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Molten Chocolate Cake

     Prep Time: 10 mins

     Cook Time: 20 minutes

     Total Time: 30 minutes

     Ganache chilling: 3 hrs

Molten Chocolate Cakes, also known as Lava Cakes, are warm individual-size chocolate cakes with oozing chocolate centres.

 

It isn’t raw cake batter, it’s chocolate ganache. No more stressing about overcooking and losing the chocolate lava – because melted chocolate will always ooze!

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Cuisine: Western

Author: Nagi (RecipeTin Eats)

Recipe

INGREDIENTS

MOLTEN CHOCOLATE GANACHE CENTRE:

 

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips or melts/ semi sweet chocolate chips

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4 tbsp cream , heavy/thickened

 

CAKE BATTER:

 

1 cup dark chocolate chips or melts/ semi sweet chocolate chips

 

100g / 7 tbsp unsalted butter , cut into 1cm / ½" cubes

 

2 eggs , at room temperature

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2 egg yolks , at room temperature

 

1/2 cup caster/superfine sugar (sub

ordinary white sugar)

 

2 tbsp flour , plain / all purpose

 

TO SERVE:

 

Ice-cream or cream (highly recommended!)

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Cocoa or icing sugar / powdered sugar , for dusting

 

Strawberries , raspberries or edible flowers, optional decoration

INSTRUCTIONS

MOLTEN CHOCOLATE GANACHE:

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  • Place chocolate and cream in a microwave-proof bowl. Microwave on high for three 20-second bursts, stirring in between, until chocolate is melted and smooth.

  • Let cool on the counter for 10 minutes, then refrigerate for 3 hours or until firm enough to scoop into balls.

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CAKE:

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  • Preheat oven to 200°C / 390°F (180°C fan).

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  • Grease & dust moulds: Grease 4 x 170ml / 5.75oz dariole or pudding moulds with butter then dust insides with cocoa powder, tapping out excess. 

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  • Melt chocolate and butter: Place chocolate and butter in a bowl. Microwave in 30 second bursts, stirring in between. Stir well until smooth, then leave to cool for 5 minutes.

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  • Whisk eggs and sugar: In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks and sugar.

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  • Combine with chocolate: Add the melted chocolate into the eggs, and mix until combined.

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  • Fold through flour: Add flour and fold through until just combined. Do not over-mix.

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  • Fill moulds: Pour or scoop the batter into prepared moulds until it reaches â…“ of the way up.

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  • Drop in ganache: Place one generously-heaped teaspoon of ganache into middle of batter. Top with more batter until it reaches 1.5cm / â…—" from the top rim. Repeat for remaining moulds.

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  • Bake 20 minutes: Place the moulds on an oven tray and bake for 20 minutes, or until the pudding tops spring back when gently touched.

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  • Turn out: Stand for 2 minutes, then turn onto plate. Tap base then gently remove each mould.

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  • Serve with ice-cream or cream, dusted with cocoa powder. Decorate with strawberries!

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Recipe Notes

Use dark chocolate chips or melts, aka semi-sweet chocolate chips (US). Do not use a dark chocolate with more than 50% cocoa, as it changes the texture of the cake batter and makes it too firm (as I found out first hand!). Also, the ganache will not be molten enough.

 

Separate the eggs while the eggs are fridge-cold because it’s easier. But then cover and leave separated eggs for 15 minutes to take the fridge chill out of them so they incorporate more easily with the other ingredients.

 

Do not be tempted to shortcut by freezing it! To speed things up, transfer the mix into a shallow dish so it cools faster.

 

This recipe makes more ganache than you need, as it’s hard to make less. I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you what to do with the ganache!

 

Muffin tins or ramekins work fine too, they just won’t come out as tall as pictured. A standard muffin tin makes seven to eight cakes, fill to 1cm from the rim and bake 17 minutes. A large muffin tin could also be used – this will make four and take 20 minutes to bake.

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Keep 3 to 4 days and you still get the molten centre because reheating won’t cook the chocolate ganache inside! (If you try reheating the raw cake batter Lava Cakes, the inside cooks). I just reheat in the microwave for 45 seconds. Haven’t tried freezing – only concern is whether than makes the ganache seize so it won’t ooze when reheated, it will be more like a thick chocolate paste instead.

Nutrition Facts

Servings: 4 Serving | Calories Per Serving: 695cal Kcal

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% DAILY VALUE
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  1. Calories: 695cal 

  2. Carbohydrates: 58g 

  3. Protein: 8g 

  4. Fat: 48g 

  5. Saturated Fat: 28g 

  6. Trans Fat: 1g

  7. Cholesterol: 244mg 

  8. Sodium: 46mg 

  9. Potassium: 374mg 

  10. Fiber: 5g 

  11. Sugar: 46g 

  12. Vitamin A: 984IU 

  13. Vitamin C: 1mg

  14. Calcium: 69mg 

  15. Iron: 4mg

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