from our cocoa kitchen · SURFSTR
Chocolate Pudding Cups with Miso Caramel and Toasted Sesame
Silky dark chocolate pudding, a thin layer of white-miso caramel and toasted sesame. SURFSTR Dutch-process cocoa gives the pudding its deep flavour; chill the cups ahead and finish just before serving.
- Active preparation
- 25 min
- Cooking / baking
- 20 min
- Resting / chilling
- 260 min
- Total time
- 305 min
6 portions, about 193 g each; finished weight estimated
Editorial recipe adaptation. Not yet kitchen-tested. Check ingredient labels for allergens.
02 / bring it together
let’s make it.
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Weigh and prepare
Weigh every ingredient. Set out 6 heatproof cups of at least 220 ml. Reserve 120 g of the 600 g milk; the remaining 480 g goes in later. Keep the 150 g pudding cream separate from the 70 g caramel cream.
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Combine the dry ingredients
Sift 45 g SURFSTR cocoa and 35 g cornstarch into the medium saucepan. Whisk in 90 g sugar and 1 g salt. Break up all visible lumps. No eggs, oven or leavening are needed.
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Whisk in the dairy
Off the heat, whisk in the reserved 120 g cold milk a little at a time to make a smooth paste. Gradually add the remaining 480 g milk and 150 g cream, scraping the corners of the pan.
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Cook until thick
Cook over medium heat, whisking continuously, for about 6–8 minutes until thick and gently bubbling, around 90–95 °C. Continue whisking at a gentle boil for 1 minute. Reduce the heat if the base catches; do not leave it unattended.
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Melt the chocolate
Remove from the heat. Stir in 60 g finely chopped dark chocolate and 5 g vanilla until smooth and glossy. If any lumps remain, pass through a fine sieve while hot.
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Fill and chill
Divide the pudding equally between the 6 cups, leaving space for the caramel. Press food-safe film onto each surface. Cool on the tray for about 20 minutes, then refrigerate at 4 °C or colder for at least 4 hours. Refrigerate promptly rather than waiting for complete room-temperature cooling.
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Make amber caramel
Warm the separate 70 g cream until steaming, without boiling. In the small tall-sided saucepan, heat 80 g sugar with 25 g water until dissolved. Bring to a boil without stirring and cook until evenly amber, about 170–175 °C. Keep hands clear of steam and hot sugar.
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Finish with white miso
Remove the caramel from the heat. Slowly whisk in the warm cream in small additions; it will foam vigorously. Return to low heat briefly if hardened sugar needs to dissolve. Off the heat, whisk in 15 g butter and 20 g white miso until smooth. Let cool below 30 °C; refrigerate covered if not using promptly.
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Toast the sesame
Stir 12 g sesame seeds in a dry skillet over medium-low heat for 2–3 minutes until fragrant and lightly golden. Transfer to a plate immediately and cool completely.
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Top and serve
Remove the film from the chilled pudding. Divide all the cooled caramel among the 6 cups in a thin layer, then add the toasted sesame. Serve chilled. If the refrigerated caramel is too firm, warm it gently just until spoonable and cool below 30 °C before topping.
The recipe in pictures
Commercial scaling
| Ingredients | 6 | 25 | 50 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whole milk | 600 g | 2500 g | 5000 g |
| Whipping cream, 35–36% fat | 150 g | 625 g | 1250 g |
| Caster sugar | 90 g | 375 g | 750 g |
| Cornstarch (UK cornflour), not maize meal or polenta | 35 g | 145.8 g | 291.7 g |
| SURFSTR cocoa powder, Dutch-process, 20–22% cocoa butter | 45 g | 187.5 g | 375 g |
| Dark chocolate, 70%, finely chopped | 60 g | 250 g | 500 g |
| Vanilla extract | 5 g | 20.8 g | 41.7 g |
| Fine salt | 1 g | 4.2 g | 8.3 g |
| Caster sugar | 80 g | 333.3 g | 666.7 g |
| Water | 25 g | 104.2 g | 208.3 g |
| Whipping cream, 35–36% fat | 70 g | 291.7 g | 583.3 g |
| Unsalted butter, diced | 15 g | 62.5 g | 125 g |
| Plain white rice-and-soy miso, without dashi | 20 g | 83.3 g | 166.7 g |
| Ivory sesame seeds | 12 g | 50 g | 100 g |
03 / the numbers
nutrition, clearly.
Calculated estimates, not laboratory measurements. Any per-100-g values use the stated estimated finished weight.
| Nutrition (estimates) | Per portion | Per 100 g |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 1878 kJ / 451 kcal | 971 kJ / 233 kcal |
| Fat | 26.0 g | 13.4 g |
| of which saturates | 15.7 g | 8.1 g |
| Carbohydrate | 44.8 g | 23.2 g |
| of which sugars | 37.2 g | 19.3 g |
| Fibre | 3.5 g | 1.8 g |
| Protein | 7.2 g | 3.7 g |
| Salt | 0.69 g | 0.36 g |
Tips and storage
Smooth pudding
Mix the cornstarch with cold liquid first. Keep whisking as the pudding thickens and scrape the base and corners.
Keep the topping thin
The caramel is a salty-sweet accent. Divide the full sauce batch evenly rather than making a deep caramel layer.
Make ahead
Refrigerate the covered pudding and caramel separately at 4 °C or colder for up to 3 days. Add the sesame just before serving; store the cooled seeds dry and airtight.
Larger batches
Scale weights proportionally, cook in manageable saucepan batches and divide into the same cup size. Cooling time and pan heating do not scale directly.
SURFSTR · DUTCH PROCESS
it starts with cocoa.
SURFSTR Dutch-process cocoa contains 20–22% cocoa butter. Use the cocoa specified in the recipe: natural cocoa is not always a direct substitute.
Meet the cocoa