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Pastries and Cookies, Basic Recipes

Crème au Chocolat

by Lisa

Trained pastry chef

Glossy dark crème au chocolat in a shallow bowl

5.0 (3)out of 5, 3 ratings

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Prep
5 min
Bake
20 min
Total
25 min
Makes
1

Crème au chocolat, or simply chocolate pudding, is used for all kinds of things. My favorite way to eat it, though, is in fresh éclairs. Delicious :)

Notes:

Read more

• The plastic wrap has to touch the entire surface of the hot cream to stop a skin from forming.
• It's best used cold, but you can also use it hot.

Ingredients

Makes 1

  • 1 ¾ cups plus 1 tbsp450 gmilk
  • 3 ½ tbsp50 gheavy creamGerman cream for whipping has about 30 to 32 percent fat. In the US use heavy cream or heavy whipping cream; in the UK, whipping cream (double cream also works but whips faster, so watch it).
  • ½ cup100 ggranulated sugar(UK: caster sugar)
  • 3 tbsp25 gcustard pudding powderA packet of flavored starch (about 37 g) that is cooked with 2 cups (500 ml) of milk and sugar into a thick pudding. In the US use about ⅓ cup (40 g) cornstarch plus 1 tsp vanilla extract per packet, or one box of cook-and-serve vanilla pudding mix (not instant) per packet, with the sugar reduced because the mix is sweetened; in the UK, custard powder, about 40 g per German packet (it is unsweetened, so it swaps 1:1 by weight).
  • 7125 glarge egg yolksWeigh them if you can: 125 g is about 7 large egg yolks.
  • 5 tbsp25 gunsweetened cocoa powderPure unsweetened cocoa powder for baking. In the US use unsweetened cocoa powder (not hot cocoa mix); in the UK, cocoa powder (not drinking chocolate).
  • 2 ½ oz75 gdark couverture chocolatechopped. Chocolate with a high cocoa butter content that melts smoothly for coating and glazing. In the US use good-quality baking chocolate bars or couverture wafers (not chocolate chips); in the UK, couverture chocolate or a good-quality cooking chocolate bar.
  • 3 ½ tbsp50 gunsalted butterGerman butter is unsalted and has about 82 percent fat. In the US use unsalted butter; European-style unsalted butter is closest. In the UK use unsalted butter.

Method

  1. Bring the milk and cream to a boil.

  2. Whisk the sugar, custard pudding powder, egg yolks and cocoa powder together thoroughly and pour into the boiling liquid. Let everything boil together for one more minute, then take it off the heat.

  3. Add the butter and couverture chocolate. Stir thoroughly until everything has come together into a smooth cream.

  4. Transfer the cream to a clean, shallow bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Done!