Double-Chocolate Pudding (Budino)

Budino means “pudding” in Italian and it’s a popular dessert all over Italy.

You can grab one in a supermarket for two Euros, spot it on a trattoria menu, or order a tricked-up version in a fancy restaurant.

In my grown-up version, I combined dark chocolate chips, raw cacao, and bitter espresso powder with sweet milk, heavy cream, sugar and vanilla extract. Cornstarch and egg yolks are used for thickening.

The resulting pudding has a custardy, creamy texture and an intense flavor: not-too-sweet and very, very chocolaty.

Let’s review all the chocolate budino ingredients:

You probably already have all of these in your pantry.

• WHOLE MILK – gives you best results. I don’t recommend skim or low-fat milk – the pudding won’t be as creamy and dense. For a non-dairy version, try almond milk.
• HEAVY CREAM – adds extra richness. If you don’t have heavy cream, use whole milk, but it won’t be as creamy.
• CACAO – I used raw cacao powder because it’s pure, but cocoa would work too. Here’s a good article explaining the difference.
• ESPRESSO BAKING POWDER – adding it to chocolate desserts is a great tip—it enhances the chocolate flavor. Use organic if you can, there are so many good brands available. Worst case, make some strong coffee or fresh espresso and add 1 tablespoon to the budino mixture.
• VANILLA – such a great flavor enhancer. You can also use rum or brandy instead of vanilla extract. Or if you have orange essence, use that as an alternative, because orange and chocolate is a perfect combo.
• SUGAR – simple, white granulated sugar will do. Brown sugar probably works too, but I haven’t tried it yet.
• EGG YOLKS – add to the creaminess and also help to thicken the pudding. Save the egg whites for an egg white omelette.
• CORNSTARCH – thickens the pudding. If you don’t have one, you can try a substitute. This article does a good job. I used 1 tablespoon arrowroot powder in the past and it worked.

These are the pudding cooking steps:

You’ll need two cooking vessels for this. A medium saucepan and a medium bowl.

Heat the milk and heavy cream in the saucepan. Mix the dry ingredients in the bowl.

Add the liquid to the dry and whisk thoroughly. Pour everything back into the saucepan, heat and cook until the pudding thickens.

When the pudding thickens and coats the back of the spoon, it’s ready.

Turn the heat off and stir in the chocolate chips. Then pour into heat-resistant dishes.

You can use glass cups, ramekins, espresso cups or similar dishes.

This recipe yields about four 3/4-cup portions.

It’s a good idea to cover each dish with a piece of plastic food wrap. It prevents a skin forming on top of the pudding. If you don’t mind the skin, feel free to skip this step.

Does the chocolate budino need a whipped cream on top?

A. Not necessarily.
B. Yes, of course it does!

B. is the correct answer.

I make whipped cream with an electric hand mixer.

Take one 1 cup of heavy cream, pour it into a medium, tall bowl or dish (to avoid splattering), and beat on high-speed until soft peaks form, about 1 minute.

(You can whip cream by hand, too. Just use a sturdy whisk and good elbow/wrist grease).

You don’t have to go the extra mile to filling a pastry bag with the whipped cream, and piping it on top of the chocolate pudding.

Just drop it with a teaspoon and your crowd-pleasing, comforting chocolate dessert is ready to be savored.

Here are some more recipes to satisfy your sweet tooth:

Cream of Semolina With Two Toppings
Linzer Torte With Raspberry Jam
Blueberry Crumb Cake
Chocolate Banana Paleo Cake
Rocky Road Apple Chocolate Cake
Gluten-Free Rhubarb-Strawberry Crumble

Your turn.

Did you make the double-chocolate pudding? Did you put whipped cream on top or just ate it as is?

Tell me in the comments.

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