What is Chocolate Concrete? $2 Dessert

[@disaidra]

I have some fun facts about Bird's custard since it originally came from the city I was born, Birmingham. The creator Alfred Bird wanted to make an egg free custard for his wife who was allergic to eggs. The old factory has since been converted and is now full of independent shops, restaurants, pop ups, and studios, but is still called "the custard factory".

[@JamesPotts]

I picked up some Bird's (not a common thing in the US), a few years ago to make an "authentic" trifle. (I think I wanted it for something else, as well, but I can't remember what. Maybe to go with fish fingers? ;) ) Was pleasantly surprised by the result.

[@Shell060]

My daughter went to a special school in Cockerham that apparently used to belong to the bird family as their home. Crookhey Hall it's called.

[@amalzuhair4495]

Lived most of my life in Birmingham and never knew Bird's custard was made here??

[@shereviews8999]

Wait Birmingham in AL or Birmingham in another country?

[@amalzuhair4495]

@@shereviews8999 the original Birmingham

[@ambidextr0se]

I was a bit surprised when the "frames not analyzed for stabilization" notification popped up (13:57). I thought it was something to do with my computer😆

[@Aphrodisi666]

😂 same here I just bought this phone today and I thought it was malfunctioning 😂

[@bkatz0218]

Anyone else notice how Emmy does this? First bite: “Mmm? 🤔” Second Bite: “Mmhmm. 🤨” “Yeah. 🙂”

[@deereating9267]

Even though I'm an American, my favorite dessert growing up was something my grandmother made called "puddin' and sauce". The 'pudding' part is a yellow cake made with one egg and self rising flour and the 'sauce' part is a chocolate pudding-like sauce or chocolate gravy that was served over the top of a piece of the cake. I still make it fairly often. Edit to include cake recipe as I have it: Oven at 350 degrees, grease and flour a cake pan. In a bowl, mix 1/3 cup oil, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 egg, 1 cup self-rising flour, and enough milk to make a batter. Pour into prepared pan, bake in oven until toothpick comes out clean or middle top springs back when touched. Any chocolate gravy recipe will do for a topping, also lemon curd or jam and whipped cream. Depending on the ingredients I have on hand, I make chocolate gravy with cocoa powder, sugar, cornstarch or flour, water or milk, pinch of salt. Cook until thick stirring constantly, remove from heat add some vanilla or almond extract and a bit of butter. Serve it warm over the cake.

[@missmeppsie3389]

I'd really love the recipe for this!

[@Readera]

Me too!

[@janeysiegrist5061]

That was a staple at out house as well..raised by my grandparents..gram was a hard times food genius

[@deereating9267]

@@missmeppsie3389 edited to include recipe in comment

[@deereating9267]

@@Readera edited to include recipe in comment

[@mikster97]

Hi Emmy! Idk if you noticed it but around 14:04 there are these pop ups from maybe editing about new frames needing analyzing. And it flashes for a few seconds. But amazing fun video as always!

[@Middleagersviewreviewuk]

We certainly never had the custard made with strawberry milk it was just food colouring. You should do a whole series of old British school desserts, you’ll be amazed 😂😅

[@ghoulzexz5135]

at my primary school we used to have it with mint flavoured custard instead of pink custard

[@Rose-jz6sx]

@@ghoulzexz5135 ooh yum!

[@Lacieluxe]

@@ghoulzexz5135 i literally just mentioned that myself but just spotted your comment. Do u remember cornflake cake too?

[@sean.furlong1989]

The pink custard was just strawberry or raspberry blancmange with extra milk.

[@sean.furlong1989]

@@Lacieluxe I had cornflake pie with custard 😋

[@eskovich]

At 13:57 there's a blue bar with editing text on it- also, Beanz!

[@jenamusgrave2305]

I work in a nursing home as a Dietary Aide, as such I get to make all the desserts. The little tehehe you made when mixing with your hands is TOTALLY me at work when cooking 🥰 I love desserts lol and I love watching your channel, your enthusiasm is incomparable ❤

[@brittanydeluca1199]

Hi emmy! Lovely video as always. I believe there may be an editing mistake starting at 13:56. It is a blue bar saying “New Frames Need analyzing, click analyze” and it lasts for about 6-10 seconds. I haven’t seen any comments on it so maybe it’s just me though!

[@Cloudnerd]

Nope, I saw it too!

[@flygirl6048]

I was going to ask about it 😅

[@disinterBaz]

I came here to comment this

[@lisabenden]

Yeah, it's what happens when you use image stabilization in Adobe Premiere, but then change the length of the clip. As an editor I see them a lot, and it gave me a chuckle to see them make it to the final product. As a note, Premiere will pop up a warning when you hit Export and there's either unanalyzed frames, or unlinked media. And, it's a good idea to go check all the clips with warp stabilizer on them.

[@cjcpanther]

Also scrolled down here to see if anytone else noticed!

[@KimCW119]

Just wanted to thank you for always putting your videos in the chapter sections! A lot of KZbinrs don’t do it & I just wanted you to know I & I’m sure many of us really appreciate the extra effort you put in to do that. Thank you for all the amazing wholesome content ❤

[@Dia_7hom]

The pink custard takes me back to my school dinners as a child in England. We were convinced it tasted like strawberry but looking back I don’t think it did 😂 thank you for my little trip down memory lane, as kids we lived for pink custard day!!

[@emmymade]

Isn't it funny the flavor associations we have with colors?

[@Dia_7hom]

@@emmymade absolutely! I think if the pink custard was deliberately made to taste of something entirely different our brains would initially taste it as strawberry 😁

[@lisahind4529]

I'm in the UK and according to my old dinner ladies from the 80's the pink custard was in fact strawberry blancmange. It's the same as custard powder and yes it was strawberry flavoured.

[@pheart2381]

We never got pink custard!🤔😟😭

[@aeonturnip2]

Also from the UK, and the pink custard where I grew up (in the 80s in Yorkshire) was not strawberry flavoured, in fact it barely tasted of anything at all - not even custard. The chocolate concrete was also rock hard so I suspect a different and probably far cheaper recipe must have been used. Still, we all loved it, especially compared to frogspawn (tapioca pudding) or glue (semolina pudding) which were also on the pudding rotation.

[@KiJiHoon]

I grew up eating chocolate crunch, in primary school it was served as a dessert with custard and in highschool it was served without custard as a morning snack, along with shortbread biscuits etc, but I most remember it being served with green mint custard, not pink strawberry. So I guess even in the UK there's regional variations. Definitely not healthy to be eaten everyday but they were a comforting constant when dealing with the craziness of high school and all the changes that happen along with it. Chocolate crunch was the only thing that stayed the same, day in day out 💚

[@emmymade]

Aww...I'm glad you have fond memories of it. Mint custard, though?🤔

[@K-a-n-d-i-s]

@@emmymade Oh my god, warm mint custard on a homemade simple choc sponge cake is the best! You HAVE to try it lol

[@hannahmitson3956]

I'm from the UK and I remember having it with mint custard....it was literally the best thing ever. Might make it for my kiddles tonight actually 😋

[@badateverything5392]

I am now wondering if this is part of the north/south divide XD Were you in the north?

[@natashakafoteka3667]

@@emmymade Is there a recipe available?

[@Chaedron1]

If you ask for a chocolate concrete in the mid west you'll get a thick custard based ice cream milkshake that is incredibly rich I can only eat a small one and I have quite a sweet tooth. Fun video, gonna have to try this sometime.

[@emmymade]

Mmm...yes, please. 🙋🏻‍♀️

[@neweyeswideopen]

Culver's noms

[@Chaedron1]

@@neweyeswideopenCulver's noms indeed.

[@sama5867]

That's called a concrete mixer and can come in any flavor though

[@AmySorrellMusic]

Ted Drew's 🤤

[@literallyafishhook]

i adore the sheer accidental chaos of this video, from the chapters having been slightly off to the unanalyzed frames, not to mention the food looks really good..... 10/10 video but like genuinely

[@samanthaeborn8157]

If you're going to start the stroll through uk primary school puds would definitely do aussie crunch, treacle sponge and school cake too. But the ultimate is butterscotch tart 😍 was always served with a blob of stabilised cream on top and chocolate vermicelli sprinkles. Pure nostalgia!

[@itslikehistory]

Tragically we had chocolate custard at our school rather than pink (and it was a lot thicker), I always assumed the crunch was shortbread and have lamented at never finding a shortbread with the right texture, so I am very grateful to find out how I might recreate that 2002 vibe!

[@ladymess1]

Not just the 70’s and 80’s! We had this in primary school when I was there in the early 2000’s! I will say we never had strawberry flavoured custard with it though, it was just vanilla dyed pink for reasons unknown…😅

[@JenGentleASMR]

Emmy has a way of being authentically whimsical and simultaneously very practical and informative. It is a great combination. Love the lighting and atmosphere. 😌✨ Also agree that there are so many reasons to love parchment paper. It is so helpful in so many ways - I never like to be without it in the kitchen.

[@lauramoscrop6106]

I haven't heard of Chocolate Concrete but 'school cake' was my favourite in school in England (think it was UK-wide?) and is something many generations know and love. Vanilla cake, white icing, and sprinkles. It's delicious! Sometimes served with custard too.

[@ajwinberg]

I use salted butter in everything instead of unsalted butter. I just omit any additional salt that might be in a recipe. I feel like things taste better with salted butter the unsalted. I understand why people say not to, because you want ro control the level of salt in a recipe, but I think chocolate chip cookies taste better with salted butter and also so many other things.

[@MyFocusVaries]

Especially when unsalted butter costs more!

[@Peaceshiet812]

Agreed I always use it in all sweet recipes , it balances the sweetness & makes the flavour more interesting.

[@marythornton-reeves1155]

I grew up in the 70s with this dessert. It is actually nicknamed chocolate concrete because it used to be absolutely hard and difficult to break apart which is where the concrete idea came in. The custard was essential because otherwise any attempt to break it up with sand the dish flying across the room! The custard helped to soften it. Originally the custard was plain yellow but some places made it pink. I guess the softer version is a modernised version of this desert. Glad you learned to make it it has always been a UK favourite exclamation mark

[@aliyahpulido953]

I can see both your use of voice typing and your enthusiasm over the nostalgia in here; I'm so glad Emmy brought back happy memories for you!

[@SC-bc6tz]

This brings back fantastic memories from our lunchtimes at school. As a little’un you would really have to put all your weight behind digging your spoon into the hardest chocolate substance known to man. You’d end up loosing half the slice while trying to get a spoonful but the reward far outweighs the risk!😂

[@tracyrobinson9442]

7:14!!!! Such a great trick for pressing the crumb mixture flat and beautiful! I love learning tips and tricks for cooking and the kitchen area in general. Thanks very much Emmy ! After all these years you still come up with new things to share that are actually possible in a common household. Love you and your channel ‼️❣️❣️

[@sapphireseptember]

I see you're a fan of Gunnar Deatherage. I read the 'flat and beautiful' in his voice. 😁

[@tracyrobinson9442]

@@sapphireseptember not shy to admit that! I Love that guy! I also heard his voice as I typed lol

[@sapphireseptember]

@@tracyrobinson9442 Awesome! I love his channel! He makes such beautiful things. 😊

[@sprklfaz]

I'm 31 and born in the UK, this is so nostalgic! Thank you Emmy❤️

[@jus2cute09]

I’m 28 and I remember looking forward to this in school omg. Back in 2000 my mum told me to get the recipe, I begged one of the lunch ladies for the recipe for weeks and she finally wrote it down for me. I still have that same classic recipe from school. Also in the original school recipes they use margarine and not butter specifically ‘stork’ brand and it tastes better than butter imo.

[@therehn]

it makes it harder and less shortbread like too

[@jus2cute09]

@@therehn I tried with butter and it’s not the same

[@AR-yv3dj]

Anyways schools, shops or commercial establishments never use expensive butter. It is always margarine. Worst may even be Tallow, lard etc...

[@damaracarpenter8316]

Emmy, as an American who's married to a Brit there is no end to the interesting and unexpected differences in the different terms we have for the same things. I just end up using the British versions 🤣

[@jenna6149]

You would likely enjoy checking out Lost In the pond. It is a Brit now in the US he is quite funny about the differences.

[@damaracarpenter8316]

@@jenna6149 thank you! I will check it out!

[@nowheregirl3858]

Britain does have a specific dessert called 'pudding'. It's a sort of cake which is either steamed or boiled, often in a cloth bag. There are many variations on this idea, the most common of which is probably the Christmas pudding. The amusingly-named Spotted Dick is made in a similar manner. But yes, we also use 'pudding' as a generic word that means 'dessert'.

[@thesupergreenjudy]

Correct me if I'm wrong as I am not native but have been living in the UK with my British husband. I always feel the word pudding is more an umbrella term for the course other people use "dessert" for. So I would call this a cake of some sort but not pudding. But if we are in a restaurant I'd say "what will we have for pudding". The individual dish however I would call by what it is. So when she said this is a British pudding it sounded not quite right for some reason. Maybe it's because many types of puddings are now eaten as snacks 😂

[@drghostduck]

@@thesupergreenjudy It's sort of both. It can refer to both a specific dessert like the og comment said (eg sticky toffee pudding, Christmas pudding) but can also refer to desserts in general.

[@thesupergreenjudy]

@@drghostduck Yes but in your example the recipes already come with "pudding" in the name. Would you refer to a brownie as a pudding even though you might have it for pudding? ;-)

[@oldvlognewtricks]

@@thesupergreenjudy It means a whole list of things. 1. The dessert course in general 2. A specific kind of food that is often starchy and roughly round. This can be sweet as in a Christmas pudding, or savoury like a filled meat pudding. They are usually retro, warm and filling (although a Summer Pudding is an exception - being relatively light and chilled) 3. Taking the savoury idea to its limit gives you ‘black pudding’, which is a kind of blood sausage. 4. Even further is ‘yorkshire pudding’, which is roughly similar to a Dutch baby, or large popover. A light pancake batter baked in hot fat so it rises into a light and crisp pastry-like side dish. It’s a little like how ‘apple’ used to be the generic name for fruits in general, and became more specific over time - the main remaining theme seems to be the carb content and the rounded shape. There are probably other examples I have missed!

[@SC-bc6tz]

@@thesupergreenjudy as an English guy I refer to all desert as pudding, whether it be a brownie/cake or jelly etc.. I’d even say icecream is pudding as long as you have it after dinner/ whatever meal. Not sure if it’s correct but it’s the language I was raised around. Random point but as a child I always got confused when Americans would exclusively refer to the custard looking desert as pudding because I always assumed it was a general word for the sweet dish after your meal.

[@TheDevilDarling]

I loved pink custard in primary school, they served it every friday with angel cake which is pink, yellow and white. I recently found out that Ambrosia sells tins of pink custard and it made me instantly nostalgic as soon as it touched my tongue 😍

[@WriterGirl25]

Omg you finally made it 😍 this made me so happy! Chocolate crunch and pink custard was my favourite school pudding growing up. I have since made this but the recipe I used called for an egg to be added to the mixture also, and I added the sugar and water sprinkled on top prior to baking. The only major difference here is the custard and I'm sorry Em but for that truly authentic experience 🥰 you have to use a packet mix for raspberry blamange. It's like a set custard dessert but you just use it hot instead, the raspberry flavour is subtle but goes much better with the Chocolate. This video made my heart so happy 😊 ❤️ really enjoyed watching it!

[@SquareOrange]

Thanks to whoever suggested this to Emmy - was a real stroll down memory lane. I remember the smell of this permeating the canteen and asking the dinner lady to give me the custard skin (to the disgust of many friends). ❤

[@Thistastesbad]

I loved the custard skin too! :)

[@melaniemarrone9521]

I make cooked instant pudding and pour it into a sheet pan to get maximum skin! Everyone else thinks ots gross and it's the only part worth it to me.

[@karinberonius8799]

I like semolina porridge with lumps and come to think of it, I kind of like the skin on it too.

[@bellakoko4558]

Oh my goodness, custard skin!! What a delightful memory😍I’m from the UK and most of the kids I went to school with absolutely loved the custard skin. In fact, whoever was “lucky” enough to find it in their bowl would often shout “YESSSSS!!” like they’d won the lottery. It’s funny because it’s the kind of thing that as an adult, you’d probably complain about finding in your food. There’s definitely a lesson on perspective & gratitude in there somewhere.

[@SquareOrange]

@@bellakoko4558 It sounds like I definitely went to the wrong school! Yes, although still find it difficult to every complain about food when i'm out - perhaps another uniquely Brit trait, saying the food is "great" when indeed it is cold, has hair in it and tastes like it's a day old. I'm not sure if they still serve this in primary/junior school (losing out if not), but there's also something about growing up in a generation of abundance. I imagine children's tastes have greatly evolved - it's no longer chocolate brick and pink custard, but chocolate fondant with creme anglaise 😅

[@bbibbibu]

i’m not from the uk but my dad is originally from wales and every so often he makes a vanilla cake with white icing and sprinkles and calls it old school cake and that is super delicious

[@noriyealice5916]

Love that!! You should ask your dad to write you the recipe so you can always have it :) ❤

[@momothebug]

This brought back a core memory of getting a cake like you described at primary school bake sales...

[@tansytea13]

Oh my lord, I'd forgotten the vanilla sprinkles cake! We had it in Devon too!

[@sunnie734]

That's a birthday cake.

[@bbibbibu]

@@sunnie734 it has no filling it’s one thick cake layer with icing on top

[@GigaChaadam]

In my school we had these with banana custard and between that and strawberry, the banana paired much better in flavour. So good. Also we had a ‘white chocolate’ version of this in the same way you have a blondie and a brownie. Instead of cocoa powder it was just vanilla and milk powder, and some white chocolate chips strewn in. The white chocolate chips would stay as whole chips instead of melting all the way through like a cookie and that helped give it that firm texture.

[@puggirl415]

Re: lining the pan with parchment. I remember watching Jacques Pepin lining a pan with parchment and I loved his method. All it is is to take a sheet of parchment that overhangs the pan by the depth of the pan. Then cut straight from each corner double that distance. So if the pan is 2" high cut 4" in from each corner. The cut parts will overlap as you press it into the pan. The end of each cut makes a square corner in the bottom of the pan. You can still lift the cake out of the pan with the edges. Plus there is very little paper sticking up above the pan so it won't burn or touch any of the heating elements. Lovely recipe today:)

[@Crocady1]

Fascinating! It's so simple i never would have thought that would be nice... Seems like something a child would attempt whilst trying to learn how to bake but you make it look so professional!

[@carolineward6445]

I remember having this at school but we had it with mint custard. It was delicious. In fact all the puddings I had at school were really good. Look up mint custard because it was epic!! I’m from the UK and was at school in the ‘70-‘80s btw😀

[@joanne923]

It was always served with mint custard at my school too. And you're right - it was delicious. Mint custard was just the best. I was also at school in the 70's-80's and always say the best thing about it was the puddings! 😀

I remember mint custard too in the 00s, they must have a secret recipe book.

[@subplantant]

Scrolled a long way to find this comment! Def mint custard in Yorkshire in the late 80s!

[@ChristyTina22]

8:38 I remember having to roll out some dough, but surprisingly not having a rolling pin in the house. I looked around the kitchen and saw our wooden paper towel holder. It has a detachable thick wooden post that held the towels to the base. I floured it up and it worked beautifully. I never did buy a rolling pin.

[@emmymade]

Exactly. 💡

[@charliebigbananas6676]

I have used wine bottles, cans of beer, rolls of foil or cling film, all sorts of things to roll dough! I finally bought a rolling pin after improvising for a shameful amount of years 🤣

[@melonspears]

gosh i miss chocolate concrete! i remember how difficult it was to bite into on the edges then inside it was so crumbly and soft, i will have to try this recipe, also your voice is so relaxing!

[@painterscastle]

I'm from UK. Its an iconic school meal dessert we call it Chocolate Concrete. But at my school we mostly had it with green, mint flavoured custard. Personally i think that the chocolste and mint flavours works best. Another dessert was a shortbread cut the same size etc as the Concrete it had pink sugar on top and we had that with pink strawberry flavour custard. We woukd often take the Concrete out of the bowl for the finner lady poured the custard. So we woukd eat the custard and then take the chocolate Concrete out with us toveat in the playground.

[@paulahillier1390]

Have you ever tried the sweet and tasty Canadian dessert called Nanaimo bars? A childhood staple up here in the Great White North. 🇨🇦❄️

[@davidb1412]

I think its so cute that Emmy is using an oyster shucking knife to notch the parchment. Ultimate utility.

[@juju9410]

I loved chocolate crunch and pink sauce at primary school so much my mother got the recipe from the cook so we could have it at home for years to come. I still have the recipe now and still make it in my 60’s. Delicious

[@erzvolnes]

Yes!! I used to eat this all the time at school, though this was in the early-mid 2000s/2010s. My mum was actually a dinner-lady at my school so we used to eat it at home a lot, too (it came in these big bags, pre-mixed, that my mum would bring home from work.) Haven't had it in many years but it was always one of my favourites 🥰 I hated custard as a kid, so I always ate it plain, but I think I just missed the pink custard craze 😅ours was just plain yellow. We also used to have these rice krispie cakes made with golden syrup and chocolate at my school. No idea if they were common in other places, but they were delicious. Chocolate toothpaste cake too, though the name always put me off of trying it!

[@MisDfication]

Thank you Emmy, you've made a lot of Brits very happy by including something from this side of the pond! And transported many back to our childhoods. We have many great puddings for you to try. X

[@opera_gangster]

I LOVE “sandy” foods, I definitely have to try!

[@josephlikespeace1014]

Thank you for the trip down memory lane. My school used to often do a sponge pudding (like a square from a tray bake) with chocolate custard and that was the food of heroes 💪🏼

[@siarlbychan]

Just another fantastic video presentation of yours! I also get a kick out of your need to have things be even and precise and neat. And you note that as well and laugh about it. It's great for a person to know themselves and not take themselves so seriously. I too have an OCD need but try to know when it's not necessary. I love this recipe and just this week made your two ingredient peanut butter fudge. I also used chocolate frosting and peanut butter for a second batch. Both were delicious and brought me back to when my Mom would make fudge. Keep up the great work!

[@hopewins1629]

I like seeing the close-ups of the things you make while you explaining texture and flavor to get an idea if I'd actually want to make it.

[@ravenrespawns]

Hi, so i've watched your videos for years, I love them thank you. I grew up eating Chocolate concrete, I ironically had been craving it for weeks and made it this week and then noticed today that you had posted this video! I hope you enjoy it!

[@nickimontford]

A school lunch favourite. Served with pink custard, mint custard or just enjoyed on its own. ❤️❤️ A friend still blames this on weight gain, despite the fact we left school 35 years ago. Another special is chocolate toothpaste cake! 🤣🤣

[@MummaQuan]

I need to know more about this toothpaste cake 😂😂😂

[@emmymade]

Toothpaste cake?!

[@nickimontford]

@@emmymade if you want something really different, a Bedfordshire clanger is a sweet and savory pastry. It's meat & potato one end and sweet fruit the other end. A real traditional delicacy from this part of England.

[@nickimontford]

@@emmymade think my reply vanished. 😳 It's a pastry tart with chocolate filling. Sticks to the teeth like toothpaste 🤣

[@nickimontford]

@@MummaQuan it's a pastry tart with really gooey chocolate filling. It uses milk powder for extra calcium. 🤣. It's a special thing they served where my husband went to school.

[@dericksmith2137]

About 5 minutes prior to removing the ‘cake’ is when you sprinkle the sugar on, then continue baking. This gives the surface a hard cracked texture. Also, you should strain your custard. But all and all a decent, fast, and simple recipe that looks yummy.

[@zappababe8577]

Chocolate concrete! I live close to Birmingham, UK and it's kind of a stereotype that we eat a lot ofchocolate concrete. We used to have this in school dinners, when it was served with green, mint flavoured custard. It was one of the very few items I could eat and enjoy from school dinners!

[@Peaceshiet812]

I remember the green mint custard 😂

[@heyy13]

Not sure I'm a fan of the new editing style but interesting to see how it evolves. Thank you for the video!

[@craptap2029]

I’m from the UK and I used to absolutely hate chocolate concrete (more of a chocolate hedgehog kind of girl) but I would live for the pink custard. This, sprinkle cake, chocolate hedgehogs, treacle cake and pineapple upside down cake were the only good things about school

[@juliac6256]

having desserts like that for school lunch must’ve been so nice, im american and we never got dessert except maybe a cardboardy dry cookie

[@southernbellebornnbred7811]

@@juliac6256 I went to school elementary thru high school in Alabama. We had our choice of desserts, peanut butter rice krispie treats, peanut butter cookies, lemon ice box pie, chocolate pie and chocolate cake, vanilla or chocolate ice cream, . Every single day.

[@juliac6256]

@@southernbellebornnbred7811 that sounds so yummy. i was in school in the 2000s so probably everywhere in the US by then became “healthy”

[@laulau194]

I thought I was the only one who hated chocolate concrete!

[@ongleterre]

This was a favourite school pudding, even when I had packed lunches I'd sometimes go and eat this! We also had a sponge with chocolate custard, and *the best* cornflake tart with custard. Our pink custard wasn't as pink as you made it (and it was very very mildly strawberry flavoured), but the custard was key to softening the crunch *I think another commenter is right in saying that it was a special mix to make the pink custard - blancmange but not served chilled!

[@carpathianpsychonaut]

As a UK lad of an increasing...ahem....age that pink custard has given me a HUGE nostalgia hit. School dinners were never great in general but some things were. That was one of them for sure. Don't think I've even thought about pink custard for about 40 years. Thanks, Emmy, for making a boring work day into something a lot lovelier.

[@TheEarGuy]

I’m super glad you made this! We make it often and it was a staple of school dinners here in the uk. Not so much now. Traditionally it’s made with lard, not butter. Much better in my opinion. Thank you and all the best from us here in Yorkshire!

[@jamesfry8983]

Ooh Earl Grey goes great with the chocolate concrete the bergamot really highlights the coco, also when I knew I was having this at School I would bring some finely chopped coconut to put on it, yes I was the foody kid at School people made fun of me till they tried it and where amazed at how it tasted, thank you for taking me down memory lane im going to go make some of this right now with a dusting of coconut sugar it tastes great anyone who reads this let me know if you tried it

[@raccoon93]

I grew up eating this at primary school in the UK, it was so rock hard even with custard you'd struggle to break it up with all the strength you had!

[@aliyahpulido953]

8:34 I love how Emmy says "prrrOjecT" like the Bowler Hat Guy from "Meet the Robinsons!" And then again at 14:59 When she says "In AWrder to hay-sen the COO-ling prrrrOsess," she sounds like she's using his accent and his drawl as well! XD That movie just fills me with so much nostalgia, so hearing that line does too. Thank you as usual, Emmy!

[@LydiaMorsman]

I'm from the UK, and I've never seen chocolate concrete, feel like I've missed out! I've not seen pink custard since my primary school days in the 80s, we used to have it over a vanilla sponge cake, that was baked in a large tray, with strawberry jam and desiccated coconut on top. I think it was just regular custard, dyed pink!

[@Jake_5693]

You 1000% missed out!

[@LottieTwitch]

I used to love chocolate crunch at school and I've made it at home many times, yummy simple treat. Nice to see you make it 💜

[@lisatraav]

If you want to bake more chocolate base cake, you should bake swedish stickycake(kladdkaka). One of first thing you learn how to bake in Sweden and it is so good! If you want a recipe let me now☺️

[@lish8591]

I would love the recipe. It sounds delicious 🙂

[@skeletongue.]

She made a video on kladdkaka!

[@lisatraav]

@@lish8591 It really is. Do you know how to measure in liters and grams?

[@lisatraav]

@@skeletongue. I dig not know that. Thanks for letting me know😊

[@lish8591]

@@lisatraav I can convert the measurements.

[@UnderAlias1051]

I love that you also say °C as well as °F now, thank you! It's little things like that that make your viewers smile. You're awesome! 😄

[@therehn]

Custard in the go to accompaniment for puddings here. My Dad loved proper British puddings and custard so much, he was on his work canteen’s steering group for awhile because he wanted them to keep serving puddings 😆. At his funeral we even had lots of British puddings and hot custard, there was a big queue for pudding!

[@caedricthevampire]

This was a classic at my school. Suprisingly it was really nice as a kid. Tbh I would still eat it now if I don't have enough money to make brownies

[@resolecca]

Never heard of this but it reminds me of an Afghan a New Zealand chocolate cookie, it's the same base recipe with cornflakes added, they are individual and round and don't pack them in so tightly, they have chocolate icing with a single walnut on-top, but they are dry and crumbly and without the sweet icing they are hardly sweet at all, don't ask me about they name I think it's something to do with New Zealand soldiers wives sending over these cookies during the first world war or something I'm not sure

[@skeetsmcgrew3282]

Wait how is this significantly cheaper than brownies? Brownies are literally just this plus baking powder, milk, and an egg, that can't add more than $1 to the total cost

[@jostewart3192]

@@skeetsmcgrew3282 not in terms of per ingredient per serve, but if you have to go to the shops to get ingredients that can add up.

[@zanyzoo6767]

You serve the pudding cold, in warm chocolate custard. Then you get a spoon and smash it up into the custard. The texture is just perfect.

[@mariemoss2475]

OMG... This brought back memories, I'm 53 and as a young child my school used to serve this... I thought we called it Chocolate Concrete because it was probably stale due to it being so hard, wow its actually a thing... and I'm from the UK and none of my family remember it.

[@hppottiness]

As an 80's baby Brit, this was a lunchtime staple even into the 90's! It's so yummy. Even though it's a bit dry. Thank you for being so respectful of the differences in wording pudding. :)

[@hppottiness]

Also, I prefer it without custard

[@earthkat]

Ooh the favourite School pudding at our school was chocolate rice crispies with hot custard over them. At home it was either Rhubarb Crumble or Eve's Pudding, stewed apples with a sponge covering served with custard or ice cream.

[@Mamaofchaos2]

Wow I’ve not seen this since I was a kid this is such a nostalgia trip! I used to love chocolate concrete! was one of my favourite puddings

[@haydensmayhem5413]

my mom did Hello Fresh with my family during the last couple years i was in high school; we primarily did dinners and they were absolutely amazing!

[@ViicSee]

It’s absolutely still served! I finished secondary school in 2016 and had it most days there, my nephew also goes to the same school and they still serve it, I often give him money to get me one and bring it to me on his way home lol

[@katiewinwood669]

I used to work in a primary school kitchen and we still made this regularly and all the kids loved it but we made chocolate custard instead of pink. We made all the old fashioned deserts from crumble to rice pudding and cornflake cake and the now super popular school cake

[@epredota]

Great to see chocolate concrete getting some recognition! I was always excited when it showed up at school dinners. I never went fir the custard though. Sometimes the custard would be pink, sometimes green and sometimes plain yellow; I don't think they put extra flavouring in though - just food colouring.

[@Fairyfink]

Emmy just transported me back 50 years. I sometimes thing everyone who went to school in 1970s Britain has a chocolate concrete memory. Our school's version was a lot harder (tooth breakingly hard) and the custard was much thicker (and yellow, not pink! )

[@ravenna99]

When you line the pan you can use the binder clips for paper they'll clip the paper to the side of your pan also making it easier to keep your lining in place :)

[@debrachapman60]

I grew up having this and I started making it for my kids a couple of years ago. I believe its called concrete cake as the raw mixture looks like concrete mix. Thank you for making this Emmy. I will probably make it this weekend as I've got my father-out-law over.

[@tessat338]

You can see how this would be a popular institutional food. It uses readily available ingredients and equipment, it can be baked in a standard oven at a standard temperature, possibly at the same time as other dishes, it scales up or down depending on the number to be served, the prep instructions are pretty straight forward, it can be prepped ahead of time without needing refrigeration, portion size can be easily controlled, and most of all, most kids and adults will eat it, especially with a cup of tea or a glass of milk. The notion of serving a baked or boiled "pudding" with a sauce is a very old concept in British cooking tradition.

[@kayfountain8952]

My school used to serve their concrete with coffee but the coffee came premade with milk and sugar (and also very weak) and they wouldn't serve the concrete on its own. We had pink custard with a plain-ish sponge pudding that had some jam in it somewhere on the base. My first school was a village one where the lunches were delivered from a nearby town in big catering pans. In winter, and when he had delivered to the outlying village schools first, the food was only lukewarm when it arrived so the sponge puddings were rather rubbery. And the custard was nearly all skin.

[@duallove6909]

Emmy, please try the Lord Wooten Pie. It's a pie that Was created in England during the WW2 to help ppl make dishes using the simple rations. So it's a love/hate pie relation. I think you'll like it.

[@carlr3066]

Emmy we used to have this thing called cornflake cake which was my favourite in school - it was like a pastry base with a thin layer of jam topped with syrupy sweet cornflakes. So good!

[@kathynurks4379]

I just had to stop mid-video to say how asmr the splop of food colouring was! Now back to the video.....

[@carlieedwards5407]

I'm from the UK and in the 2000s I had this! We called it "concrete cake" and my school served it with a beautiful green custard that was minty 😍💚

[@Birdbike719]

I'm really surprised it held together because the mixture was so dry compared to a regular cake or brownie batter. Yummy!

[@Lacieluxe]

As a Brit I felt the need to inform you that in primary school we also had a green mint custard. It was a pale sort of pastel green with a hint of mint. That we usually had with chocolate cake. At Halloween my school also did the same chocolate cake with an orange custard. Also Emmy you should make a Manchester tart. That's from where im from. Or maybe a cornflake tart? We just call it cornflake cake.

[@gillianbuchanan8194]

I loved chocolate concrete when I was at school in the ‘70’s but ours was served with mint flavoured green custar, happy memories ☺️

[@Thelifewithlacey]

This is bringing me back to school memory i forgot about. I had something similar here in the Midwest. No custard though and I think there was a powdered sugar sprinkled on top.

[@kathryn83]

We had this in Primary school. I'm also from the UK. Having been to the states, I will say, our strawberry milk tastes very different to the stuff over the pond...generally speaking. It's less artificial tasting and much less sweet. This might make you change your opinion on the strawberry custard, because it is very delicious lol! 😋 I think ours used to have coconut in the recipe for the chocolate crunch though...and I think we used to call it Australian crunch, I dont know why 🤷‍♀️😂 Love the British school dinners! Please make more! So nostalgic! 🥰

[@joejoooeeey3864]

My grandma used to make persimmon pudding. It was closer to a brownie but a little softer. I’d love to see you make persimmon pudding, that takes me back. The persimmons she had were small and were harvested when they fell to the ground. Different from Japanese persimmons

[@LivingDeadRose]

This is so nostalgic! I remember this in primary school. We also had the cornflake tart and my fave was the marble cake with mint custard!

[@ellingtonlilly]

i love that you mentioned pepto bismol (cause i love bismuth) and directly after that it was the nice pink-tone shot and then your pot matches your hoodie XD I love colour, and this video, thanks much ill likely use this somehow :)

[@katrinafoster3358]

I kind of wish Emmy would put the ingredients amounts to what she makes sometimes in the description.. especially when it turns out good. This looks like something I wouldn't mind making for my dad tbh

[@na195097]

She gives a link to the original recipe (or video), driving views/clicks to the source. That way they benefit too

[@seahorse82]

Chocolate concrete was rock hard. Pieces would go flying across the dinner hall as we used to try and break it with our spoons. The only way to eat it was to put the pink custard on and let it soak through so it went soggy enough to break with the spoon. Such fun memories of eating school dinners 😂

[@shazzzabanazz4789]

Yes I used to love it with strawberry custard in school and if u cleared all tables for the dinner lady's u got 2 more bits for doing it

[@catrinaverdonk3961]

Hey Emmy. I am a Kiwi and we also have choco crunch. Never heard of it being served with custard tho. We normally ice it with choco icing. My Mum used to make it for our school lunches. We also have ginger crunch. You can find both recipes as well as many other kiwi classics in Edmonds Cookbook. A recipe book that has been around for generations. I dont know if it's available online but I have 2 versions and would be happy to share.

[@hazeljanehopkins5652]

I remember our dinner ladies making a chocolate sponge with pink custard, not concrete! Looks tasty though and takes me back (some considerable time 😉)

[@artfulcraft5027]

Used to love this at school with pink custard. Sprinkle cake too!

[@JulesHardiman]

Recipe ingredients 250 grams of plain flour 250 grams sugar 150 grams melted butter 70 grams coco powder Pink cusrd is just a pink blamange with amout of liquid to taste

[@Killerkey1863]

Emmy your warp stabilizer made it through in your video export @13:57

[@kaidiggs9198]

Okay but I’m loving this new editing 😍

[@sandraadams4697]

Had this in school but we had mint custard, never seen the pink one, chocolate and mint yumm!!