Mocha Lush Recipe
This Mocha Lush Recipe combines the flavors of chocolate, coffee, and vanilla cream to create an easy, layered dessert that tastes like an ultra-decadent cappuccino in every bite.
If you love coffee and rich desserts as much as we do, then you’re going to love this recipe as much as we do, too! We love making lushes, and we decided to infuse a classic lush with espresso to create this delicious dessert. The best part is that it’s ridiculously easy to make!
Table of contents
❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It uses simple ingredients you can find in your kitchen and local grocery store.
- It’s an easy, no-bake dessert.
- The chocolate, coffee, and vanilla cream flavors are absolutely decadent.
- It makes a great weeknight dessert or addition to any party.
🛒Ingredients
You’ll only need some simple ingredients to make this recipe, and they’re all kitchen staples. Anything you don’t have can be found at your local grocery store.
All the ingredients you need to make this easy mocha lush recipe are listed here, but you can find the exact amounts in the recipe card at the end of the post.
For the Crust
- Crushed chocolate cookies
- Melted butter
For the Chocolate Layer
- Sugar
- Cocoa powder
- Cornstarch
- Salt
- Whole milk
- Chocolate Chips
- Vanilla
Coffee Layer
- Brewed espresso
- Heavy cream
- Sugar
- Cornstarch
- Egg yolks
- Butter
- Vanilla
For the Vanilla Cream Layer
- Heavy cream
- Whole milk
- Cornstarch
- Sugar
- Egg yolks
- Butter
- Vanilla
🔪 How to Make This Mocha Lush Recipe
Making this recipe is incredibly easy. Although the pudding is homemade, it takes very little effort. Even beginners can make this recipe easily.
Step 1: Make the Crust
Grind the chocolate cookies into fine crumbs. Then, mix them with melted butter in a bowl until well coated. Press the mixture firmly into the bottom of a greased 13x9x2 pan and chill it in the freezer for 15 minutes.
Step 2: Begin the Chocolate Pudding
Whisk the sugar, cocoa powder, cornstarch, and salt in a medium-sized saucepan. Slowly add the milk, whisking vigorously to ensure there are no lumps. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the pudding has thickened and starts to bubble.
Step 3: Finish the Chocolate Pudding
Remove the pudding from the heat and add the chocolate chips and vanilla. Stir until combined and pour over the crust.
Step 4: Chill
Place the chocolate pudding-topped crust in the refrigerator and chill while you make the next layer.
Step 5: Begin the Coffee Pudding
Combine the brewed espresso and heavy cream in a medium-sized saucepan. Bring to a simmer over low heat. Whisk the sugar and cornstarch together. Then, whisk in the eggs.
Step 6: Finish the Chocolate Pudding
Slowly add the hot coffee mixture to the eggs, whisking constantly to temper the eggs. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and cook, stirring constantly, until it thickens. Remove it from the heat and stir in the butter and vanilla until combined.
Step 7: Pour and Chill
Pour the coffee pudding over the chocolate pudding layer and smooth it out into an even layer. Chill in the refrigerator while making the top layer.
Step 8: Begin the Vanilla Cream Pudding
Bring heavy cream and 1 cup of milk to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Whisk the cornstarch, sugar, egg yolks, and remaining milk in a bowl. Then, whisk the hot cream mixture into the eggs to temper them.
Step 9: Finish the Vanilla Cream Pudding
Return the mixture to the heat and cook until thickened. Then, remove the mixture from the heat and stir in the butter and vanilla.
Step 10: Pour and Chill
Pour the pudding over the coffee layer and smooth it out into an even layer. Chill for 2 hours. Dust with cocoa and chill until ready to serve.
📝Variations
- You can use regular coffee if you don’t have espresso. However, the flavor won’t be as intense.
- For extra-rich chocolate pudding, use heavy cream in place of whole milk.
- Try topping the dessert with shaved chocolate for a different feel.
If you love rich chocolate desserts like this one, then try our chocolate tres leches cake.
🥄 Equipment
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Medium saucepan
- Whisk
- 13x9x2 pan
🥫 Storage
Refrigerate this mocha lush recipe for up to 5 days in an air-tight container or tightly covered with foil. We don’t recommend freezing this dessert, as the pudding can separate.
Serve With
Serve this delicious lush dessert as a dessert or sweet snack at parties. It’s delicious with fresh fruit or as a dessert after any classic comfort food meal.
💭 Tips
- When tempering the eggs, add the hot liquid slowly while whisking vigorously. This helps lower the temperature and keeps the eggs from scrambling.
- It’s important NOT to skip the tempering process. If you try whisking the eggs directly into the hot liquid, they’ll scramble.
- Whisk constantly while bringing your pudding to a simmer or boil to prevent scorching.
⁉️ FAQ
Lush desserts are layered, no-bake pudding desserts. They can be made with homemade pudding or pudding mixes, and they are chilled rather than baked to set the pudding.
Absolutely! Cook and serve pudding is best for a lush dessert, as it delivers a richer flavor and texture.
If you add the hot liquid too quickly, the eggs will scramble. The secret is to practically drizzle in the hot liquid so it doesn’t heat the eggs too quickly as you whisk it in.
🍽 More Recipes
Do you enjoy chocolate? Then try these delicious recipes:
🧾Recipe Card
Want to make this mocha lush recipe? Print the recipe card below, or pin this recipe, so you can find it later.
Mocha Lush Recipe
Equipment
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- medium saucepan
- Whisk
- 13x9x2 pan
Ingredients
Ingredients for the crust:
- 9 ounces crushed chocolate cookies
- 8 tablespoons melted butter
Ingredients for chocolate layer:
- ⅔ cup sugar
- 4 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 2 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups whole milk
- ¼ cup chocolate chips
- 2 teaspoon vanilla
Ingredients for the coffee layer:
- 2 cups brewed espresso
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
- 4 egg yolks
- ½ cup butter
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
Ingredients for the vanilla cream layer:
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream
- 2 cup whole milk
- 4 Tablespoons cornstarch
- ½ cup sugar
- 4 egg yolks
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 2 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Grease a 13” x 9” x 2” pan.
- Grind chocolate cookies into fine crumbs. Place in a bowl and pour melted butter over them and mix until they are well coated.
- Press firmly into the bottom of the pan, making an even layer.
- Put the pan in the freezer for about 15 minutes to allow it to set.
- In a medium sized saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cocoa powder, cornstarch and salt. Slowly add in the milk, whisking briskly to get all the lumps out. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly to avoid scorching the bottom.
- Once the pudding has thickened and starts to bubble, remove from heat and add in the chocolate chips and vanilla and stir.
- Pour over the set crust and place in the refrigerator to allow cooling before adding the next layer.
- Add the brewed espresso and heavy cream to a medium sized saucepan and simmer over low heat. In a medium bowl, whisk the sugar and cornstarch together and add the eggs.
- Slowly add in the hot coffee mixture, whisking constantly to temper the eggs.
- Once everything is combined, pour the mixture back into the saucepan and cook until it starts to thicken.
- Stir constantly to avoid burning.
- Once the mixture is thick, remove from heat and stir in the butter and vanilla.
- Once it’s well mixed, pour on top of the cooled chocolate layer, smooth out in an even layer, and place the pan back into the refrigerator to chill while making the top layer.
- In a medium saucepan, heat the heavy cream and 1 c of milk until it’s simmering.
- In a bowl, whisk the cornstarch, sugar, egg yolks and the remaining milk.
- Slowly whisk in the hot cream/milk to temper the eggs.
- Once combined, return to heat and cook until thick.
- Remove from heat and add butter and vanilla.
- Pour over the top of the coffee layer and return to the refrigerator and chill for 2 hours until all layers have set.
- Dust with cocoa powder if desired.
- Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
This sounds so delicious and we love pistachios!