Easy Keto chocolate pudding

A pretty straightforward chocolate pud that’s set with agar agar instead of gelatin, which actually gives it an almost mousse-like texture, unlike the jello texture you get with gelatin. It’s smooth, creamy, and looks impressive, and I promise promise you won’t even realise it’s sugar free. Just like the pudding cups from your childhood, except a whole lot richer and sexier.       4 servings

Ingredients
  • 250 ml Heavy Cream reserve 50 ml (try homemade nut milk)
  • 45 grams good quality Sugar-free chocolate I use this
  • 50 g Keto sweetener 1:1 sugar substitute
  • a pinch Salt
  • 2 tbsp cocoa powder I use this
  • 1 tsp agar agar 5g
  • 15 ml water
  •  loaf tin, small cake tin, ramekin or use the cream carton* to set it in – have ready

    1.  Measure out 50 ml of the cream into a bowl and sift the cocoa powder into it. Don’t skip the sifting. Mix until you have a smooth, lump free cocoa paste.

    2.  In another bowl, mix the teaspoon of agar agar in one tablespoon of water until you have a lump free paste again. You can also use gelatin but it’s not a 1:1 substitution so you might want to check that.

    3.  Weigh out the 45 grams of chocolate and set it aside. Get your saucepan out and empty the cream into it. Add in your sweetener to the cream. **

    4.  Put saucepan on low heat, keep stirring until the salt and sweetener dissolve.
    Add in the cocoa paste – give another good mix until it’s fully incorporated in the cream.

    5.  Add chocolate chips to the warm cream and stir till you get a uniformly chocolaty mix.

    6.  Add in the agar agar, stir to dissolve completely until you have a perfectly smooth hot-chocolate like mix.

    7.  Take the saucepan off the heat and directly pour the mixture into your cream cartons or whatever moulds you’re using. Leave to set in the fridge for at least two hours.

    8.  When you’re ready to serve, cut the carton along its length with a scissor and gently ease the pudding out. It should slide right out.

    9.  Top with a dusting of cocoa powder and some desiccated coconut. Slice and serve.

    * (If you get cream in a carton or Tetrapak like I do, save it to use as the mould for the pudding. Cut off the “ears” of the carton, take off the top so you have a rectangle open on one end.)

    **  (I’m using a stevia mix that’s a 1:1 substitute for sugar. If you’re not sure how sweet your sweetener is, add in a little bit at a time and taste as you go along. Also add in the pinch of salt.)

Easiest vegan Pumpkin pie

For the spices, I added cinnamon and cardamom but feel free to go crazy and add whatever you think matches this pie. I actually think a thin dark chocolate layer over the crust would be magic.
https://vanillacrunnch.com/the-easiest-vegan-pumpkin-pie-youve-ever-made/

Serves: 8
Ingredients
  • CRUST
  • 1½ cup plain flour
  • ½ cup vegan butter + more for greasing the pan
  • 1 Tab sugar
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ cup ice water
  • FILLING
  • 2 cups steamed pumpkin
  • ¾ cup coconut milk
  • ½ tsp Agar-Agar
  • ½ cup cornflour
  • ¼ cup maple syrup
  • ½ cup brown sugar or coconut sugar
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • ½ tsp cardamom
Instructions
  1. Steam the pumpkin until soft
  2. While the pumpkin is steaming, prepare the crust by combining all the ingredient to a homogenous dough. I always make this with my hands put feel free to use a machine. Press the dough into a round pan (6-inch makes a higher pie with a thicker crust and 8-inch a flatter pie with a thinner crust; I tried and liked both)
  3. Put into the freezer until the filling is ready.
  4. Preheat the oven to 350F
  5. Heat the coconut milk with the agar-agar until boiling.
  6. Add all the ingredients for the filling plus the coconut milk- Agar-agar mixture to our blender and blend until well combined.
  7. Fill over crust and bake for about 45-50 minutes.
  8. Let cool down and place in the fridge for about 4 hours with a plastic wrap on top.