Supangle

A layer of plain cake goes in the bottom of each glass and the hot chocolate pudding is poured straight onto it.

Egg. Vegetarian, but not vegan — contains egg, dairy (butter), dairy (whole milk).

Ingredients

the base

• 200 g plain sponge cake or trimmings, in rough cubes

the pudding

• 1 litre whole milk
• 180 g caster sugar
• 60 g cornflour
• 40 g cocoa powder
• 150 g dark chocolate, chopped
• 40 g butter
• 2 egg yolks

to finish

• 3 tablespoons pistachios, chopped
• 2 tablespoons desiccated coconut
• 30 g dark chocolate, grated

Method

1. A LAYER OF PLAIN CAKE GOES IN THE BOTTOM OF EACH GLASS AND THE HOT CHOCOLATE PUDDING IS POURED STRAIGHT ONTO IT. Rough cubes of sponge pressed into the base, and the pudding poured on while it is still hot enough to steam. The cake soaks it up and softens into something between cake and pudding, so a spoon taken down through the glass gets smooth chocolate at the top and a dense soaked layer at the bottom. That is the dish -- a chocolate pudding with nothing underneath it is a chocolate pudding. And it is specifically what makes this a thrifty dessert: offcuts, trimmings and yesterday's plain cake are exactly what it wants.
2. THE PUDDING GOES ON HOT, NOT COOLED. If it is allowed to cool it thickens and sits on top of the cake instead of soaking into it, and the layers stay separate and dry. Hot, it penetrates in the few minutes before it sets.
3. THE CAKE IS PLAIN AND UNSOAKED BEFOREHAND. No syrup, no liqueur, nothing. It is a dry sponge whose job is to absorb, and anything already in it competes. There is no alcohol anywhere in this dessert, which distinguishes it from the European trifles it otherwise resembles.
4. THE COCOA AND THE CHOCOLATE BOTH GO IN. Forty grams of cocoa cooked with the starch for depth and colour, and a hundred and fifty of real chocolate stirred in off the heat for richness and gloss. Cocoa alone is flat and slightly dusty; chocolate alone is rich but pale and does not taste strongly enough.
5. THE CHOCOLATE AND BUTTER GO IN OFF THE HEAT. Chopped chocolate and butter stirred into the finished pudding once the pan is off the flame, until glossy. Boiled, the chocolate can seize and go grainy.
6. THE COCOA IS WHISKED IN WITH THE CORNFLOUR AND COLD MILK. Cocoa powder tipped into hot liquid clumps into lumps that will not disperse. Whisked into the cold slurry first, it goes in smoothly.
7. The cake broken into rough cubes and pressed into the base of 6 glasses.
8. The cornflour and COCOA whisked smooth with 250 ml of the COLD milk.
9. The remaining milk and sugar brought to a simmer.
10. The cocoa slurry whisked in and cooked, stirring, 6 MINUTES until thick.
11. THE PAN TAKEN OFF THE HEAT.
12. The yolks beaten, a ladle of hot pudding whisked in, then stirred back in OFF the heat.
13. The chopped chocolate and butter stirred in until glossy.
14. POURED STILL HOT over the cake in the glasses, right away.
15. Left 10 MINUTES to soak, then chilled 4 HOURS.
16. TESTED: a spoon taken to the bottom should find a soft soaked layer, not dry cake. Dry means the pudding had cooled before pouring.
17. Topped with pistachios, coconut and grated chocolate.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

Filed under Turkey · All recipes