Molten Chocolate (Lava) Cake for Valentine's Day
This easy lava cake recipe comes from one of Rachael Ray's programs. I've made it successfully several times in my pre-camera days but, in the interim, I have a new stove and its baking is a bit temperamental. So, I thought I'd try half the recipe to test things out. A good thing too as I over baked the cakes while looking for the characteristics I remembered before ... a shiny brown top like in brownies.
Although the recipe recommends buttering and coating the ramekin with fine castor sugar, I found the resulting granular coating displeasing aesthetically so I'm going to leave out the sugar next time.
Even if over baked, the lava cake will be delicious, rich and fudgy inside, so I thought I'd post the recipe now, which gives anyone looking for an easy and tasty Valentine's day dessert enough time to test it out. I plan on making another half batch and will post the appropriately 'lava' picture then.
Lava cake - Served with the 'relatively' flat bottom up and an orange marmalade butter sauce as I had no fresh fruit for garnish. A small dollop of whipping cream can't hurt either.
Inside the lava cake - even if the middle didn't pour out like lava, it still tasted great.
Cake Top after the cake had been sitting in the ramekin for 4-5 minutes. I remember it being much flatter and not ballooned up like that.
The underside of the above cake showing the sunken-in bottom. The white sugar coating the ramekin was unattractive and gave the cake a bit of a grainy taste.
Molten Chocolate (Lava) Cakes - serves 8, shared among 4 people, though those are going to be pretty small servings
4 squares Baker's Semi-Sweet Chocolate, chop roughly
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup icing sugar, sifted
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
6 tbsp flour
pinch of salt
1 tbsp liqueur ie. Kahlua, Cointreau (optional)
Extra softened unsalted butter and 2 tbsp fine sugar sifted cocoa powder for coating ramekins.
Sweetened whipped cream and fresh fruit or berries for garnish.
Preheat oven to 425°F. Butter sides and bottoms of 4 (3/4-cup) ramekins or souffle dishes. Sprinkle with fine sugar cocoa powder and shake out the excess. Place on baking sheet.
Microwave the chocolate and butter in a large microwavable bowl on high for 1 minute or until the butter is melted. Stir with a wire whisk until the chocolate is completely melted. Stir in sugar until well blended. Whisk in eggs and egg yolks. Stir in liqueur (if using), flour and salt. Divide the batter among the prepared ramekins.
Bake for 13 to 14 minutes or until the sides are firm but the centers are soft. Let stand for 1 minute. Carefully run a small knife around the cakes to loosen them. Invert the cakes onto dessert dishes. Serve immediately, each topped with 1 tbsp whipped cream. Garnish with fresh fruit or berries.
Make-Ahead: Prepare as directed and pour into ramekins, cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate up to 1 day ahead. Just before serving, remove and discard the plastic wrap, bake and unmold as directed.
Although the recipe recommends buttering and coating the ramekin with fine castor sugar, I found the resulting granular coating displeasing aesthetically so I'm going to leave out the sugar next time.
Even if over baked, the lava cake will be delicious, rich and fudgy inside, so I thought I'd post the recipe now, which gives anyone looking for an easy and tasty Valentine's day dessert enough time to test it out. I plan on making another half batch and will post the appropriately 'lava' picture then.
Lava cake - Served with the 'relatively' flat bottom up and an orange marmalade butter sauce as I had no fresh fruit for garnish. A small dollop of whipping cream can't hurt either.
Inside the lava cake - even if the middle didn't pour out like lava, it still tasted great.
Cake Top after the cake had been sitting in the ramekin for 4-5 minutes. I remember it being much flatter and not ballooned up like that.
The underside of the above cake showing the sunken-in bottom. The white sugar coating the ramekin was unattractive and gave the cake a bit of a grainy taste.
Molten Chocolate (Lava) Cakes - serves 8, shared among 4 people, though those are going to be pretty small servings
4 squares Baker's Semi-Sweet Chocolate, chop roughly
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup icing sugar, sifted
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
6 tbsp flour
pinch of salt
1 tbsp liqueur ie. Kahlua, Cointreau (optional)
Extra softened unsalted butter and 2 tbsp fine sugar sifted cocoa powder for coating ramekins.
Sweetened whipped cream and fresh fruit or berries for garnish.
Preheat oven to 425°F. Butter sides and bottoms of 4 (3/4-cup) ramekins or souffle dishes. Sprinkle with fine sugar cocoa powder and shake out the excess. Place on baking sheet.
Microwave the chocolate and butter in a large microwavable bowl on high for 1 minute or until the butter is melted. Stir with a wire whisk until the chocolate is completely melted. Stir in sugar until well blended. Whisk in eggs and egg yolks. Stir in liqueur (if using), flour and salt. Divide the batter among the prepared ramekins.
Bake for 13 to 14 minutes or until the sides are firm but the centers are soft. Let stand for 1 minute. Carefully run a small knife around the cakes to loosen them. Invert the cakes onto dessert dishes. Serve immediately, each topped with 1 tbsp whipped cream. Garnish with fresh fruit or berries.
Make-Ahead: Prepare as directed and pour into ramekins, cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate up to 1 day ahead. Just before serving, remove and discard the plastic wrap, bake and unmold as directed.