Gooey Chocolate Lava Cake
Time:
1h
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Loot:
(8) 6-oz ramekins
“I’m not needy! Chocolate lava cake is not just undercooked chocolate cake!”
- Chef Casper
Had to do it. Great movie, great food, now I want a Cubano. Anyways, here’s little something I whipped up for Valentine’s Day, or whenever you’re reading this, for date night. And if not, hey, no worries. Self-love is just as, if not more important. And that’s what you’ll get when this thing knocks you on your ass.
Anyways, despite what Favreau said, the origins of the cake are actually a bitter fight between two French guys. The first one, Michael Bras, said it was the culmination of two years’ work, inspired by hot chocolate at a ski resort, where he made a rice-starch based cake with a frozen ganache core back in ‘81. The other guy, Jean-Georges Vongerichten (I dare you to try that last name out loud) made his by mistake in ‘87 at the Drake Hotel in NYC. He undercooked a few chocolate sponges, got yelled at, was told to apologize, and walked out to a standing ovation of diners.
We’re doing Jean-Georges’ version. It’s a deceptively soft, fluffy cocoa bomb, with a rich, gooey molten chocolate center that definitely earns its name. The way the textures work together, hold the heat, and use much simpler ingredients makes it the ideal dessert to whip up for a few “wows.” That’s what it was made for after all. Also, it’s the version you’ll end up paying $20 for if you go out tonight. So why not get the credit, save the paper, and best of all — get more than one to spare the awkward, passive-aggressive war for the last bite? Because nothing says romance like glaring at your partner over the last spoonful.
Word to the Wise
Grease your ramekins well! Butter + cocoa powder is the standard, but cooking spray, veggie oil, choose your weapon. Just make sure every nook and cranny is well-greased, or risk a broken cake and a bad night of dishes.
If you’re using 6-oz ramekins, bake for around 16-17 minutes. You still might want to do checks around the 14 minute mark to make sure you don’t overcook it. Oven temperatures can vary.
For 4-oz, do around 10-12 minutes, and check around the 10 minute mark.
For the toothpick/chopstick test, if the center comes out wet and the sides come out clean, take it out. This is the trickiest part to get right, but hitting that sweet spot of an underbaked center and a crisp exterior is what gives the lava cake its sexy molten core.
Don’t let it rest for longer than 2-3 minutes! Definitely rest the cakes. Don’t burn your hands and let it pull away from the sides, but wait too long, and the center will cook and you’ll use the lava.
Use a knife along the sides before the flip. It’s natural for the cake to stick a little bit no matter how well you grease it. Gently carve out the sides to give it a little help sliding out, but make sure not to accidentally cut into the lava.
Make sure you fold your batter gently from top to bottom. Overmixing is a common mistake that fails lava cakes far and wide. Be sure that you fold by hand and stir gently until your batter is just combined. Keep your sponge breathing.
Moments before disaster
Ingredients
1 cup chopped semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (chocolate chips are fine)
10 tbsp unsalted butter (1 ¼ sticks)
⅜ tsp salt
½ tsp vanilla extract
3 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
1 ½ cups powdered sugar
½ cup all-purpose flour
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Melt a little butter in the microwave. Get a pastry brush, and brush the sides of your ramekins. Dust with a little cocoa powder and flip upside down to get rid of the excess.
In another microwave-safe bowl or measuring cup, melt your 10 tbsp of butter all the way in the microwave. Pour it into a saucepan, and place it on a stove on low heat.
Pour in your chopped chocolate or chocolate chips, and stir constantly until it completely melts and you get a smooth, dark chocolate mixture. Be sure not to stop or else you’ll burn the chocolate.
Take your pan off the heat and stir in the salt and vanilla. Let the mixture cool to room temperature (it can be slightly warm but not hot). Set it off to the side until it cools to room temperature.
In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, add in the eggs, egg yolks, and powdered sugar. Whisk on a high setting until your mixture falls into pale, thick ribbons.
Take your bowl off the mixer and add your flour and cooled chocolate into the egg mixture. Using a spatula, gently fold form bottom to top, until just combined and you have one fluffy, thick chocolate batter.
Fill each of your ramekins to about 75-80% volume with the batter, and place them on a baking sheet.
Bake for around 14-15 minutes in the oven until the sides are set and when the cake feels soft in the center. Use a chopstick or a toothpick to check for doneness. The outer layer should come out with a clean toothpick/chopstick, but the inner layer should come out gooey.
Remove your cakes the oven and let them sit for 2-3 minutes. This allows the outer layer to set a little bit so it doesn’t fall apart when you serve it. Be sure not to let them rest for too long or you’ll lose the solid center.
Serving
Be sure to wear your oven mitts!
Run a knife along the edges of your cakes to loosen it up a bit and help it slide out of the pan. Carefully place a dessert dish over one of your ramekins.
With one hand on the bottom of your ramekin and one hand on the top of your plates, flip it over. Give the bottom and sides a few taps and jiggle your cake out.
Serve with a scoop of ice cream, some dusted powdered sugar, or some fruit to score some extra points. Enjoy!