Was virtually flipping through my posts the other day & realised that desserts had, of late, deserted my blog. It’s been a while since I posted a chocolaty dessert, so here we are.
The story goes like this. We were visiting my Mom the other day, & she told the kids that she had made some caramel custard, & had added some chocolate to it, since she knew they were coming. The kids whooped with joy…but her idea of chocolate & their idea of chocolate were poles apart! They still ate the caramel custard, which used to be a regular at our dinner tables when we were young.
I think the caramel custard tradition began at the time my Dad was in the services. For dessert, Air Force Messes always served a creme caramel, or a bread pudding, or fruits with custard. On lucky days fruit with cream made an appearance! Egg-o-phobic me could never eat the caramel custard, & I still recall swallowing the compulsory spoonfuls. It never occurred to us to say no; ‘saying no to food’ just wasn’t allowed! Times have changed & so have expressions…so by the time we reached home that evening, the pleadings for chocolate caramel custard were growing louder & louder.
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Take the baking tin that the custard is going to be cooked in, put in the sugar, & leave on medium heat, unstirred, till the sugar melts & begins to turn brown / caramelises. Swirl the pan a bit if the sugar is getting too brown; be careful it doesn’t char. Once the sugar has caramelised, reduce heat to a minimum, add the coffee & quickly, yet gently mix in.
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Take off the heat, swirl the tin around to allow the caramel to coat the bottom & sides of the tin. Leave aside to cool. (Should harden in about 2 minutes, & completely cool in 10).
For the custard:
Milk – 3 cups / 750ml
Sugar – 1/2 cup
Eggs – 3
Cornflour – 2 tsps
Cocoa – 3-4 tbsps (according to strength of cocoa; the one we get here is pretty mild)
Vanilla extract – 1 tsp
Method:
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Mix the cornflour + cocoa in a small bowl. Add some cold milk & mix into a paste.
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Put the cocoa mixture & all the other ingredients into a big bowl & whisk till well blended.
Gently pour into the caramel lined tin. -
Here you can either bake it in a water bath at 180 degrees C for 30 minutes/until set. OR, like I made it, make it in a pressure cooker. Put a little water in the cooker, should come up to half the height of the pan, & bring to a boil. Place a low metal plate / trivet in the base of the cooker, & gently place the baking tin on this. Cook under pressure, with the cap on, for 15 minutes, on medium heat. Turn off heat & leave it as it is to cool.
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Once cool, chill for at least 4 hours so it is well set.
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Then take a butter knife, run along the edges, hold a pie dish /serving dish on top, & quickly turn the tin upside down. Do this swiftly & the caramel custard will turn out unbroken into the dish. Swirl cream over the top, with some chocolate flakes & chopped toasted walnuts. Even just walnuts compliment the caramel beautifully.
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Chill until served.
I leave you with pictures of these pretty little butterflies. Dozens of these tiny creatures have overtaken our garden. They chase each other dizzily all day long…their sudden appearance signalling the change of season. The nips in the air…& winter is round the corner!
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You are cray-zee!!! That looks too good, smooth, and chocolatey to pass up, eggs or no eggs! 🙂
Looks so delicious. Love the way you have decorated them
Beautiful creme caramel and beautiful butterflies Deeba. You have started my day off with a smile:D
wow!! visited the blog after ages and what a spl treat 😀
too advanced for me to try 🙁 btw, have u tried making something called velvet red cake?? could u please please please try that out (a simpler version!)
lots of love,
pri
Those ripples are so pretty!
Well, if you would just take that egg-o-phobia, and come up with these kinds of dessert SANS eggs, I for one would be ETERNALLY GRATEFUL! :p That looks DELICIOUS!!
Such a beautiful caramel pudding. I always make the caramel separately in a frying pan. Never thought of doing this directly in the pan. Do you caramelize the sugar on the stove top?
Oh my, Deeba, my sweet-tooth is satisfied… What a decadent, delicious looking dessert!
The butterflies are gorgeous. If I had those in my backyard, I’d probably spend all day watching them.
I love the story, I love the butterflies and Deeba.. I LOVE that dessert! Wow.. 🙂
Can I have a slice please??? I will even bring my own plate and fork. 🙂 It looks super delicious!
beautiful chocolate caramel Debra. The color of butterfly is so gorgeous! very nice capture.
How could you not jump in with a spoon. I had no idea about your egg-issues, LOL! Make it again, and try it.
Caramel custard was a staple dessert at my home too when I was growing up. The chocolate version looks gorgeous and the butterflies are so pretty!
Yummy custard Deebs..now who else would think of such a twist to the usual caramel custard but you..??:-)I too am egg-o-phobic and the strong smell of eggs in CC is unavoidable.But I guess the inclusion of chocolate will make it milder isn’t it?I badly wanna have it..so am coming up with excuses..hehe;-)
Woah, looks amazing!
Tell me cornflour is just 2teaspoon…??
Though i dont use eggs at all..but ur cakes n pudding make me think …shuld i start using it now..I’am a Jain..where we get cake also eggless..4get even getting eggs at home..!!
Deeba!!!! This look fantastic I love your pictures colours!! are beauty!x Gloria
If you would send this dessert my way my kids would be eating all of it.
deeba – you are making me drool. i lve chocolate cc and have made it on a few occasions. this however looks decadent! nice one Deeba!
Chocolate and caramel, all together in one decadent dish… Ooooh, you’re bad 😉
I love to bake and you are my inspiration! I like the stuff you create much like a magician 🙂 I tried the chocolate creme custard for a xmas party and boy the compliments I received and thought I have to let you know, I even decorated it like in the picture and I felt so proud it looked like yours.. I always visit your blog to see your magic.. Keep it up!
This Looks so Delicious, craving this right now.
thanx deeba for the twist in the tale! i am going to try it now. wish me luck! thanx again
how much sugar should we use for the caramel?
Did I miss it. Sorry, 2 tbsp
Did I miss it? Sorry, 2 tbsp
I searched every where for a simple way to make this and you were the best!!!!!! I can’t wait to see how mine turns out.