19 steps, about 50 minutes start to finish.
Combine Dry Ingredients: In a medium saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cocoa powder, cornstarch, and salt.
Add Milk: Gradually whisk in the milk, ensuring there are no lumps.
Cook the Mixture: Place the saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture begins to boil and thickens. This should take about 5-7 minutes.
Add Chocolate: Once the mixture has thickened, remove the saucepan from the heat. Stir in the chopped dark chocolate until it is completely melted and the mixture is smooth.
Add Vanilla: Stir in the vanilla extract.
Strain (Optional): For an extra smooth texture, you can strain the pudding through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl.
Chill: Pour the pudding into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap pressed directly onto the surface, and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.
Yeasted Donuts Recipe with Instant Yeast. Prepare the Dough: In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 cups of the flour, granulated sugar, instant yeast, and salt.
In a separate bowl, combine the warmed milk and water, then add to the flour mixture along with the eggs and melted butter.
Beat until smooth. Gradually add the remaining flour to form a soft dough.
Knead the Dough: Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead for about 5-7 minutes, until smooth and elastic.
Let it Rise: Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover, and let it rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Shape the Donuts: Punch down the dough and roll it out to about 1/2-inch thickness. Use a round cutter to cut out donut shapes.
Place the donuts on a baking sheet, cover, and let them rise until doubled, about 30-60 minutes.
Fry the Donuts: Heat vegetable oil in a deep fryer or large pot to 350F (175C).
Fry the donuts in batches until golden brown, about 1-2 minutes per side. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
Fill the Donuts: Once the donuts are cool, fill a piping bag fitted with a small round tip with the chilled chocolate pudding.
Insert the tip into the side of each donut and pipe in the pudding until the donut feels full.
Serve: Dust with powdered sugar if desired and serve.
“Stir the pudding constantly as it heats so it thickens evenly instead of scorching, and press plastic wrap right onto its surface while it chills so no skin forms. Wait until the donuts are fully cool before piping in the filling, or the warm dough melts it into a puddle.”
