By Grocery List Plus Editorial Staff | Published on June 11, 2026
Serves 4
310 cal · 45 min
Hot Chocolate Custard
Recipe GLPRb5abd5fdbf6d22
A luxurious dark chocolate custard infused with espresso, creating a rich and silky dessert. Whole milk and heavy cream combine with dark chocolate to deliver deep, satisfying flavor, while the custard's smooth texture comes from carefully tempered eggs. Serve chilled in glasses or small molds, topped with chocolate shavings for an elegant finish.
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Ingredients
3 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
3 egg yolks
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup heavy whipping cream
1½ teaspoons instant espresso powder
1 cup whole milk
Directions
In a medium saucepan, combine the whole milk, heavy cream, chopped dark chocolate, and instant espresso powder. Heat the mixture over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it just reaches a gentle boil.
While the chocolate mixture heats, whisk together the egg yolks and granulated sugar in a separate medium bowl until the yolks become pale yellow, about 2-3 minutes of whisking.
Slowly pour about ¼ cup of the hot chocolate mixture into the egg yolk mixture while whisking constantly. This tempering step prevents the eggs from curdling.
Pour the tempered egg mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining chocolate mixture, whisking to combine. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon, until the custard thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon.
Remove from heat and strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve to achieve a perfectly smooth texture. Discard any cooked egg solids.
Pour the strained custard into serving glasses or molds and refrigerate for at least 4 hours until thoroughly chilled and set.
Before serving, garnish each custard with chocolate shavings.
Comments
This is a straightforward custard using ingredients every Charlotte grocery chain stocks—dark chocolate and espresso powder are standard at Harris Teeter, Food Lion, Kroger, and Walmart. At roughly $2.50 per serving, it's a splurge dessert but legitimate: two egg yolks, good chocolate, and heavy cream drive the cost, not waste. The stated 45 minutes is honest if you're tempering eggs carefully; rapid heating means scrambled eggs, so this genuinely needs attention and time. It's an elegant same-night dessert for four, reheats poorly in a microwave so plan to serve fresh, and stands as a proper custard with real technique rather than a dump-and-go dish.
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