We are still here... the Mayan Calendar didn't end! Mom's Mexican Tamales and the Mayan Calendar Cornbread recipes must have worked their magic and appeased the ancient Mayans (you guys do know me by now and can tell when I am teasing, can't you?) Anyway, I've got a great way to celebrate! This Warm Mexican Chocolate Pudding Recipe is the perfect way to honor the inventors of chocolate, the Mayans and stay warm this winter.
Yes, I said it. "Stay warm." I hate to admit that I am freezing right now. It is 64 degrees inside my house and I am afraid to turn the heater on. You know as soon as I switch over to heat, the temperature in Phoenix will go right back up to high 80's... you know it will.
Instead of turning on the heat, I dug out this old recipe of mine for a warm, chocolatey pudding type dessert that is half retro-southern, self-saucing and half hot water chocolate cake. I added all the flavors of Mexican chocolate like cinnamon, almonds and nutmeg to give it a Southwest spin. My family loved it. Talk about eating it right out of the oven! I barely got the whipped cream on it which, by the way, they say is optional. I like it though so I told them it has to stay.
I do have a few tips for you when making the cake.
Cook's Notes:
- Let the batter "rest" for an hour at room temperature. I found out by cooking this recipe in batches that the Mexican flavors I added blend together nicely in you allow it to sit before baking.
- Don't be scared. Some of the measurements are a little funny because I scaled down the recipe from one I made to feed the masses.
- Yes, the batter is supposed to look that way. At first, the batter looks a little like cookie dough or something—very thick. That's ok. After you pour the hot chocolate water over the batter, it will cook through the dough and leave a nice, creamy "sauce" on the bottom of the dessert. Sort of like a molten chocolate cake only on the bottom.
- Don't forget to put a cookie sheet under the ramekins, you will thank me later.
- Please, please, do not over cook these. Over cooking by even a minute or two will turn it into a Mexican Chocolate Cake... not a pudding. Remember, they will continue cooking in the warm ramekin after you remove them from the oven. I always set the time to go off a few minutes early so I can check them before they are ready. The tops should be set like a sponge cake, but the bottoms should be more like a molten chocolate cake.
- And, please do eat them warm from the oven.
Oh, and a note from my boys, if you put the chocolate shards directly on the cake while it is warm, the chocolate will melt onto the cake for extra chocolatey decadence.
- 2 to 4 ounces Hershey's chocolate bar
- 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons self rising flour
- 7 tablespoons cocoa powder, divided
- ½ cup ground almond flour
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons chopped Mexican Chocolate or dark chocolate
- ¾ cup whole milk
- ½ stick butter, melted
- 1 egg, beaten
- ½ cup raw, dark sugar
- 1¼ cup boiling water
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1¼ cup boiling water
- 8 ounces heavy whipping cream
- 2 or 3 tablespoons sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- Melt Hershey's bar and spread very thinly over a 12 inch long piece of waxed paper. Cover the chocolate with another 12 inch piece of waxed paper. Roll the paper and chocolate into a thin cylinder and refrigerate until hard. Unroll the waxed paper breaking the chocolate into shards. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the self rising flour, 4 tablespoons of the cocoa powder, ground almonds and chopped chocolate. Stir with a whisk until well combined.
- In a separate bowl, stir together the milk, melted butter and egg. Then, add to the dry ingredients and stir until well combined. Cover with plastic wrap and let the batter rest at room temperature for 1 hour.
- Mix the raw sugar, remaining 3 tablespoons cocoa powder, cinnamon and nut meg together. Pour in boiling water and stir until dissolved, set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- After the batter has rested, preheat oven and prepare 6 individual ramekins with butter and flour or non-stick kitchen spray.
- Divide batter into the ramekins leaving about ½ inch of room at the top for batter to expand.
- Pour hot water, cocoa powder mixture evenly over the batter in each ramekin (about ¼ cup of liquid in each).
- Place ramekins on a sheet pan and bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Turn the oven down to 325 and bake for another 8 minutes or until the cake layer on top is set but the bottom still has a rich, chocolatey sauce. Do not over cook or they will be come firm like a cake. Remember, they will continue to cook in the warm ramekins after they are removed from the oven.
- While the puddings are cooking, whip the cream with sugar and vanilla.
- Garnish with chocolate shards and top with whipped cream.
- Serve warm from the oven.
We hope you have had fun with our "Mayan Week" and our Mayan inspired recipes. I'm sure there will be many more to come, many of my recipes are influenced by the cooking of the Yucatan and southern Mexico.
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—posted by Sandy
Chris
A real classic dish, looks amazing.