Molten Chocolate Cakle

aka Chocolate Lava Cake

Not quite cake, not quite soufflé, not quite pudding, It seems as though every restaurant serves this wonderful, decadent dessert that’s all those things and more. Some make it themselves, some order it ready-assembled from food service providers. You can even find a make-it-at-home boxed version among the cake mixes in your supermarket’s baking aisle. But none of them comes close to the original, created by my favorite chef, Jean-Georges Vongerichten. So no, this is not my recipe, but I’m posting it here for your convenience, as I’m using it in one of my menus, specifically the one for Parasha Vayakhel.

I’ve made his recipe many times, always with great success. There are a few tricks I’m going to share with you to make sure yours comes out perfectly.

1. You won’t get more out of it than you’re willing to put into it. That is, you’ll want to splurge and use the very finest chocolate. Chef’s favorite, and one of mine, is Valrhona, 66% bittersweet. You can find it at Whole Foods Market or online.

2. Use a top quality, European butter, such as Kerrygold. It’s low in moisture, high in butterfat, and has a rich flavor, Make sure to only use unsalted butter. To make this dessert pareve, you can substitute vegan butter.

3. Although it’s not necessary, and not part of the original, I add a teaspoon of vanilla bean paste. To me, vanilla makes everything better.

4. Feel free to play with the recipe a bit to add your own twist. A hint of cardamom or cinnamon, or even cayenne pepper can be loads of fun. Vary the taste with a touch of whatever spice complements the dinner you are preparing.

5. Always refrigerate the ramekins before baking. You will have the best results if they go into the oven cold. And the best thing about that is, you can prepare them in advance—even a day ahead of time.

   This super elegant dessert is sure to impress your guests, and it’s easy to prepare.

You will need 4, 6 ounce, oven-safe ramekins for this recipe, such as these, or these.

Ingredients:

• 6 ounces high quality bittersweet chocolate, such as Valrhona, preferably 66% cacao, chopped.

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter (4 ounces) , cubed, plus more for greasing the ramekins

• 2 large eggs, room temperature 

• 2 large egg yolks, room temperature

• 1 teaspoon vanilla paste (my addition)

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

• optional: ¼—½ teaspoon cinnamon or cardamom, or a pinch of cayenne pepper (also my addition)

• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the ramekins

• optional: a scoop of ice cream or a dollop of dairy or coconut whipped cream, to serve alongside the cake.

Method:

• Preheat oven to 450°F.

• Butter and lightly flour four 6-ounce ramekins. Tap out excess flour. (Make sure they are completely coated, with no bare spots.) Set the prepared ramekins on a baking sheet.

• Fill a medium saucepan with water to a depth of 1 inch; bring to a boil over medium-high, and reduce heat to medium-low to maintain a simmer. Combine chocolate and butter in a medium-size heatproof bowl, and set bowl over simmering water in pan, making sure bottom of bowl doesn’t touch water. Cook over medium-low, stirring occasionally and adjusting heat as needed to maintain a simmer, until chocolate mixture is melted and smooth, 16 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat, and set aside.

• Beat eggs, egg yolks, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl with an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment on high speed until thickened and pale, 2 to 3 minutes

• Whisk melted chocolate until smooth.

• Quickly fold melted chocolate mixture and flour into egg mixture in bowl until well combined and no streaks remain.

• Spoon batter into prepared ramekins (about 1/2 cup per ramekin) and smooth the top using a small offset spatula if needed. Place the ramekins in the refrigerator and chill for a minimum of 1 hour. The secret to having this recipe work is to have them very cold when they go into the oven. You can even make this a day ahead.

• Place the ramekins on a baking sheet with ramekins in the preheated oven, and bake until tops of cakes are just set and edges spring back when touched but centers still feel soft, about 9 minutes. (Start watching them at 7 minutes—if the centers are fully set, you’ve baked them too long.) 

• Remove the cakes from the oven and let them cool in their ramekins for 3 minutes. Working with 1 ramekin at a time, cover the ramekin with an inverted dessert plate. Carefully flip them over together, and let it stand for 10 seconds before lifting the ramekin off to unmold the cake. Repeat the procedure with remaining cakes. Serve immediately.