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Chocolate Ancho Chile Steamed Pudding Cake

A steamed chocolate pudding cake flavored with ancho chile and anise, topped with crème fraîche.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 11 ingredients
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Why it works: Anise and cinnamon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 117 recipes. Both carry 4-methoxybenzaldehyde, which smells sweet, anise. The science ↓

Chocolate Ancho Chile Steamed Pudding Cake

Time25 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Lightly grease a 1-quart soufflé dish or heatproof glass bowl.

  2. Set a trivet in the pressure cooker and pour in 2 cups water.

  3. Tear open the ancho chile, remove the stem, and scrape away the seeds.

  4. Place the chile in a small saucepan with water barely to cover.

  5. Bring the chile to a boil.

  6. Simmer the chile for 5 minutes.

  7. Remove the chile from the heat.

  8. Set the chile aside for 30 to 45 minutes to soften.

  9. Scrape the pulp off the skin.

  10. Discard the skin.

  11. Mash the pulp with 2 tablespoons of the soaking liquid.

  12. Set the mashed pulp aside.

Make the batter

  1. Combine the chocolate, butter, anise extract, and sherry in a small saucepan or microwave bowl.

  2. Heat the mixture on medium-low on the stove top or microwave on high until the chocolate is soft but still holds its shape, about 3 minutes either way.

  3. Set the chocolate mixture aside.

  4. Beat together the egg yolks and sugar in a medium-size bowl until beginning to turn pale yellow.

  5. Whisk in the cinnamon, flour, ancho pulp, and chocolate mixture.

  6. Beat the egg whites in a clean bowl until soft peaks form.

  7. Fold the egg whites into the batter.

  8. Pour the batter into the soufflé dish.

  9. Cover the batter with aluminum foil, pinching around the edges to seal.

Pressure cook and serve

  1. Set the dish on the trivet in the pressure cooker.

  2. Lock on the lid.

  3. Bring the cooker to pressure over high heat, 3 to 4 minutes.

  4. Reduce the heat to low.

  5. Cook for 25 minutes.

  6. Remove from the heat.

  7. Let the cake sit for 10 minutes to finish cooking.

  8. Gently release any remaining pressure with the steam vent pointed away from you.

  9. Remove the lid.

  10. Lift off the foil with kitchen tongs.

  11. Let the cake sit until cool enough to handle.

  12. Scoop the pudding cake onto individual plates.

  13. Garnish with a dollop of crème fraîche.

  14. Set aside at room temperature and leave out overnight without refrigerating.

  15. Serve the next day without reheating.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

927Calories
22 gProtein
32 gFat
130 gCarbs

Counts 9 of 10 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 9 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Flour1 cup (125g) all-purpose455
Chocolate1 oz (28g) semisweet155
Butter1 tbsp (14g)102
Egg1 large egg (50g)78
Cream1 tbsp (15ml) heavy51
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Wine2 tbsp cooking wine (30ml)25
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Cinnamon1 tsp ground (2.6g)6
Anisenot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Anise + cinnamontop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together117 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4-methoxybenzaldehyde (sweet, anise).

  2. Pepper + anisetop 9% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together80 recipes

    Shared aroma: myristicin (spice, warm).

  3. Pepper + cinnamontop 9% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together4,890 recipes

    Shared aroma: methyl cinnamate (strawberry).

  4. Sugar + cinnamontop 10% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together30,779 recipes

    Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).

  5. Chocolate + cinnamontop 12% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,808 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).

Sugar and cinnamon barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 30,779 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Eggs
Whipped whites and yolks give the pudding its lift and set its airy, custardy structure.
Chocolate
Adds richness and fat, and gives the cake its dense, fudgy texture once set.
Ancho chile
Contributes mild, smoky, fruity depth and aroma to the chocolate base.
Flour
Thickens the batter so the cake holds its shape and body after cooking.
Sugar
Adds sweetness and helps the egg yolks thicken and turn pale.
Butter
Adds fat for a smooth, tender crumb and rich mouthfeel.

The step that matters

Folding in the egg whites. Whites hold air only until deflated. Folding gently, rather than stirring, keeps the bubbles intact so the batter rises and the cake stays light.

Swap the anise

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, pepper, chocolate, sherry, egg, sugar, cinnamon):

  1. Nutmegfits better
  2. Clovefits better
  3. Allspicefits better
  4. Anisethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against butter, pepper, chocolate, sherry, egg, sugar, cinnamon. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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