No Bake Chocolate Custard for Two is an easy yet elevated recipe for just enough rich chocolate custard to share with someone you love on Valentine’s Day, date night, or just because.
Looking for something a little special and decadent to whip up for yourself and a loved one on Valentine’s day but you don’t want to work too hard? I get it, here’s what to do ~ make this small batch (a little goes a long way, trust me) chocolate custard, it sits right between a good chocolate pudding and a pot de creme in terms of texture and richness. And easy is her middle name.
how to make your no-bake chocolate custard
Unlike a pot de creme or a creme brûlée, this custard dessert is not baked in the oven. There’s no water bath to fuss with, or anything like that.
- Just cook this light egg and milk custard briefly on the stovetop,
- throw in some good chopped chocolate and a bit of butter,
- and pour that silky mixture right into a couple of cute little cups.
- Pop in the fridge and relax. Sound good? It is!!
tips for chocolate custard success
- Opt for bar chocolate over chocolate chips, and chop your chocolate finely so that it melts quickly and easily into the custard base.
- Too much waiting and stirring can result in the custard cooling down as you stir it (especially since it’s such a small recipe), and it will become thick before you have a chance to pour it into your bowls.
- Ditto for having room temperature butter. Stirring cold butter into the small amount of custard can also cause it to cool down too quickly.
- When cooking the egg and milk mixture on the stovetop, don’t wait for the custard to thicken to a “coat the back of the spoon” level, you will likely end up cooking it too long and end up with scrambled eggs. The custard will be still be fairly thin at this point – we are cooking only to make sure the egg is cooked through and well incorporated into the milk mixture.
- I did not find there was any need to strain this custard.
- However, if you’re concerned about any small lumps, it wouldn’t hurt to pour it through a mesh strainer into your serving cups.
- Give the custard enough time to chill for a thicker texture (at least 2-3 hours in the fridge, or up to overnight), but remember that this dessert sets up more softly than a traditional pot-de-creme.
chocolate custard topping ideas
I say it so often ~ a dessert like this doesn’t need any sort of topping, it’s decadent and delicious on its own, really! But, a simple chocolate custard is also a perfect canvas for a pop of a different flavor or texture. The right topping can both add to the presentation and the flavor of this dessert.
- A simple whipped cream paired with a dash of a spice like cinnamon or nutmeg is what I chose to do here, and it was delicious.
- Flavor your whipped cream with a booze of your choice, start with a tablespoon.
- Go a step further and make a flavored whipped cream with cranberry or other fruit. The slight sweet-tart flavor of a fruit like cranberry would complement the richness of the chocolate custard beautifully.
- Make a simple fruit sauce to drizzle on top.
- A drizzle of good caramel would also be a classic and delicious pairing.
- Toasted almonds (sauté sliced almonds in butter until golden) would be delicious.
- For a sophisticated flair, sprinkle a bit of flaky sea salt (like Maldon salt) after the custard has chilled.
more special small batch treats
- the best chocolate chip cookie for one!
- pancake in a mug
- microwave cookie in a mug
- drinkable nutella
Chocolate Custard
No bake chocolate custard is an easy yet elevated recipe for just enough rich chocolate custard to share with someone you love on Valentine's Day, date night, or just because.
Servings: 2 servings
Ingredients
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- 1/3 cup whole milk
- 3 ounces semi sweet chocolate
- pinch salt
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
Instructions
- Whisk the egg yolk well in a small mixing bowl and set aside.
- Add the milk and sugar to a small saucepan and heat over low/medium heat, stirring frequently. You want the milk to be steaming and hot, but not boiling, and the sugar to be dissolved – this should just take a couple of minutes.
- Remove from the heat and slowly pour the hot milk mixture into the bowl with the egg yolk, whisking constantly.
- Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and cook over low/medium heat for just a couple minutes more, until the mixture slightly thickens. It won't thicken a whole lot, and you don't want to scramble the egg, so be careful and mix constantly. We're just trying to make sure the egg yolk is cooked and the mixture thickens a bit.
- Remove from the heat and add the chopped chocolate and the salt. Allow to sit for about 30 seconds to 1 minute, and then stir until all the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.
- Add the butter and mix until smooth. Note: it's important that the butter is room temperature, not cold, so that it doesn't cool down the custard mixture too much and thicken it up before you get a chance to pour it.
- Pour the custard into two small cups or ramekins, and set in the fridge to chill for a few hours.
- Induge 🙂
Notes
Want more? You can easily double the recipe, but note that your cooking times on the stovetop will change slightly in order to cook the increased amounts of ingredients.
Recipe slightly adapted from Food & Wine.
Nutrition
Calories: 446 kcal · Carbohydrates: 36 g · Protein: 5 g · Fat: 31 g · Saturated Fat: 18 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 9 g · Trans Fat: 0.5 g · Cholesterol: 135 mg · Sodium: 26 mg · Potassium: 316 mg · Fiber: 3 g · Sugar: 30 g · Vitamin A: 567 IU · Calcium: 91 mg · Iron: 3 mg
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although The View from Great Island attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
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I’ll be the first to say that this is delicious – and so very easy. It’s really rich but worth every calorie. Thank you!