Lava cake or chocolate volcano cake

Pay close attention, because today's recipe is not for any ordinary cake, but is pure exaltation of chocolatier pleasure. The lava cake or melted chocolate cake is reminiscent of the exquisite chocolate coulant, an excellent pastry preparation that, when well prepared, makes you cry with emotion. Today I bring you the step by step to make the lava cake.

The well-cooked outer layer with a barely semi-baked core mean that when you give the first spoonful to the cake, its melting interior spills over the plate, similar to how lava slides down the side of a volcano. Hence its name, lava cake or chocolate volcano cake .

This sponge cake is a true chocolatier vice , the ideal excuse for not leaving even the slightest residue on the plate. You will see that the recipe is for two individual sponge cakes, but if you don't like it or want to make a larger number of cupcakes, you just have to multiply the ingredients depending on the number of lava cakes you want to make.

Since I assume you're waiting for the recipe, I won't make you suffer anymore. Let's chocolate!

Ingredients

For two individual lava cakes

• 57 g unsalted butter
• 55 g dark chocolate (minimum 60% cocoa) in drops or small pieces
• 50g of sugar
• 1 large whole egg + 1 large egg yolk
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 pinch of salt
• 6 g all purpose flour
• Defatted cocoa powder or icing sugar (to decorate)

Preparation

1. Heat the oven to 220 °C, and sift the flour.
2. Grease two individual molds with butter or release spray. You can use ceramic ramekins or flaneras (you can also use mini-cocottes , and you won't even have to unmold how beautiful they are when you present them to the table).
3. In a saucepan, melt the chocolate with the butter in a bain-marie and beat or stir until smooth and integrated. book it.
4. In the KitchenAid mixer container, place the sugar with the egg, the yolk, the vanilla extract and the pinch of salt and beat at high speed until thick and smooth and light in color.
5. Add the sifted flour and mix until integrated.
6. Mix this mass with the melted chocolate and butter with a spatula, until they are fully integrated.
7. Distribute the dough in the two molds or flaneras (approximately 110-115 grams in each mold).
8. Hit the base of the molds on the counter a couple of times, to eliminate air bubbles and settle the dough.
9. Place them on a baking sheet and let them rest at room temperature for 15 minutes. Being two small molds, the Nordic Ware Naturals® trays (in the small format) are perfect to leave them in it.
10. Take the tray to the oven with the molds and bake just until you see that the upper part is firm and when you shake the tray slightly, the biscuits dance a little.
11. Take them out of the oven and, being very careful not to burn yourself, run the tip of a knife or toothpick around the edges, to separate them from the pan.
12. Invert each ramekin or ramekin onto a plate and let rest for about 30 seconds before unmolding.
13. Dust with defatted cocoa powder or icing sugar and serve immediately, decorated to your liking: with a few rosettes of cream, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and some chopped hazelnuts or walnuts, some halved strawberries or a little English cream to accompany.

Grades

• It is a dessert in which chocolate is the protagonist par excellence, so use the one you like the most, making sure it is a good chocolate.
• To melt the chocolate you can do it in the microwave, always little by little and at intervals of no more than 20-30 seconds each time. When it is melted, add the butter at room temperature and stir to integrate it well. You can also use the De Buyer double boiler , especially if you are making a larger quantity of cakes, as you will need to melt a larger quantity of chocolate.
• As you can see, you can accompany the lava cake with whatever you like, to harmonize the flavor or to give it a most interesting contrast:
• serve with a generous dollop of creme anglaise around it,
• with a scoop of vanilla ice cream,
• with a splash of liquid cream on top,
• with a little cherry coulis,
• with all the whipped cream you want,
• with some crushed kikos on top.
• With what you want!
• This cake can be made to your liking using milk chocolate or cinnamon instead of vanilla, or in addition to vanilla! A variant that is exquisite is with salted caramel. Just add a tablespoon of salted caramel cream to the dough before baking. You can make the caramel yourself or use Tiptree's Salted Caramel Cream , which tastes really delicious.