Chocolate Lava Cake Recipe

This is one of the my favourite desserts – chocolate lava cake (or fondant/molten cake) which is the perfect treat for Valentines Day coming up. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 5 oz (141 grams or 1 1/2 bars) of dark chocolate
• 3 large eggs
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup flour
• 5 Tablespoons butter (2/3 of a bar of butter)
• 1/4 teaspoon of cardamom (or cinnamon, chill pepper, vanilla extract, etc) (Optional)
• 4 regular sized ramekins (ceramic baking dishes) or 8 smaller sized ramekins
• Confectioners sugar for dusting

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 400 F (200 C). Melt the chocolate and butter in a bain-marie (double boiler).  Once the chocolate and buttter are melted add the cardamom (or the spices/flavors of your choice – optional).

2. While the chocolate and butter are melting, use an egg beater and beat the eggs and sugar until you get an off-white mixture (around 5 minutes).
3. Slowly add the chocolate mixture to the egg mixture while stirring constantly with a whisk or the eggs may cook.

4. Once the eggs and chocolate are mixed, incorporate the flour and stir.
5. Coat the ramekins with butter (you can additionally sprinkle sugar for a more crispy topping) and fill them with the chocolate batter about 3/4 full.

6. Bake the lava cake for 11 minutes for the regular size ramekins (or 9 1/2 minutes for the smaller ramekins). The baking time may change based on your oven. Make sure not to overcook the lava cake as it may seem uncooked if you put a toothpick in the cake to test it. The inside will be runny when it’s done (that’s why it’s called lava cake). 🙂
7. You can serve the lava cake within the ramekins or carefully flip them on a plate and lightly dust them with confectioners sugar. Let the lava cake cool for a few minutes before serving (best served with vanilla ice-cream).

Tips
If the centers are too cakelike in texture, bake a minute or two less the next time; if they’re too soft, bake a minute or two longer.
To make ahead, pour the batter into custard cups, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 24 hours. You may need to bake the cakes 1 to 2 minutes longer.