Chocolate Pudding Recipe Italian Style
Budino al Cioccolato
Chocolate might not be the first flavor that comes to mind when considering Italian desserts. It’s more likely that the phrase “Italian dessert” will bring to mind the light Marsala-flavored custard, Zabaglione, over fresh fruit, or perhaps the espresso kick of tiramisu or the light fruit flavors of a granita. Chocolate tends to be more of an accent rather than a focal point in Italian desserts - a light dusting of bitter cocoa powder as a foil to sweet mascarpone cream or perhaps a drizzle of tempered dark chocolate on crunchy-crumbly hazelnut biscotti.
In Budino al Cioccolato, however, chocolate stands front and center. Italian for pudding Budino al Cioccolato is Italian Chocolate Pudding. Like most desserts, budino can mean different things to different people. Some budinos are akin to French baked custards, like pots de creme. Some are cooked on the stove top. Some recipes have crumbled cookies added as the thickener.
My favorite type of budino is the kind that is like a flourless cake - a thin crisp crust, moist cake and a gooey, almost liquid center. There are budino recipes for everything from vanilla to butterscotch to lemon, but, in a nod to America’s love affair with chocolate, I give you Budino al Cioccolato. (Serves 12)
Ingredients
Vegetable spray for greasing the pan
Individual cupcake liners - the metallic kind are cool
1/4 cup cocoa powder
4 oz (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup heavy cream
8 ounces best quality bitter-sweet chocolate
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 and 1/3 cups granulated sugar
1/3 cup neutral vegetable oil (for added moistness/tenderness)
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt (maybe a bit more, to taste)
How to Prepare at Home
Preheat the oven to 300 degree F. Put the cupcake liners in the greased pan, and preheat the pan, too.
Combine the butter and cream in small saucepan over medium-high heat. Chop 5 ounces of the chocolate and put it in a medium bowl. Cut the remaining 3 ounces into 1/4 ounce chunks and reserve. When the cream mixture comes to a simmer, pour it over the chocolate and mix gently to incorporate the ingredients. Let cool. (This is a ganache).
In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, oil, cocoa powder and cornstarch until the sugar has dissolved. Pour the cooled ganache into the egg mixture and gently mix just until the batter is smooth. Scoop about 1/4 cup of the batter into each mold (about 3/4 of the way up the sides). Tuck a 1/4 ounce chunk of the reserved chocolate into the center of each cupcake.
Bake until the edges are set and the center still looks a little moist, about 40-45 minutes. Cool the pan on a rack for 10 minutes and then unmold them. Dust them with powdered sugar, and serve warm.
on November 13th, 2008 at 7:34 pm
omg.. that is positively sinful. have bookmarked to try!
on November 14th, 2008 at 11:35 am
That looks so good! Thanks for sharing the recipe, I’m going to print and save it!
on November 16th, 2008 at 4:57 pm
an extra inch went on to my love handles just reading the recipe!!!!!
on December 23rd, 2008 at 1:18 am
This looks really good… but I’m not sure I can pull it off. And Christmas dinner is not a good time to risk it! Hmmm… what a dilemma.
on March 24th, 2009 at 2:06 pm
great recipe, tried baking it went cool and everybody loved it, thanks
on April 2nd, 2009 at 1:45 pm
bah. this sounds fantastic. i think i gained four pounds just reading about it ! ;]
on April 8th, 2009 at 1:27 am
Hello !!!!
My name is Piter Kokoniz. Only want to tell, that your blog is really cool
And want to ask you: will you continue to post in this blog in future?
Sorry for my bad English
Tnx!
Piter Kokoniz, from Latvia
on May 27th, 2009 at 6:24 pm
This is almost like a lava cake. I whipped 2 egg whites and folded into the batter before baking. This really lovely crusty top rose out of the batter. What a find…I’m going to make the next batch with spices or liqueur.
on June 17th, 2009 at 7:47 pm
this is just amazing
on July 17th, 2009 at 1:32 pm
The dish looks delicious! I’ll try it.
on October 14th, 2009 at 11:39 pm
I like it because is gluten free there is no wheat flour and that’s what I like about it.
on October 17th, 2009 at 3:00 pm
Looks like a great recipe; I’m going to try it with a sourdough starter. One question, When do you add the quarter-cup of cocoa powder?
on October 19th, 2009 at 11:41 am
Hi Michele,
Good catch. You add it with when you combine the eggs with sugar, oil and cornstarch. Thanks for pointing that out. I have never seen a budino recipe containing yeast but who knows, it may turn out great. Let us know.
on May 25th, 2010 at 2:27 pm
Dark chocolate is my favorite kind of chocolate. Chocolates have some natural antioxidants too.
on July 6th, 2010 at 1:48 am
this is an awesome recipe but, do you pour the mixture in the cupcake liners as well
on July 13th, 2010 at 6:26 am
Anthony–You could do either. If you have individual rings (either made for this or clean tuna cans), you can just grease the sides really well and then remove the cakes from each mold when they’ve cooled a bit. You can also bake them in cupcake liners. This will give you a little more casual look. Either way, tasty, tasty:)