Smooth Velvety Dark Chocolate Pudding

Don’t have time to bake a cake for Valentine’s Day? No worries, I have the perfect solution: Smooth Velvety Dark Chocolate Pudding.

You really only need about 15 minutes to make this simple dessert. That’s it. Place your pudding in the fridge for a couple of hours (or even overnight) and forget about it until dessert time rolls around.  And then sit back and enjoy the chocolaty smoothness with your loved ones.

It’s quite simple to make pudding from scratch, and it’s definitely healthier than any box variety you can purchase in a grocery store. There are, however, a few crucial steps that need to be done correctly in order to obtain a final product with a smooth consistency. I will share with you my process and hopefully your smooth velvety dark chocolate pudding will be exactly that: smooth and velvety.

The single most important kitchen gadget you will need is a whisk. Forget the fork or spoon; don’t even think about attempting this recipe if you are not armed with a whisk.

Alright, now that you have your culinary weapon in hand, let’s start making some pudding.

The first thing you need to do is separate your eggs. Place your egg yolks in a bowl and give them a whisk. You won’t need the egg whites for this particular recipe, but don’t let them go to waste! You can always refrigerate or freeze them, and, when you get a chance, you can make this recipe for soft amaretti cookies.

Combine your dry ingredients in a saucepan and whisk together. Pour in the cold milk a little bit at a time and whisk continuously. Eventually, you will get a mixture which resembles and smells like chocolate milk.

Now it’s time to turn on the heat. Over medium-low heat, whisk the mixture for about 5-7 minutes. You need to whisk until the mixture begins to thicken and it’s just simmering. We do not want a rolling boil…just a little simmer. Whisk for 1-2 more minutes and then lower the heat to low.

Whisk about 1/2 of a cup of this hot mixture into the egg yolks. Whisk the egg yolks for about 30 seconds. Whisk in another 1/2 cup of hot mixture. Whisk for another 30 seconds. Whisk in another 1/2 cup of hot mixture and whisk again.  Does this seem repetitive? What you’re doing right now is tempering your eggs. The pudding mixture is so hot that if you were to pour it in all at once, your eggs would coagulate! We don’t want pieces of cooked egg in our pudding, so we need to warm up the yolks slowly.

Now you’re ready to add the egg mixture to the hot mixture and…guess what? Whisk some more! I told you the whisk was important in this recipe. Whisk for another 2-3 minutes. You’ll notice the mixture thickens a little bit more.

At this point, remove the saucepan from the heat and add in the grated chocolate, butter, vanilla and salt. Whisk together.

Pour the mixture into your serving dishes or into a bowl, and cover it with cellophane. The cellophane should touch the surface of the pudding, to prevent a “crust” from forming. (By the way, I re-watched Chicago, the musical, over the weekend.  If you have a chance, take a look at John C. Reilly’s performance of Mr. Cellophane – cannot get that song out of my head!) Chill the pudding for a couple of hours and that’s it.

Congratulations! You’ve just made homemade smooth velvety dark chocolate pudding.

Origins of the Recipe For smooth velvety dark chocolate pudding:

I’ve adapted this recipe from a recipe I found on allrecipes.ca a few years ago. You can have some fun with this recipe! If you would like vanilla pudding, eliminate the cocoa and the chocolate and increase the vanilla to one teaspoon. If you prefer lemon, once again eliminate the chocolate, cocoa and vanilla extract; add two teaspoons of finely grated lemon zest with the dry ingredients. Once you have chilled your mixture, add 1-2 tablespoons of lemon juice. So many variations…

Here are two other recipes you might find interesting to make for your Valentine sweethearts; Homemade Chocolate Hazelnut Kisses and Chocolate Surprise Cupcakes.

Happy Valentine’s Day !

5 from 1 vote

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Smooth Velvety Dark Chocolate Pudding

Don't have time to bake a cake for Valentine's Day? No worries, I have the perfect solution: Smooth Velvety Dark Chocolate Pudding.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Servings 4 servings

Calories 265 kcal

Author Maria @ She Loves Biscotti

Ingredients

• 2 egg yolks
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 cups milk whole or 2 %, cold
• 2 oz bittersweet chocolate grated
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon butter optional

Instructions

1. Place egg yolks in a bowl and give them a whisk. Set aside.
2. Combine your dry ingredients in a saucepan and whisk together.

3. Gradually, pour in the cold milk and whisk continuously. Eventually, you will get a mixture which resembles and smells like chocolate milk.

4. Over medium-low heat, whisk the mixture for about 5-7 minutes. You need to whisk until the mixture begins to thicken and it's just simmering. We do not want a rolling boil...just a little simmer. Whisk for 1-2 more minutes and then lower the heat to low.
5. Whisk about 1/2 of a cup of this hot mixture into the egg yolks. Whisk the egg yolks for about 30 seconds. Whisk in another 1/2 cup of hot mixture. Whisk for another 30 seconds. Whisk in another 1/2 cup of hot mixture and whisk again.
6. Add the egg mixture to the hot mixture and continue to whisk for 2-3 minutes.
7. Remove the saucepan from the heat and add in the grated chocolate, vanilla,salt and butter. Whisk together.
8. Pour the mixture into your serving dishes or into a bowl, and cover it with cellophane.
9. Refrigerate the pudding for a couple of hours.
10. Serve cold.

Recipe Notes

I have often been asked about the type of cocoa I use...I prefer to use Rodelle baking cocoa (it's available at Costco or amazon).

 

Please keep in mind that the nutritional information provided below is just a rough estimate and variations can occur depending on the specific ingredients used. 

*lightly adapted from allrecipes.ca

 

Nutrition Facts

Smooth Velvety Dark Chocolate Pudding

Amount Per Serving (1 serving)

Calories 265 Calories from Fat 117

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 13g 20%

Saturated Fat 7g 35%

Cholesterol 113mg 38%

Sodium 213mg 9%

Potassium 289mg 8%

Total Carbohydrates 31g 10%

Dietary Fiber 1g 4%

Sugars 23g

Protein 6g 12%

Vitamin A 7.2%

Calcium 16.1%

Iron 8.3%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Thanks for dropping by.

Ciao for now!

Maria

2016.01.14 This post has been updated.