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Let's begin the recipe of chocolate lava cake. Start with preheating your oven to 425 F (220 C). Preheating the oven a good amount of time before baking helps make sure that the cakes bake evenly and come out with that nice lava core.
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While waiting for your oven to preheat, you could begin preparing your ramekins. Grease four ramekins lightly with some unsalted butter to prevent the cakes from sticking to them. This will be an important step. Ramekins which are well greased will easily have the cakes slide right out of it once they are done baking.
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Melt 1/2 cup (113g) of unsalted butter and 6 ounces of chopped bittersweet chocolate in a saucepan over low heat. The mixture will melt slowly to create a smooth, rich, chocolatey texture.
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The bitter taste of the bittersweet chocolate balances out this sweet dessert. Do not burn the chocolate; the danger of this happening is reduced by keeping the heat down to the lowest that still melts it.
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Now, melt the chocolate and butter completely, then turn off the flame. Let it cool a little.
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Next, in a bowl, whisk together 2 big eggs and 2 big egg yolks till frothy and well mixed. Adding more egg yolks gives it extra richness, due to which lava cake is rich and creamy.
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Add ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar and ⅛ teaspoon salt to the eggs.
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Vigorously beat the mixture until it lightens in colour and has thickened a bit; the sugar should dissolve into the eggs, becoming the sweet base of your cake batter.
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Now, gradually pour the cooled chocolate mixture into the egg mixture. This should be done slowly so that eggs do not cook.
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Using a spatula, mix the chocolate with the egg mixture until it is well combined. The resulting batter should be smooth and luscious. It must be able to convey the essence of chocolate.
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Then you're going to want to add in 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour. Fold this flour into the batter just until combined.
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Be careful not to overmix the batter, as this can cause a denser cake, not to that glorious light, molten centre. When everything is mixed well, the batter will pour into the ramekins you prepared.
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Pour the batter into greased ramekins; fill to about three-quarters, leaving room for the cakes to rise while they bake.
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Place them on a baking sheet for easy handling in case some spill over while they bake in the oven.
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Bake the lava chocolate cakes in a hot oven for approximately 12-14 minutes. The edges will be set, and the centre will remain soft and gooey.
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You should check the cakes because they need to be firm at the edges and jiggly on the inside while you are just gently shaking them. That contrast is important to give it that desired lava effect.
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Let cool in ramekins for about 1 minute. Use a knife to run around the edges to loosen the cakes. Turn each ramekin onto a dessert plate, gently tapping to release the lava cake.
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For a glamorous finishing touch, serve these chocolate lava cakes warm, preferably with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream.
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There is something almost heavenly about ice cream mixing with that warm, oozing chocolate. Sprinkle with powdered sugar or add some fresh berries for some colour.