Lava cake

Views: 1084

Introduction

This recipe is a chocolate lover’s dream. It’s also extremely easy to make, so you can impress your friends with this decadent dessert without much effort. The lava cake consists of a molten center surrounded by a thick chocolate crust. To create the crust, you’ll bake the batter for only 14 minutes in ramekins placed in a water bath. This recipe calls for semisweet chocolate but any type of bittersweet or dark chocolate will work well here as well (just use less sugar).

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter (1 stick), plus more for the ramekins
• 6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces
• 2 large eggs plus 2 large egg yolks
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/2 cup butter (1 stick), plus more for the ramekins

1/2 cup butter (1 stick), plus more for the ramekins

Butter should be softened and room temperature.

6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces

• Use good quality chocolate! You don’t need to break the bank for this recipe, but you do want to use a bar of semisweet or bittersweet chocolate that has a high percentage of cacao content (70% or higher).
• Chop your chocolate into small pieces. This will help it melt faster and more evenly, which means you won’t have any hard lumps in your lava cake batter.
• Melt the chopped chocolate slowly over indirect heat, rather than directly on top of some kind of heat source (like an electric stove). This way, you won’t burn the sugar in the cocoa butter before it melts completely.
• Stir constantly until smooth and glossy; don’t let it sit too long at one time so that it doesn’t start to seize up on itself and get clumpy. You may need additional liquid if this happens—try adding 1 tablespoon at a time until you reach desired consistency without letting things get too loosey-goosey!

2 large eggs plus 2 large egg yolks

• Separate the eggs, placing the yolks in a large bowl and the whites in a medium bowl.
• Add the egg yolks to the melted chocolate mixture. Whisk until smooth.
• Place a fine mesh strainer over another large mixing bowl and pour in your chocolate mixture (along with any extra liquid from melting). Using a spatula, scrape down ever so slightly along all edges of the strainer to make sure that all “scum” is caught by it; discard any such residue as you go along.*
• With an electric mixer or by hand, whisk egg whites until they form stiff peaks when lifted with minimal droop (this takes 2-5 minutes depending on the type of equipment used). Add sugar gradually while continuing to whip until it reaches soft peaks (another minute or two). Now add salt if using, then fold into chocolate mixture just until combined well.*

1/4 cup sugar

For the sugar, you can use plain granulated sugar. This is a white powdery substance that is used to sweeten coffee and tea. It is also used in baking to decorate cakes and other desserts.

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Flour is a dry ingredient. It’s added to the chocolate mixture to thicken it and make it more stable.

A pinch of salt

Salt is a crucial ingredient in baking, and usually we use it to enhance the flavor of our baked goods. For example, if you don’t add salt to muffins or cakes, they may taste bland and boring. However, this is not always true; sometimes you’ll want to avoid adding too much salt because it will make your food taste salty even though that’s not what you intended!

There are many different types of salt out there: fine-grain table salt with no additives (such as iodine), coarse kosher salt and sea salts like Maldon or fleur de sel—so many options! If you’re interested in getting creative with your cooking but aren’t sure where to start with seasoning your food then try using some different kinds of salts because each type has its own unique flavor profile from varying minerals found within the product itself. There’s no need for anything fancy here since most people already have access through their grocery store but if possible try finding something new on Amazon so that when guests come over they’ll think “wow! This tastes great!”

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, egg yolks and sugar until combined. Add salt and whisk again until smooth and pale in color. Add melted chocolate mixture and whisk until completely incorporated into the egg mixture. Sprinkle flour over the top of your batter gently fold it into the batter by hand with a spoon or rubber spatula (it will not incorporate fully). Transfer batter evenly into 6 ramekins that have been sprayed with cooking spray or lightly coated with butter/oil on the inside surface only (not on top). Fill roasting pan about halfway up sides of custard cups with hot water; place roasting pan in oven on lower rack along with ramekins; bake for 30-35 minutes (until center has puffed slightly above sides of cups). Remove from oven immediately, run knife around edges of each cake to loosen it from cup then turn onto serving plate using another oven safe plate under bottom portion while still warm enough so frosting doesn’t fall off bottom when they are removed from ramekin

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Butter four 4-ounce custard cups or ramekins and place them in a roasting pan or baking dish. Melt the butter and chocolate together in a saucepan over very low heat. Stir until smooth, then remove from the heat.

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Butter four 4-ounce custard cups or ramekins and place them in a roasting pan or baking dish.
• Melt the butter and chocolate together in a saucepan over very low heat, stirring until smooth. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly while you prepare the rest of your ingredients.
• In a mixing bowl, beat together all remaining ingredients except for eggs until smooth (no lumps). Add egg yolks one at a time, beating after each addition until well combined before adding another yolk; once all egg yolks are added, beat for 1 minute more at medium speed until light and fluffy (do not overmix!). Scrape down sides of bowl as needed during mixing process—if batter seems too thick or lumpy after several minutes of beating, add up to 2 tablespoons water until it’s smooth again! Fold cooled chocolate mixture into batter by hand using a spatula or wooden spoon–this will keep it from deflating later when baked​

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, sugar and salt until well combined. Add the chocolate mixture and stir gently to combine. Sprinkle with flour and stir to combine. Pour mixture evenly into the prepared ramekins. Fill roasting pan with enough hot water to come halfway up the sides of the custard cups. Bake for 14 minutes. The cakes should be set around the edges but still soft in the middle (do not overbake). Remove custard cups from water bath and serve immediately while they’re still warm with ice cream, if desired.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, sugar and salt until well combined. Add the chocolate mixture and stir gently to combine. Sprinkle with flour and stir to combine.

Pour mixture evenly into the prepared ramekins. Fill roasting pan with enough hot water to come halfway up the sides of the custard cups. Bake for 14 minutes. The cakes should be set around the edges but still soft in the middle (do not overbake). Remove custard cups from water bath and serve immediately while they’re still warm with ice cream, if desired.

Conclusion

I hope you find this recipe easy to follow and delicious! If you make it, please let me know in the comments below.