Baked Chocolate Custard - Healthy Recipes Blog (2024)

FAQs

What makes custard healthy? ›

With milk as the main ingredient, custard is a good source of protein and contains calcium, which is good for bone health. But custard is a treat food because it can also give us extra energy, fat and sugar that we maybe don't want, or need.

Characteristics of Standard Product for a Baked Custard:

Smooth, evenly coagulated; not porous. Uniform gel structure which holds a distinct cut edge.

While most custard and pudding recipes both typically call for eggs, the main difference is that pudding uses a starch for thickening, whereas custard's thickening agent is the egg itself (or egg yolk, in most instances). Custard's texture also tends to be firmer than pudding.

Using a Thickening Agent

Mix flour and cold water well, making sure the mixture is smooth. For 1 cup (240 mL) of custard, use 2 tablespoons (17 g) of flour mixed with 4 tablespoons (59 mL) of cold water. Add the mixture into your custard ingredients as they cook on the stove. Use cornstarch as an alternative to flour.

Consuming custard can provide a few health benefits. Custard contains calcium, which is essential for strong bones and healthy teeth. Additionally, custard is a good source of protein and dietary fiber for those trying to shed some extra pounds. Eating custard can also give a quick energy boost from its carbohydrates.

Deciding what to serve with your pudding? Brands vary, but vanilla ice-cream typically has about 10 per cent more calories than custard, as well as twice the saturated fat, less protein and half the calcium and potassium.

Stirred custards are cooked in a saucepan until thick but still liquid in consistency, while baked custards are usually cooked in ovenproof dishes in a water bath or bain-marie until set.

The most common mistake people make in baking a custard is not putting enough water in the hot-water bath. The water should come up to the level of the custard inside the cups. You must protect your custard from the heat.

The custard may still jiggle slightly, but the top should no longer be liquid. It should feel firm (spongy but set) when lightly touched; and when a toothpick or skewer is inserted down into the custard at the edge of the cup, it should come out clean. Otherwise, keep baking and checking.

Baked custards include bread pudding, flan, and cheesecake, and are prepared by baking in an oven or water bath. Boiled Custards include beverages like eggnog. Puddings, creme anglaise (krem on-GLAYZ), and pastry cream are some examples of stirred custards.

Is chocolate custard the same as chocolate pudding? ›

Ingredients: Both custards and puddings begin with a base of sweetened cream or milk. The main difference is the ingredient used as a thickening agent. Eggs are an essential ingredient in custard, as they give the dessert its gelatinous texture. Instead of egg proteins, flour or cornstarch are thickeners in puddings.

The US equivalent of custard is custard. We also have pudding which is thicker and more set than custard usually with flour or cornstarch. We do not refer to the dessert course of a meal as pudding. Custard has no cornstarch or flour and is often served as a sauce over berries or poundcake.

In my experience yolks in something like flan contribute to richness - so adding more of them (within reason) will amp up that sensation and make the whole dessert seem more filling.

However if the proteins are overcooked, either by using a temperature that is too high or just cooking for too long, then the proteins will come together so tightly that they will start to squeeze out water and this causes the weeping in an egg custard (or the scientific term for this is syneresis).

Grain Starches

Thickening begins at 190°F. Puddings and custards made with grain starches do not freeze well. After a grain starch is thawed, it may weep (seep liquid). In order to thicken and not taste “starchy,” grain starches must be cooked after they are added to a mixture.

Custard is generally made of cream, egg yolks, and sugar while cream is just cream, possibly mixed with some sugar. The egg yolks in custard contain cholesterol and the cream has high amounts of saturated fat, which isn't the best combination. Unless the custard is made with gelatin, I think cream would be "healthier."

While the calorie count may vary with flavors, ice cream in general is likely to have more calories and fat than frozen custard: 207 calories and 11 grams of fat for 100 grams of vanilla ice cream vs. 122 calories and four grams of fat for 100 grams of frozen custard.

260 g of Custard contains 205.40 mcg vitamin A, 0.0 mg vitamin C, 3.38 mcg vitamin D as well as 0.81 mg of iron, 309.40 mg of calcium, 416 mg of potassium.

Frozen custard is a sweet treat popular throughout the Midwest. It's similar to ice cream, but in addition to the cream and the sugar, egg yolk is added to the concoction to create a creamier, richer texture and flavor.