I planned on celebrating St. Valentine's day with something super rich and loaded with chocolate but I needed it to be a straightforward and fairly simple recipe. I didn't want to make my super dense flourless chocolate cake or a regular cake. Brownies were a maybe but I wanted more. Then I remembered a delicious desert from a few years back that I had when my sister and I went to Millerton, New York for shopping, Harney Tea Shop and enjoying each other's company which is something we do so very rarely living so far apart. The restaurant version was called warm chocolate cake.
I found a recipe in "How to be a Domestic Goddess" by Nigella Lawson. It was so easy to whip up with my handheld mixer (everything went into the dishwasher, thankfully, no hand washing) and the best part is they can be made in advance. I made them a day ahead and kept them in the refrigerator and while we ate dinner I had the oven preheated and just popped them in and they were ready for a delicious hot melty dessert!
Molten Lava Cake
makes 6 six-ounce custard cups
Grease the custard cups with butter and cut a round of parchment for the bottom of the cup if you are tipping the little cakes out. You can cook and serve in the custard cup if you like.
scant ¼ cup soft butter
12 ounces of your best bittersweet chocolate
½ cup sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature, beaten with a pinch of salt
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/3 cup all purpose unbleached flour
Preheat oven to 400F if making right away. Put a sheet pan in the oven on the middle rack to heat up at this time.
Melt the chocolate in a bowl over simmering water. Let cool slightly.
Cream together in a large bowl the butter and sugar. Gradually beat in the eggs, salt and vanilla. Add the flour and when smoothly combined scrape in the slightly cooled chocolate and mix to a smooth batter.
Divide the batter between the 6 cups and remove your hot sheet pan from the oven and place the cups on it and place it back in the oven and bake for 10 to 12 minutes. If you have refrigerated your batter bake for a few minutes longer.
As soon as the cups come out of the oven, tip the cup onto the serving plate (you may have to run a knife along the edge. Remove the parchment and serve with ice cream or whipped cream. the hot and cold combination is just luscious.
This dessert is easy and impressive.
4 comments:
Wendy! These look just brilliant! I've had these choc lava cakes on my to do list for a long, long time.... maybe its time I started doing something about it!
These look wonderful. I have wanted to make these but just have not gotten around to it. I agree we do not spend enough time together, that's for sure.
I wonder how easily I could substitute a GF flour for this recipe. They look so tasty!
Oh wow, that looks fantastic. You've definitely got skill. I have a sweet treat linky party going on at my blog and I'd like to invite you to stop by and link your cakes up. http://sweet-as-sugar-cookies.blogspot.com/2011/02/sweets-for-saturday-6.html
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