Deliciously light and velvety smooth, these Pots de Crème are the ultimate chocolate dessert! Plus they're made with just a handful of basic ingredients and are ready in under an hour -that's a winner in my book! See how I make these addictive and elegant individual chocolate desserts...
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WHAT IS POTS DE CRÈME?
Sounds fancy (it's pronounced "poh de krem" by the way) and tastes fancy, but this easy French chocolate dessert is really just a baked custard. Pots de Crème translates to "cream pots" or "custard pots" and is a similar dessert to a chocolate mousse, except you bake Pots de Crème in a water bath. Steaming them keeps the custard lovely and soft.
SIMPLE INGREDIENTS FOR AN ELEGANT DESSERT
Just a handful of fresh, fabulous ingredients are all you need:
- Thickened Cream
- Whole Milk
- Eggs
- Caster Sugar
- Dark Chocolate
- Vanilla Extract (or substitute for Kahlua or Creme de Cacao for an adult version)
HOW TO MAKE POTS DE CRÈME (BAKED CHOCOLATE CUSTARD)
You start by heating the cream, milk, chocolate and vanilla in a saucepan. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar, then gradually add the heated cream mixture to the bowl as you whisk. It couldn't be easier! The mixture is then poured into ramekins or glasses and baked in a water bath for around 40 minutes. Eat while warm, or make ahead and refrigerate for later.
BAKING TIPS
Ovens can vary and so can the pots you are baking your Pots de Crème in, so here's my advice when baking these chocolate custards:
- a small ramekin (around 200ml) will make 9 chocolate desserts and will take around 40 minutes to bake
- a larger glass (like in my photos) or ramekin will make around 6 desserts and will take an extra 5 minutes of baking
- check for the wobble -if the custards are really wobbly, keep baking. You can tell they're ready when the edges are set, but the centre still wobbles. They will continue to cook when out of the oven, so be careful not to overcook them!
HOW TO SERVE POTS DE CRÈME
These delicious little French custards are so addictive and heavenly straight out of the oven on a Winter's night. However, my favourite way to serve them is chilled and topped with Chantilly Cream and lots of shaved chocolate. They're wonderful to serve at a dinner party, as you can make them ahead of time and you can add a little alcohol for an adults-only version.
I hope you enjoy my little chocolate dessert recipe! Don't forget to leave a comment or rating on my recipe below, or share your creations with me on Instagram
Pots de Crème
Ingredients
- 500 ml Cream
- 250 ml Full cream milk
- 150 g Dark chocolate good quality, chopped
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract or substitute Kahlua or Creme de Cacoa
- 2 Eggs
- 3 Egg yolks
- 110 g Caster sugar
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 150°C/300°F and lightly spray your ramekins with cooking spray (see notes)
- In a saucepan over high heat, stir the cream, milk, chocolate and vanilla until it just comes to a boil. Set aside
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, yolks and caster sugar until well combined.
- While whisking, gradually add the hot milk mixture to the egg mixture and whisk until combined.
- Pour the custard into the ramekins, then place ramekins into a baking dish.
- Pour enough hot water into the baking dish, so the water comes halfway up the ramekins
- Place baking dish in oven and bake for 40-45 minutes (see notes)
- Remove from oven, then remove the ramekins from the water bath, resting them for 15 minutes before serving. Optional serving suggestion: serve chilled, topped with Chantilly Cream and chocolate shavings
Notes
- This recipe will make 9 desserts in 200 ml ramekins, but you can use larger ramekins, glasses or teacups to make 6 Pots de Crème.
- Smaller ramekins will take around 40 minutes to bake. Larger takes around 45 minutes
- Custards are ready when they still have a slight wobble in the centre. They will continue to bake even when removed from the oven.
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Sandra says
This worked exactly as written, thanks!