Recipe contributed by Dhara Balwa
I think almost everyone who knows me knows that I am not a big fan of chocolate desserts. Chocolate by itself, I love. But cakes, fudge, brownie-nope! Of course there are some exceptions like Ghirardelli's brownies and Oreo cookie dessert. But generally, I don't make much chocolaty desserts at home.
Anyway, so last weekend, I had a girls night-in at my home. It was an after dinner 'desserts and drinks' kind of get together. I decided to serve hot, cold and ready to eat desserts including Baklava, Gulkand icecream, Kulfi. I was still in the middle of making up my mind on hot dessert. The only thing I was sure was of doing individual servings. I realized that chocolate dessert is favorite of all my friends. I am the odd one out! And though I don't eat it, the Molten Lava cake always makes my mind say OOOOs and AAAAs. I wondered how it worked! You know a mountain of chocolate filled with lava of chocolate! It seemed very tricky. But I decided to do a search last week and find out what it takes to make a good Lava cake. Well, it turns out its super easy with minimum ingredients. You just need to make sure to use good quality chocolate and stay very alert while the mini-cakes are baking. So are you ready to make and enjoy this delectable dessert this weekend which is now on my 'Chocolate desserts I eat' list?
Serves: 6
Prep time: 15 min Cook time: 10-11.5 min
Difficulty level: Easy
Adapted from Paula Deen's recipe
Ingredients:
8 oz./225 grams Chocolate (I used 4 oz. Ghirardelli's Bittersweet and 4 oz. Semisweet chocolate chips)
10 Tbsp. or 1-1/4 sticks Unsalted Butter
3 Whole Large Eggs
3 Egg Yolks (Separate the egg whites. So total of 6 eggs)
1/2 cup All Purpose Flour
3/4 cup Granulated White Sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1 tsp. Instant Coffee Powder
Other special items:
6 6 oz. Ramekins
Method:
1) Preheat the oven at 425 degree F/218 degree C
2) In a double broiler, melt the butter and chocolate until smooth and runny.
3) Remove from heat and add the sugar. Mix with spatula until mixed and melted well. If the granules of sugar are big, make it finer in the mixer and then add it.
4) Add the flour and mix it again.
5) Add the eggs and the yolks. Now you can mix it manually with the spoon and make sure everything is mixed well. I just gave it few good pulses with my hand blender. Some times yolks try to stay together and don't mix so well with rest of the ingredients.
6) Add the vanilla extract and coffee powder and mix it one last time.
7) Generously coat the ramekins with butter or oil. Divide the chocolate batter equally in 6 ramekins. The ramekins would be about 3/4 filled.
8) Bake in the oven for 10-11.5 min depending on your oven. The edges and top most layer should be baked but the middle should look very soft and a little giggly. Don't worry if you don't get it right the first time. You will definitely know in the second round, the perfect time to take it out.
What I did was bake two in the first round to see if I get it right. And baked the rest accordingly.
9) Take ramekins out of the oven. Let the lava cake stay in the ramekin for a minute. Loosen the edges circling around with a sharp knife/thin spatula. Turn it upside down directly over the serving dessert plate.
10) Dust it with powdered sugar and serve with raspberries/strawberries and whipped cream/ Vanilla ice cream on the side. Serve and eat quickly.
Remember, the more time it stays out to cool, the denser it will get. The center will turn pudding like instead of lava in a matter of 5-8 min out of the oven.
I made a lame attempt to beautify it. Ooops! the strawberry was too heavy for the mini cake. Lesson learnt-- Serve on the side. :)
You can make the batter in advance and wrap the individual cups. Refrigerate it and take it out 1/2-1 hour before baking to make sure they are on room temperature. Otherwise, just increase the baking time as the batter would be cold if the cups go directly from refrigerator to oven.
I would recommend using conventional oven. If you have countertop oven and no other choice, reduce the temperature a bit. Say 390-400 F.
I think almost everyone who knows me knows that I am not a big fan of chocolate desserts. Chocolate by itself, I love. But cakes, fudge, brownie-nope! Of course there are some exceptions like Ghirardelli's brownies and Oreo cookie dessert. But generally, I don't make much chocolaty desserts at home.
Anyway, so last weekend, I had a girls night-in at my home. It was an after dinner 'desserts and drinks' kind of get together. I decided to serve hot, cold and ready to eat desserts including Baklava, Gulkand icecream, Kulfi. I was still in the middle of making up my mind on hot dessert. The only thing I was sure was of doing individual servings. I realized that chocolate dessert is favorite of all my friends. I am the odd one out! And though I don't eat it, the Molten Lava cake always makes my mind say OOOOs and AAAAs. I wondered how it worked! You know a mountain of chocolate filled with lava of chocolate! It seemed very tricky. But I decided to do a search last week and find out what it takes to make a good Lava cake. Well, it turns out its super easy with minimum ingredients. You just need to make sure to use good quality chocolate and stay very alert while the mini-cakes are baking. So are you ready to make and enjoy this delectable dessert this weekend which is now on my 'Chocolate desserts I eat' list?
Serves: 6
Prep time: 15 min Cook time: 10-11.5 min
Difficulty level: Easy
Adapted from Paula Deen's recipe
Ingredients:
8 oz./225 grams Chocolate (I used 4 oz. Ghirardelli's Bittersweet and 4 oz. Semisweet chocolate chips)
10 Tbsp. or 1-1/4 sticks Unsalted Butter
3 Whole Large Eggs
3 Egg Yolks (Separate the egg whites. So total of 6 eggs)
1/2 cup All Purpose Flour
3/4 cup Granulated White Sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1 tsp. Instant Coffee Powder
Other special items:
6 6 oz. Ramekins
Method:
1) Preheat the oven at 425 degree F/218 degree C
2) In a double broiler, melt the butter and chocolate until smooth and runny.
3) Remove from heat and add the sugar. Mix with spatula until mixed and melted well. If the granules of sugar are big, make it finer in the mixer and then add it.
4) Add the flour and mix it again.
5) Add the eggs and the yolks. Now you can mix it manually with the spoon and make sure everything is mixed well. I just gave it few good pulses with my hand blender. Some times yolks try to stay together and don't mix so well with rest of the ingredients.
6) Add the vanilla extract and coffee powder and mix it one last time.
7) Generously coat the ramekins with butter or oil. Divide the chocolate batter equally in 6 ramekins. The ramekins would be about 3/4 filled.
8) Bake in the oven for 10-11.5 min depending on your oven. The edges and top most layer should be baked but the middle should look very soft and a little giggly. Don't worry if you don't get it right the first time. You will definitely know in the second round, the perfect time to take it out.
What I did was bake two in the first round to see if I get it right. And baked the rest accordingly.
9) Take ramekins out of the oven. Let the lava cake stay in the ramekin for a minute. Loosen the edges circling around with a sharp knife/thin spatula. Turn it upside down directly over the serving dessert plate.
10) Dust it with powdered sugar and serve with raspberries/strawberries and whipped cream/ Vanilla ice cream on the side. Serve and eat quickly.
Remember, the more time it stays out to cool, the denser it will get. The center will turn pudding like instead of lava in a matter of 5-8 min out of the oven.
I made a lame attempt to beautify it. Ooops! the strawberry was too heavy for the mini cake. Lesson learnt-- Serve on the side. :)
You can make the batter in advance and wrap the individual cups. Refrigerate it and take it out 1/2-1 hour before baking to make sure they are on room temperature. Otherwise, just increase the baking time as the batter would be cold if the cups go directly from refrigerator to oven.
I would recommend using conventional oven. If you have countertop oven and no other choice, reduce the temperature a bit. Say 390-400 F.
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