Remember pudding?

Sam Seneviratne's coffee banana pudding

Sam Seneviratne is one of my favorite people to watch cook. She makes a huge mess, sings, dances. Her recipe printout is on the floor and her phone, balanced atop a pasta box, has a smudge of avocado on it. And then she swirls around and presents the perfect croissant she made.

She is an expert baker, but it’s the carefree way she gets to that miraculous baked good that makes me want in. If you ask her how to bake well, she’ll say “trust your body,” which sounds more fun than culinary school.

I love (and miss!) being on set with Sam—she did half the food styling on my cookbook, and I did the prop styling on her latest two books. Bake Smart came out last year and is worth the price just for the chewy chocolate chip cookie recipe.

But today we’re talking about pudding, a dessert that’s easy to forget and easier to love. It is really shocking how delicious this coffee pudding of Sam’s is. You could just make the pudding and eat it warm, yum, or keep going for a layered dessert that’s special but so basic to make. But then again, it’s Sam, so why am I surprised?

From Sam:

Sometimes I forget how lovely it is to whip up a pudding. No special equipment. No worrying about the temperature of anything. No laminating. I’m all for a project bake, but when you need something quick and sweet and endlessly satisfying, pudding is your pal. This one is made with instant espresso powder, which is one of my favorite baking pantry essentials: It lasts forever and adds a big coffee punch to desserts. Instant coffee would work too, but you’ll want to double (or maybe even triple) the amount. You can always taste and adjust to your liking. You could even steep the milk with some regular ground coffee but that will take longer.

I gussied this one up with some bananas and whipped cream. If you’re feeling extra-fancy, crumble in some cookies or graham crackers and top with some grated bittersweet chocolate.