Banana Pudding Series: Episode 3
I’m back with episode 3 of the banana pudding series! Today we have a rich and velvety Chocolate Hazelnut Banana Pudding. I’ve got to be honest with you guys…this one surprised me. When I brainstormed flavors for this series, I wanted a range. I want everyone to be able to watch this series and find a flavor they love. With that being said, I also have my own flavor preferences, and chocolate isn’t at the top. I don’t hate chocolate, but it’s never my first pick. Hazelnut, on the other hand, I love. So while chocolate isn’t my cup of tea, I knew this combination would be delicious and the chocoholics out there would enjoy it. However, the moment I tasted this Chocolate Hazelnut Banana Pudding, I was shocked. I loved it so much, and it actually made me question if this was my top banana pudding out of all the banana puddings I made so far. So let’s get into it.
Chocolate Hazelnut Cream
I always like to start with making the pastry cream so that it has time to cool. Pour the milk into a sauce pot and heat it over medium high heat until it just comes to a simmer. In the meantime, add the egg yolks, cornstarch, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, and salt into a bowl. Whisk the ingredients together until it turns into a pale brown color. When the milk is simmering, remove it from the heat. Scoop a ladleful of the hot milk then slowly pour it into the egg mixture while whisking quickly to prevent the eggs from scrambling. Continue adding in the milk while whisking until half of the milk has been used.
Pour the mixture back into the pot with the remaining milk and whisk. Return the pot to the stove and heat over medium heat. Whisk constantly until the cream starts bubbling and thickens into a custard. Remove the pot from heat and mix in the vanilla extract and nutella until fully incorporated. If your pastry cream is lumpy, you can pass it through a fine mesh sieve. Otherwise, transfer the pastry cream into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Make sure the plastic wrap makes contact with the surface of the pastry cream to prevent a skin from forming. Place it in the fridge to cool completely.
Whipped Cream and Assembly
Add the heavy cream and powdered sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer. Use the whisk attachment and mix on high speed until you get soft peaks. When the pastry cream has cooled, mix it with a rubber spatula to loosen it. Add about 2½ cups of the whipped cream into the pastry cream. Gently fold them together until evenly combined.
Spread a layer of the vanilla wafers into a 9×13 inch pan or 2½ – 3 quart baking dish. It should be just enough to cover the bottom of the dish in a single layer. Add on a layer of the sliced bananas. Spread on a layer of the chocolate hazelnut pastry cream so that that bananas are fully covered. Then add on a layer of whipped cream. Repeat this process one more time to create another set of layers. Garnish with a sprinkle of chopped toasted hazelnuts and chocolate curls.
Rich and Mature
This Chocolate Hazelnut Banana Pudding is so good, it could convert anyone into a chocolate lover. In my opinion, chocolate desserts tend to be heavy, overly sweet, and too chocolate-y. However, this dessert has the perfect balance. Like all of the other banana puddings, it’s light and creamy. We also added unsweetened cocoa powder and reduced the amount of sugar that I typically add in the pastry cream. Both of these prevent the chocolate pastry cream from becoming too sweet. The bitterness of the cocoa powder and the nuttiness from the chocolate hazelnut spread add so much depth and richness. These flavors have another level of complexity and maturity to the chocolate flavor and makes it so much more than a chocolate dessert. I also enjoy the balance of the chocolate cream with the vanilla wafers and whipped cream. The contrast in flavors is what keeps it from becoming overly chocolate-y. But if you’re a chocolate lover, you can definitely substitute in a similar type of chocolate cookie. Whether you are a fan of chocolate desserts or not, I think you really need to give this Chocolate Hazelnut Banana Pudding a chance.
Chocolate Hazelnut Banana Pudding
Ingredients
- 2 cups Whole Milk
- 5 Large Egg Yolks
- 3 tbsp Cornstarch
- ⅓ cup Granulated Sugar
- 2 tbsp Special Dark Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- ⅛ tsp Salt
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- ½ cup Nutella or Chocolate Hazelnut Spread
- 3 cups Heavy Cream
- 1 cup Powdered Sugar
- 11 oz Vanilla Wafers
- 6 Bananas sliced
- ¼ cup Chopped Toasted Hazelnuts (for garnish)
- ¼ cup Chocolate Curls of Shaved Chocolate (for garnish)
Instructions
- Pour the milk into a sauce pot and heat it over medium high heat until it just comes to a simmer. In the meantime, add the egg yolks, cornstarch, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, and salt into a bowl. Whisk the ingredients together until it turns into a pale brown color.
- When the milk is simmering, remove it from the heat. Scoop a ladleful of the hot milk then slowly pour it into the egg mixture while whisking quickly to prevent the eggs from scrambling. Continue adding in the milk while whisking until half of the milk has been used.
- Pour the mixture back into the pot with the remaining milk and whisk. Return the pot to the stove and heat over medium heat. Whisk constantly until the cream starts bubbling and thickens into a custard. Remove the pot from heat and mix in the vanilla extract and nutella until fully incorporated.
- If your pastry cream is lumpy, you can pass it through a fine mesh sieve. Otherwise, transfer the pastry cream into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Make sure the plastic wrap makes contact with the surface of the pastry cream to prevent a skin from forming. Place it in the fridge to cool completely.
- Add the heavy cream and powdered sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer. Use the whisk attachment and mix on high speed until you get soft peaks. When the pastry cream has cooled, mix it with a rubber spatula to loosen it. Add about 2½ cups of the whipped cream into the pastry cream. Gently fold them together until evenly combined.
- Spread a layer of the vanilla wafers into a 9×13 inch pan or 2½ – 3 quart baking dish. It should be just enough to cover the bottom of the dish in a single layer. Add on a layer of the sliced bananas. Spread on a layer of the chocolate hazelnut pastry cream so that that bananas are fully covered. Then add on a layer of whipped cream. Repeat this process one more time to create another set of layers. Garnish with a sprinkle of chopped toasted hazelnuts and chocolate curls. Enjoy!
