Why it works: Coffee and chocolate match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and 1,497 recipes mention both. Both carry 2,3-butanedione, which smells buttery, creamy. The science ↓
The recipe
16 servingsIngredients
Contains: milk (auto-detected from the ingredients and method; we can miss things, so check labels)
Directions
Method written by CompKitchen from the ingredient list. Not the original author's method, not kitchen-tested.
In a large bowl, beat the softened cream cheese until smooth. Gradually add the cold milk, then the instant pudding mixes, and whisk for 2 minutes until thickened.
Let the pudding stand 5 minutes. Gently fold in about half of the thawed whipped topping until no streaks remain.
Pour half of the cooled brewed coffee into a shallow dish. Dip wafers one at a time just to moisten, then arrange them in a single layer over the bottom of a 3-quart glass bowl, breaking pieces to fill gaps.
Spoon half of the pudding mixture over the wafers and spread evenly. Sprinkle with half of the grated chocolate and half of the raspberries.
Dip the remaining wafers in the remaining coffee and layer them over the fruit. Top with the rest of the pudding and spread smooth.
Spread the remaining whipped topping over the pudding. Scatter the remaining grated chocolate and raspberries on top.
Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight until the pudding is fully set and chilled. Serve cold.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.
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Coffee + chocolatetop 2% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together1,497 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (buttery, creamy).
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Milk + vanillatop 2% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together19,175 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).
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Vanilla + chocolatetop 2% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together10,018 recipes
Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).
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Milk + coffeetop 4% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together2,201 recipes
Shared aroma: 4-heptenal (creamy, biscuit).
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Vanilla + coffeetop 4% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together1,391 recipes
Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
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