Chocolate Lava Cakes
If you want to go ultra chef-fy on garnishing this lava cake: Cook down 2 cups pomegranate juice and 1 cup port over high heat until syrupy and brush on the plate. Very sexy!
Yield: Makes 6 large, 8 medium or 12 small cakes.
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup tbsp butter, unsalted, room temperature
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1/3 cup flour
- Pinch allspice
- Pinch cayenne
- ¼ tsp. Maldon salt
- 8.5-ounces dark chocolate, melted
- Small pieces of dark chocolate, to put into the centre of each cake
- Butter, for greasing the pans
- White granular sugar, for coating the pans
- Icing sugar, for garnishing
- 1 mango, cut into strips, for garnishing (optional)
- Ice cream, for serving (optional)
Method
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Note: Size of cakes depends on size desired. Use ¾ cup ramekins for 6 large cakes, standard muffin pan for 8 medium cakes and mini ramekins or muffin pans for 12 small cakes.
- Grease pans with butter. Coat pans with sugar. Set aside.
- Melt chocolate in double boiler. Stir in Maldon salt to melted chocolate. Set aside.
- Using electric hand mixer or stand mixer, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating to incorporate after each addition. Stir in vanilla.
- Sift flour and spices. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture. Beat to just combine.
- Add melted chocolate. Blend to combine.
- Fill batter ¾ full into baking cups. Add a piece of chocolate (about the size of a dime) into the centre each cake.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes (baking time depends on size of cups). Cakes should still feel soft in the centre. Let cool for 5 to 10 minutes. With paring knife, loosen cakes, if needed. Invert cakes onto bottom of baking sheet or cutting board.
- Transfer to plate. Dust with icing sugar. Serve warm with mango slices and/or a scoop of ice cream.