, milk and eggs and high quality chocolate, you won’t be able to stomach those imposters.
Some recipes for homemade pudding use only cornstarch for a thickener (often referred to as American-style); some use only eggs (French-style, for example, pot de crème). Proponents of the cornstarch version claim it’s easier but I disagree – it takes a lot longer to thicken, and there’s a danger of overcooking the cornstarch and causing it to break, resulting in runny pudding. Pot de crème is (IMO) a step too far in the other direction, so thick your spoon could stand up in it by itself, and so rich it’s served in tiny cups like espresso.
I like the middle of the road: a combination of eggs with a small amount of cornstarch yields perfect results, not too thick, not too thin. A combination of milk and a little bit of heavy cream ensures ultimate creaminess. And a combination of chopped dark chocolate and unsweetened cocoa powder produces the deepest, richest chocolate flavor.
As always in recipes where chocolate is the star (like this one and this one and this one), use the best quality chocolate you can get your hands on.
Always pass the hot pudding through a sieve to remove any hidden lumps of cornstarch. Then press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface of the pudding so it doesn’t form a skin while it cools. (It turns out there are those who love pudding skin and consider it to be the best part – who knew? I’m not in that camp but if you are then skip the plastic wrap and enjoy.)
Making this ahead and what to do with leftovers:
- Pudding is the very definition of make-ahead: it must have time to chill, so make it at least 2 hours ahead, 4 is better and overnight is ideal.
- It keeps well in the fridge for 3 days, after which it will start to loosen and get a little runnier, but it will taste delicious for quite a few more days after that.
Double Chocolate Pudding
Ingredients
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- 2¼ cups whole milk
- ½ cup granulated sugar, divided
- Pinch of kosher salt
- 7 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, divided
- 1 large egg
- 2 large egg yolks
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into 4 pieces
- Sweetened whipped cream, for serving
Directions
- Step 1 Pour the cream and 2 cups of the milk into a medium saucepan, add ¼ cup of the sugar and the salt. Heat the mixture over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture comes to a gentle simmer and the sugar is dissolved, about 10 minutes.
- Step 2 While the milk is heating, get all the other ingredients ready. Chop 6 ounces of the chocolate and put it in a large bowl, with a sieve nearby for straining the pudding.
- Step 3 Put the egg and yolks in a medium bowl or a 4-cup liquid measuring cup and whisk them just until they’re blended. Set the eggs aside.
- Step 4 Combine the remaining ¼ cup sugar with the cornstarch and cocoa powder in a medium bowl. Whisk in the remaining ¼ cup milk until the cornstarch and cocoa are dissolved and the mixture is smooth.
- Step 5 When the milk mixture is simmering, whisk in the cocoa mixture. It will be thick, so use a silicone spatula to scrape the bowl and get it all in. Whisk constantly until the mixture just returns to a simmer – a few bubbles, not a full-on boil – about 2 minutes.
- Step 6 Remove the pan from the heat but leave the burner on. Use a ladle to pick up about ½ cup of the milk mixture and whisk it into the eggs. Add another ½ cup of the milk mixture, whisking constantly. Whisk the egg mixture back into the main mixture in the saucepan and return the pan to the heat. Heat the mixture, whisking constantly, until it just returns to a simmer and becomes significantly thicker, 2 – 4 minutes.
- Step 7 Strain the mixture through the sieve into the bowl with the chocolate. Add the vanilla extract. Whisk until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Use the silicone spatula to scrape the bottom of the bowl and make sure that all the chocolate is melted and incorporated. Add the butter and whisk until the butter is melted and the mixture is completely smooth.
- Step 8 Chill the pudding right in the bowl, or pour it into individual serving bowls for chilling. Either way, press a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pudding, sealing the surface completely, to stop a skin from forming. Chill individual bowls for at least 2 hours, the larger bowl for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
- Step 9 Top each serving of pudding with a dollop of whipped cream. Finely grate the remaining 1 ounce of dark chocolate using the large holes of box grater. Sprinkle the grated chocolate over the whipped cream.
