Chocolate Lava Cake

As a big foodie myself, I can safely say that there is nothing more divine than a delicious chocolate lava cake with a soft, easily penetrable surface, and wobbly, molten center. It is like a little surprise in store, when what looks like an ordinary chocolate muffin, bursts open, upon being lightly pierced, and oozes out molten chocolate to your delight! Those of you who have already had this enthralling experience, will be able to associate with this description. To treat yourself, your family and your friends to this sinful dessert, learn here how to make chocolate lava cakes.

Basic Recipe

Ingredients

• Bittersweet chocolate squares, 6
• Semisweet chocolate squares, 2
• Unsalted butter, 10 tbsp, 1¼ stick
• Eggs, 3 large
• Egg yolks, 3 large
• Pure vanilla extract, 1 tsp
• Confectioner's Sugar, 1½ cups
• Orange liqueur, 2 tbsp (optional)

Procedure

1. Preheat the oven to a temperature of 425º F.
2. Grease lightly, 6 custard cups with butter or cooking spray.
3. In a double boiler, melt the chocolate and butter together.
4. Add in the sugar and flour to this mixture, and stir thoroughly to avoid lump formation.
5. Slowly blend in the eggs and the yolks, till the mixture is smooth.
6. Pour in the vanilla extract and the orange liqueur.
7. Pour this blend into custard cups, and place them in the oven for about 14 minutes.
8. This will allow the edges of the cake to be firm, while the center will be lava-like or runny.
9. Once cooked, loosen the cakes from the mold with a very thin knife, and invert them on dessert plates.

Hazelnut and Chocolate Lava Cake

Ingredients

• Semisweet chocolate, 4 ounces
• Butter, ½ stick
• Eggs, 4
• All-purpose flour, ¾ cup
• Powdered sugar, 2 cups
• Hazelnut extract, 1 tbsp
• Hazelnut liqueur, 1 tbsp
• Nonstick spray

Procedure

1. Preheat the oven to a temperature of 400º F.
2. Take 8 small custard cups, and spray them with nonstick spray, and place them on a baking sheet.
3. In a double boiler, heat together, the butter and the chocolate, till both melt and blend with a whisk.
4. Now add in the sugar.
5. Add in the eggs one by one, to prevent them from cooking, and blend thoroughly.
6. Now add in the flour, and the hazelnut extract.
7. Pour the mixture into the custard cups, until they are ¾ of the way full.
8. Bake them for 14 minutes, till the edges are firm, while the center is still soft.
9. Once cooked, remove them from the oven, and let them rest for about a minute.
10. Use a very thin knife to loosen the cakes from the custard cups. Invert them on a dessert plate.

To make the chocolate lava cake, you may use either muffin tins, custard cups or molds. You may make the batter several hours before baking, and just pour them into the molds when you wish to bake them. The cakes may sometimes be cracked on the surface, which is natural. If the cake is allowed to cool, the center will set, and not remain molten. As such, it should be served immediately after removing it from the oven. If you wish to prepare the dark chocolate molten lava cake recipe, just substitute the semisweet chocolate in the above recipes with authentic dark chocolate of your choice. You may also use milk chocolate as not everyone prefers the taste of semisweet or bitter chocolate. This recipe can also be prepared by using a ready-made chocolate lava cake mix.

Serving Suggestions

To enhance the taste of the delicious chocolate lava cake, take a look at these serving suggestions.

• A popular way to eat this cake is with a serving of a scoop of vanilla ice cream by the side.
• An interesting way to serve the cake, is by topping it with a chocolate spread, such as Nutella, and serving it with vanilla ice cream.
• Topping it with chocolate shavings is another great way to enhance the basic chocolate lava molten cake recipe.
• An alternative to the vanilla ice cream is whipped cream, topped with chocolate sprinkles, surrounding the cake.
• Leftover cakes may be refrigerated and either eaten cold, or after reheating in the microwave.

Enjoy this sensuous dessert, which can also serve as the ultimate finishing touch to a romantic dinner. And don't worry about the calories. Sometimes, this kind of indulgence is completely worth it!