This Chocolate Chai Pots de Crème recipe delivers a velvety chocolate custard flavored with black tea and fragrant spices.
I love ALL cooking, but some things make me extra happy and baked custard, especially pots de crème, is one of them. I love the process of making it, I love the rich, silky texture, I love that the flavor combinations are infinite, I love the elegant little pots…
I make this Chocolate Chai Pots de Crème frequently, and it never fails to delight me and everyone who tastes it.
Pots de crème (pots of custard) is a French custard. It is usually baked in porcelain cups also called “pots de crème,” or in small ramekins. Chocolate Chai Pots de Crème is exactly what it sounds like – a decadent chocolate custard flavored with black tea and fragrant spices.
About the Ingredients
Start with good chocolate – for this recipe I always use bittersweet, but semi-sweet would work, too.
For the tea I prefer loose Darjeeling (2nd flush), but any black, unflavored tea will do the trick. Keemun is nice, as is English Breakfast. Be sure to put the tea leaves in an infuser. If you don’t have loose tea, substitute 2-3 teabags.
For this pots de crème you will only use egg yolks. If you don’t have an immediate use for the egg whites, remember you can freeze them. First, add the individual egg whites to an ice cube tray (I use silicone). Then once they freeze, turn them out into a zip-able plastic bag. When you’re ready to use them, thaw them in the fridge to prevent spoiling.
Using a Water Bath
This Chocolate Chai Pots de Crème (and baked custards in general) calls for a water bath (baking in a pan of water). This adds moisture to the oven to keep the custard from cracking, and helps the custard cook slower and more evenly without lumping or curdling. If you’ve never used a water bath before don’t worry, it’s super easy. Check out How to Prepare a Water Bath for Baking for more info.
Garnishing the Pots de Crème
Once the custard is done and has been chilled, you may want to add garnish. In my photo I’ve used homemade whipped cream, cinnamon, and candied orange peel. It’s a nice presentation, but I forgot to trim the square ends of the orange peels into little points. It’s a small detail, but they would have been prettier and I like pretty food.
Still, they taste great in any shape: see for yourself with this Candied Orange Peel recipe.
Another excellent choice to garnish your Pots de Crème is this Bourbon Soaked Cherries recipe.
| Prep Time | 10 minutes |
| Cook Time | 1.5 hours |
| Passive Time | 3 hours |
| Servings |
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- 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 3/4 cups whole milk
- 6 egg yolks from large eggs
- 8 oz bittersweet chocolate chopped
- 10 cardamom pods slightly crushed
- 10 pink peppercorns
- 10 cloves whole
- 3 star anise whole
- 2 tsp ginger fresh, grated
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 4 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 pinch Kosher salt
- 1 tbsp black tea loose, organic, unflavored
Ingredients
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- Heat cream, milk and spices in a medium saucepan until the mixture starts to steam. Remove from heat, cover and let sit for 45 minutes so the spices infuse in the cream. For the first 15-20 minutes, submerge a tea diffuser ball filled with 1 tbsp of black tea (or 2-3 teabags). Remove and discard the tea once the time elapses.
- Remove spices, then reheat the mixture until it steams but don't let it boil. Reduce heat to low, then whisk in the chocolate until it's completely melted and smooth. Remove from heat.
- Whisk together egg yolks and sugar, then whisk in a ladle of chocolate mixture, adding the chocolate in a slow but steady stream. Whisk in the remaining chocolate, vanilla and salt. TIP: Make this mixture in a large measuring cup or lipped bowl for easy pouring.
- Preheat the oven to 325 F. Pour chocolate mixture through a strainer into 6 to 8 pot de crème cups, custard cups or ramekins. Place in a water bath, cover loosely with foil and bake at 325 for approximately 30 minutes. When done the custard should be pulling away from the sides of the cups slightly, but still have a bit of jiggle in the middle.
- Remove pots de crème from water and cool on baking racks until room temperature. If using pot de crème cup with lids, put them on and refrigerate overnight (or at least several hours so they are well chilled). If using regular custard cups or ramekins, cover with your choice of wrap.
- To serve, garnish with your choice of whipped cream, fruit, etc. We like this particular mix with homemade whipped cream, cinnamon, and candied orange peel.
- Pots de Crème should be stored refrigerated. To enjoy the ingredients at their peak it should be consumed within three days.
