Chocolate Budino (Budino al Cioccolato) is an Italian chocolate pudding, made with a few simple ingredients: milk, sugar, butter, dark chocolate and very little flour.
First you thicken the ingredients on the heat, then pour the mixture into the mold where the pudding firms up in the refrigerator. This is a very simple and also quick preparation.
Italian Chocolate Budino is completely EGG-FREE. This is the key difference with American Chocolate Budino, which has an eggs custard as its base.
Along with Tiramisu, Zuppa Inglese and Panna Cotta, Chocolate Budino belongs to the tradition of Italian spoon desserts. It’s a classic dessert that all Italian families regularly make at home.
Perfect for children’s snack or evenings with friends. If decorated in an elegant way, it’s even suited as a dessert on special occasions.
You can make single-portion molds or a single budino in a larger mold.
Enjoy Italian chocolate budino plain or garnish it in various ways depending on your taste and the season.
You can top the pudding with whipped cream, small meringues, chocolate chips or candied fruit. Or you can serve chocolate budino with fresh fruits such as strawberries and berries.
Chocolate budino – perfect for any occasion, soft and creamy – is a mouth-watering classic of Italian cuisine.
This simple but extraordinary recipe is a must for chocolate lovers. Try it and it will be a guaranteed success!
See also:
- Torta Caprese Recipe
- Torta Tenerina – Italian Chocolate Brownie Recipe
- Chocolate Salami Recipe
- Italian Chocolate Cake | Torta al Cioccolato
How to Make Chocolate Budino Recipe
- Prep Time: 10 Min
- Cooking Time : 20 Min
- Cooling Time: 2,5 H
- Servings: 4
Ingredients
PLEASE NOTE: These are the doses for a budino mold of about 18 cm (7 inch ) in diameter or for 4 single portion molds.
- 500 ml (2 cups) of whole milk
- 150 g (5,3 oz) of dark chocolate (between 65 % and 70 % cocoa)
- 100 g (1/2 cup) of sugar
- 80 g (1/3 cup) of unsulted butter
- 50 g (5 tablespoons) of all purpose flour
Directions
Step 1) – In a small saucepan, place the butter. Melt it over low heat. Finally add the sugar.
Step 2) – Melt the sugar always over low heat, stirring with a whisk.
Step 3) – Cut the chocolate into small pieces. Once the sugar is well blended with the butter, add the chopped dark chocolate. Stir with a whisk, always heat to low.
Step 4) – When the chocolate is melted, add, a little at a time, the sifted flour. Stir all the time, making everything mix well.
Step 5) – Meanwhile, heat the milk without boiling it. Then slowly pour it while still hot into the chocolate cream.
Step 6) – Cook over very low heat, stirring constantly, until it begins to thicken.
Then let it simmer for about 5 more minutes, always stirring. The mixture should be creamy and free of lumps.
Step 7) – Remove from heat as soon as it begins to thicken. Then pour into the chosen mold. Finally tap the mold on a shelf to remove any air bubbles.
Leave it about 30 minutes at room temperature.
Step 8) – Then refrigerate for at least 2 hours. As it cools, the chocolate budino will thicken completely.
Step 9) – Once firm and cooled, unmold the budino onto a serving plate (see the next section “How to Unmold Chocolate Budino Smoothly”).
If you like, you can decorate it to your liking and according to your imagination. Here is your Italian chocolate budino!
How to Store Chocolate Budino
Store chocolate budino in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days, covered with foil.
You can also prepare the Italian chocolate pudding a few days in advance and then decorate it when serving.
It’s possible to freeze the budino directly in the mold. It’ll keep for a couple of months.
When you want to enjoy it just let it thaw in the refrigerator for about 3 to 4 hours.
How to Unmold Chocolate Budino Smoothly
One of the inconveniences you may run into when making budino is to see it break when you remove it from the mold.
One caution you can have before filling the molds is to wet them with cold water or grease them with very little butter.
Also, to make it easier to remove from the mold, you can dip it for a few seconds in very hot water, being very careful not to get the pudding wet. Then turn it upside down on a plate, give it a tap, and you will see that the budino will manage to come out.
This happens because the outside of the budino will start to melt slightly (that’s why it only takes a few seconds), being able to slide out more easily.
You can achieve the same result by using hot air with a hair dryer for just a few seconds.
If this technique didn’t work either, try gently running the tip of a knife around the entire circumference of the budino and then flipping it over onto the plate.
There is an even quicker solution. You can purchase special pudding molds.
These molds are usually made of plastic or silicone and have a special feature: they have an opening bottom.
They are very easy to use. When budino is ready, you place the mold upside down on a plate, remove the bottom and give it side taps. The budino will come out of the mold perfectly!
How to Serve Italian Budino al Cioccolato
Budino al Cioccolato is delicious served plain, creamy and smooth with an enveloping taste.
Often, however, to embellish the dish or to make the dessert or snack richer and more complete, you can use other ingredients alongside the pudding. Depending on the season and your taste, you can choose the most suitable combination.
We give you some tips:
It’s customary to serve Chocolate Budino with a little whipped cream and some cookies or with dried fruit crumbles (for example, hazelnuts or pistachios).
For the winter and Christmas season, you can enrich and decorate the Budino with candied fruit (for example, orange peel or cherries) or pomegranate seeds or berries.
You can also decorate this Italian pudding with small meringues or white chocolate chips.
In the warm season, you can combine budino al cioccolato with fresh fruits such as strawberries or peach slices that make the dessert fresher and lighter.
Vegan Chocolate Budino
If you prefer to make vegan chocolate budino, we recommend substituting whole milk with almond or coconut milk.
The same goes for the butter, which you can substitute with coconut oil or almond butter.
This way your Chocolate Budino will be vegan and have a light and pleasant coconut or almond aftertaste.
Gluten-free Chocolate Pudding
You can also make Chocolate Budino with cornstarch or rice flour in case of gluten intolerance or celiac disease.
Chocolate Budino: Some Variants
If you want to flavor and make your Italian Chocolate Pudding special, we give you some suggestions.
There are aromas and flavors that enhance and make the taste of chocolate special.
For example, you can make chocolate cinnamon pudding by adding half a teaspoon of Cinnamon Powder.
For a touch of freshness, add a teaspoon of Crushed Mint Leaves. Mint and chocolate is a great combination!
For a spicy touch, add 1/3 teaspoon of Hot Chili powder.
Finally, you can also flavor the chocolate budino by adding 1or 2 tablespoons of liqueur, such as rum or cointreau.
Curiosity about the Word “Budino”
The Italian word “budino” today refers to a sweet preparation generally made with milk, sugar, and flour. In ancient times, however, this word did not originate to mean a dessert, but rather a savory recipe.
The term ” budino,” in fact, comes from the Latin word “botellus,” which indicated animal guts. Originally, it was used to make sausages or savory puddings with rich energy value.
From the vulgar diminutive “botellinus” comes the French “boudin,” which originally still indicated a charcuterie preparation.
The Ménagier (late 14th century) describes recipes for a “boudin blanc” (sausage) and a “boudine noir” (sanguinaccio or black pudding in English)
All of these preparations would evolve only during the 18th century into the types of sweet puddings known today, retaining from the charcuterie products only the soft texture.
The Italian term ” budino” is an adaptation of the English “pudding” (the form “pudino” or “puddingo” is documented in the eighteenth century), on which the French “boudin” probably later influenced.
In fact, the form “bodino” first appears in 1808 and the present form in 1892.