First off, Happy New Year to all you wonderful foodies out there! I hope you brought in 2016 with your favourite food. If not, now’s the time. Wait! Errrr, after you read this blog post is the time, actually! š
So,Ā Molten Chocolate Cake. This dessert needs no introduction. The past couple of years have been what we can call ‘The Rise of the Molten Chocolate Cake’. It’s everywhere; home-bakers are acing it, it’sĀ on pretty much every restaurant menu and if you do a Google search, there are a million different recipes for this chocolicious delight. It also goes by many names – Chocolate Fondant, Lava Cake, Molten Chocolate Cake, Chocolate Lava Cake.
Long before I began baking extensively, I wondered how this gorgeous pud was baked. After some research I learned that it had all to do with the baking technique. These little pots of pure chocolate indulgence are baked on high heat for a short time so as to have them firmed upĀ on the outside while ooey-gooey and oozy on the inside; in which case, the egg yolks in the recipe help bring out that custard-y effect! But then I also came across a few recipes which suggested putting quick-melting cubes of chocolate in the centre of the mini-cake before baking to have a perfectly liquid centre. Personally, I prefer the former. And among the million recipes out there, here’s mine! š
Here’s what you need:
- Dark Chocolate – 250 g, cubed
- Unsalted Butter – 113 g, plus extra for greasing ramekins
- Confectioner’s sugar – 200 g
- Eggs – 3 whole + 3 yolks
- All Purpose Flour – 120 g
- Vanilla Essence – 4 tsp
Here’s how you make this spectacularĀ Molten Chocolate Cake:
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 200 degrees Celsius and grease glass or ceramic ramekins with butter. In a large bowl, mix cubes of chocolate and butter. Melt the butter and chocolate in the microwave at medium heat for two minutes. Take out and stir well until smooth.
Step 2: Sift in the icing sugar and all-purpose ļ¬our and beat until the mixture becomes doughy.
Step 3: Whisk in the whole eggs and egg yolks until the mixture is luscious and creamy. Add the vanilla essence and give it one ļ¬nal mix.
Step 4: Pour the batter into the greased ramekins until they are ļ¬lled to about two-third of their capacity. Place the ļ¬lled ramekins on a baking tray, pop into the oven and bake for 13 minutes at 200 degrees Celsius. Take the cakes out of the oven and leave to cool for a few minutes. Carefully overturn the Molten Chocolate Cakes onto serving dishes and top with chopped strawberries. Serve Immediately.
We all know what the hero of the perfect Molten Chocolate Cake really is. That moment of joy when you cut into the cake and the molten chocolateĀ lavaĀ flows out from the centre is unmatched. And that’s exactly what you will get from this recipe!
This Molten Chocolate Cake is mouth-wateringly delicious, to say the least. With the perfect balance of sweetness from the chocolate and confectioner’s sugar, the tartness from the strawberries and the richness of the molten centre, it’s everything you need to take you to chocolatey paradise (very a la theĀ chocolate river in ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’)!
If you’re a die-hard chocolate fan, this dessert is for you. But then, you already knew that! š And for those of you who like a touch of chocolate in your lives every once in a while, make sure you don’t miss out on this classic dessert, made easy by The Foodscape!
Get in the kitchen and get baking! Those New Year’s resolutions can wait a bit! š
The Foodscape 