Chocolate Custard

A recipe for chocolate lovers

Prepare yourself for a creamy and indulgent chocolate treat. This recipe is one of our easiest desserts and counts a few ingredients.

This custard is a 5-minute mouth-watering variation of our egg-free vanilla custard.

Chocolate custard follows the same simple steps but adds chopped dark chocolate, which melts and mixes with the custard base.

You will get a thick but not too firm cream with a smooth and velvety consistency.

Chocolate custard is wonderful for enriching other sweets.

We have tested it (and loved it) in vanilla cake and added a dollop to egg–free pancakes.

It’s also excellent to fill bomboloni or as the filling in strawberry tart.

For chocolate lovers who want a quick and easy treat, this custard is a great way to satisfy your cravings.

Louise and I enjoy the simplicity of chocolate custard with a spoon, a finish of whipped cream, and a strawberry.

Ingredients

• Milk: you can make this recipe with any type of milk. We tried almond, oat, soy, and rice milk.
• Sugar: you can use white or brown sugar.
• Dark chocolate: pick your favorite dark chocolate brand. We recommend one with a percentage of cocoa of 50% plus; even better if it’s 70% plus. Substitute chocolate chips for dark chocolate.
• Cornstarch: to thicken the custard. Substitute potato start for cornstarch.
• Vanilla extract: for a light vanilla aroma, which is delicious with chocolate.

How to make chocolate custard

Chop the chocolate into small pieces. I recommend doing this on a cutting board with a sharp knife. Set aside.

To a saucepan of the heat, add milk, sugar, cornstarch, and vanilla extract.

Whisk until smooth.

Tip: when adding cornstarch to a liquid, the liquid should always be cold and off the heat to help the cornstarch dissolve and prevent lumps.

Bring the saucepan on the stovetop and set it to medium heat.

Now stir for 2 to 3 minutes until the liquid thickens into a custard.

Remove from the heat and add the dark chocolate chopped into small pieces.

Tip: smaller batches take less time while bigger batches can take up to 5 minutes.

Stir for one more minute. When the chocolate is fully melted, your custard is ready.

Tip: the custard keeps thickening as it cools down, so my advice is to remove it from the heat a few seconds before you think it is ready.

If you’d like a thicker chocolate custard, keep cooking it for one more minute. If you want a thinner one, take it off the heat earlier.

Tip: To check if your custard is ready take a wooden or silicone spatula, dip it in the custard, then run a finger through it. If the spatula stays clean, the custard is ready.

How to cool it?

Before storing chocolate custard, you must bring it to room temperature quickly and while stirring.

I know it sounds tedious, but it’s actually pretty fast; plus, if you don’t do it, the custard will form a thin layer or a thin skin on top that will make it lumpy.

The best and fastest way to cool it is to transfer it to a cold glass or metal bowl.

Now put the bowl bain marie inside another bowl or pot filled with cold water and whisk it until you reach a lukewarm temperature.

Now cover it with plastic wrap and store it in the fridge. The wrap should touch the custard to prevent a dry layer from forming on top.