Seasoned Ambition: Grandma's Mocha Ice Box Pudding

Grandma's Mocha Ice Box Pudding

This recipe was found under the P tab for pudding.

This is not my grandma's recipe, but just another newspaper cut out from the recipe box. It reminds me of tiramisu. The ingredients aren't too hard to find, but if you are a coffee lover you will definitely enjoy this dessert. It looks like when my mom cut it out of the newspaper she cut off the left side of the ingredients a little, but I could still tell what the amounts were. Before starting the recipe you should be aware that it needs to sit for at least hours to harden up. I would recommend leaving it over night for the best results.

Grandma’s Mocha Icebox Pudding

1 Cup strong coffee

1 Cup milk

¼ Teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon sugar

2 Tablespoons cocoa

1 Can condensed milk

3 Tablespoons cornstarch

3 Tablespoons milk

½ Teaspoon vanilla

1 Tablespoon butter

1 Egg

1 – ½ to two dozen lady fingers or 1 large layer sponge cake

1. Scald coffee, milk and salt in top of double boiler. Mix sugar and cocoa together, and add. Slowly pour in the condensed milk.

2. Dissolve cornstarch in milk, add egg and beat well. Stir this into the scalding milk mixture for about ten minutes until it thickens. Remove from heat, add butter and vanilla.

3. Line the bottom and sides of a greased mold with lady fingers or cake. Pour in the mocha custard and place ladyfingers or cake on top.

4. Let cool and chill for at least eight hours. Unmold and service with whipped cream.

5. Serves six to eight.

The only ingredients you might not have on hand are the condensed milk and lady fingers. Those can both be found in your local grocery store and aren't very expensive. Don't worry about getting the right size of condensed milk (since the recipe just says a can) they only make one size.

The first thing you need to do is brew your coffee. Make sure it is very strong so you will be able to taste the flavor in the pudding. I used this coffee maker instead of our single cup brewer so it was easier to get a stronger coffee:

When your coffee is ready go ahead and set up a double boiler. If you've never used one before you just need to take a large pan and fill it about an inch or two with water and bring it to a boil. Then place a metal bowl on top of the pan and your ingredients will be put into that top bowl.

Add the coffee, milk, and salt to the double boiler. Be sure the stove is on high.

While the coffee mixture heats up you will need to combine the sugar and cocoa together in a separate bowl.

When the chocolate mixture is ready go ahead and add it to the coffee mixture and stir it in to be sure it is mixed well.

Keep mixing the cocoa combination into the coffee on the double boiler until it has dissolved.

When the cocoa has melted into the hot liquid you will need to add the condensed milk. To be sure it comes out of the can without a mess you can use a can opener to puncture a hole on one side of the top of the can and on the exact opposite side puncture another hole (this one should be slightly larger for the milk to come out). Pour it in and stir it into the cocoa mixture at the same time.

The condensed milk will be very think and take a while to come out of the can. Just be sure you keep stirring so it will be incorporated correctly.

Next you need to mix the cornstarch into the milk in a separate bowl.

Then add the egg to the mixture and incorporate well.

Beat the egg into the milk mixture with a fork until it has been scrambled.

Stir the egg mixture into the mixture in the double boiler for about 10 minutes.

Make sure you are continually stirring for all of the ten minutes so the pudding doesn't become too lumpy. When ten minutes are done you should feel the thickness of the pudding with your spoon.

When the egg mixture is in the pudding you can remove it form the double boiler and add the butter and vanilla.

Stir these into the pudding until the butter has completely melted. Meanwhile you will need to prepare a pan. I used a longer sized pan since I decided to use ladyfingers. Grease the pan with a non-stick cooking spray or shortening. Then line the pan with the lady fingers (or sponge cake) on the bottom and sides.

When your pan is ready go ahead and pour the pudding into the pan.

Be sure to smooth out the pudding so you can be sure it reached all the corners of the pan.

When all of the pudding is in the pan you can put the remaining ladyfingers (or cake) on top of it.

Cover the entire pan with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours (overnight is best). This will allow the ladyfingers (or sponge cake) to become squishy and infused with the coffee flavor.