In my previous blog I mentioned that one of the things I gave up during Lent was chocolate. I try to do this every year, with varying results, but this year stopped cold turkey. Not only am I trying to trim down my budget and live healthier, but found the perfect substitute – homemade chocolate pudding.
The recipe that you find below is the results of several months of experimentation and tweaking the measurements until I achieved the flavour and consistency that satisfied my chocolate cravings. Please read the notes for alternatives and substitutions carefully!
FrogDiva Chocolate Pudding
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup dark cocoa powder
1/3 cup cornstarch
Pinch of salt
4 cups milk*
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger powder
2 Tbsp butter
2 tsp vanilla
Mix the dry ingredients in a saucepan and set aside.
Mix the liquids in a large measuring cup and and gradually add the mixture to the dry ingredients while stirring constantly over medium heat. Slowly add the butter.
Reduce to low heat once the mixture thickens. Once you achieve the pudding-like consistency (after about four minutes), remove from the stove and pour into the serving containers. Cool to room temperature before placing in the fridge. This yields 8 portions and keeps well for eight days.
Notes:
- I use low-fat milk for this recipe and margarine instead of butter, but if you prefer to use full cream milk and regular unsalted butter, then reduce the cornstarch to 1/4 cup
- If you want to make this vegan-friendly you can use almond, oat or soy milk and stick to the margarine instead of butter.
- Not everyone is a fan of cinnamon and powdered ginger so you can skip this altogether. If you are in Germany, during the Christmas season you can use Spekulatius powder instead.
FrogDiva Thoughts 