You and your loved one are on the couch, catching up on Archer before the finale this week. You've gotten to the bottom of your takeout, and you turn to them while fast forwarding, "Want any dessert?" They sort of shrug, paying more attention to the TV than the offer, assuming that means you're grabbing an ice cream sandwich or something from the freezer. You sneak off for 5 minutes, whisking together the ingredients and popping it in the oven. You join in until the next commercial break and then BAM! Hit them with a molten chocolate cake.
Where did this come from? How did you make it so quickly? Why the fancy dessert? Are you hiding something? Yes, busting out a molten chocolate cake might be suspicious the first time, but it'll quickly become an ongoing phenomenon in your house if any of you like chocolate. Or cake. Or happiness. And if you don't like these things, why are you on a cooking blog anyway?
One little cake is perfect for two to split, as its molten deliciousness is very rich. I love the chocolate paired with a maple tinted whipping cream, but feel free to just pop a scoop of your favorite ice cream on that sucker if its easier. The batter can be made ahead of time, poured in the ramekins, and kept in the fridge until it's time for dessert; but make sure to bake it for an extra minute or two, since it'll be cold.
There's something innately impressive in preparing a hot, relatively composed dessert for someone. Once that spoon breaks into the cake, letting it burst open with warm, gooey chocolate, well, who isn't going to gobble that right up? Enjoy!
Makes four 8oz ramekins
12 oz dark chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup unsalted butter, cubed
4 large eggs, room temperature
1/4 cup white sugar
Pinch of salt
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)
1 large pinch cayenne (about 1/4 teaspoon)
1 cup heavy cream
2-3 tablespoons maple syrup (depending on how sweet you like it)
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)
Pre heat the oven to 400 F. Melt the chocolate, butter, and sugar over a double boiler. Turn off the heat and let it cool for a minute. Meanwhile, whisk together the eggs and salt, and add it to the melted mixture. Whisk it together quickly so the eggs don't cook. Add the vanilla, cayenne, and flour. Mix until just incorporated. Grease the ramekins and fill until almost full with batter. Bake for 11 minutes, 12 if you don't want if super gooey. Meanwhile whip together the cream, maple syrup, and vanilla until soft peaks form. Flip the cakes onto plates and serve with a dollop of cream. Enjoy!
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14 comments:
I LOVED the video, it was very cute and the cake looks delicious!
Thanks Alyssa! So glad you liked the video!
The best dessert ever! Period.
Just came across your blog a few days ago and it is complete food porn! The videos are adorable... and are the perfect accompaniment to the photos (everyone just does photos). Awesome work. Can't wait to see more!
Thanks so much Maddalenna! Just popped over to your blog and love your taste in music. The "Frontier Psychiatrist" video has always been a favorite, especially the old man with the turtle body, so random yet awesome.
This is why I need some little ramekins! These look delicious and the video is so neat.
Claire, this recipe is terrific! I hosted a dessert making party yesterday and we made these cakes. They were perfect. So easy and quick to make. But we substituted homemade salted caramel ice cream for the maple whipped cream. Thanks for a great recipe. It'll be my new go to dinner party dessert.
Thanks so much Kristin! I always hold my breath a little when people try my recipes, hoping for them to work out. I love the salted caramel ice cream idea. sooooo good. Another crazy idea I've done with it is just a sprinkle of smoked sea salt. Salt + Chocolate = YES.
Hi Claire! I was at Kristin's dessert-making party and was lucky enough to enjoy these myself - I just blogged about it, please swing by and say hello. :)
PS: I am your newest fan, love your vdos! Are you a fellow Canon 5D-lover?
Your videos are all kinds of pretty! Putting this recipe on my list of things to try soon. :)
The chocolate cake is an all time favorite for most people. It is a great dessert that you could serve to everyone during a special occasion or even a casual gathering.
Love this recipe so much!!! I'm going to try to make it, what size ramekins do you use?
Hi!! I saw this recipe today on TV (we only just got your show in Argentina!) and HAD to try it!
Tasted perfect but I am afraid I either used the wrong size cups for cooking it or my oven works differently! 12 minutes and it was so runny! I will try the rest of the recipe tomorrow for 15 minutes! :D
Love your show and ideas!!
Hi Florencia, it could be that your ramekins were too large. This recipe is meant for four 8 oz ramekins, so they're quite small. If you made them in larger ramekins, they'll take a few minutes longer. Let me know how they turn out with the extra time! :)
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