Simple Chocolate Pudding

A smooth, spoonable chocolate pudding made on the stove with milk, cocoa, and a little cornflour to thicken it. It sets as it chills, so make it ahead and keep it in the fridge until serving.

Ingredients

• 500 ml whole milk
• 40 g cocoa powder
• 60 g sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornflour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• A pinch of salt
• Grated chocolate or cocoa powder, to serve (optional)

Method

1. Whisk the cocoa, sugar, cornflour, and salt together in a pan until no lumps remain.
2. Pour in the milk a little at a time, whisking until smooth.
3. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 10 to 15 minutes until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon.
4. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
5. Pour into 4 small bowls or glasses, cover, and chill for at least 2 hours until set.
6. Serve chilled, with grated chocolate or a dusting of cocoa if you like.

Tip

Stirring constantly is the whole trick: it keeps the base smooth and stops the milk from catching on the bottom of the pan.