Serves: Two 3 inch round by 1 inch high cakes (recipe can be easily increased)
Oven Temperature: 350˚F/175˚C
Baking Time: 11 to 12 minutes
This is one of the most beloved chocolate recipes of all time. Originally created at one of Jean-George Vongerichten’s restaurants in New York, as a result of a happy accident of underbaking which was responsible for its liquid flowing center, it was a bit tricky to reproduce in the home oven because ovens vary and even slight overbaking would prevent the desirable flow.
I originally solved this problem by making a ganache center and also made the texture more soufflé-like by meringuing the egg whites, which I included in Rose’s Heavenly Cakes, but as years past, I was determined to find a way to make the easier original version that was perfect just as it was. Here it is but you have to be willing to take the risk the first time you make it after which you will be able to determine exactly how long to bake it in your oven. If you take the temperature with an accurate instant-read thermometer such as the Thermapen, you are practically guaranteed success. And even if slightly overbaked or even underbaked, it will still be luscious!
If desired, serve with lightly sweetened whipped cream or a small scoop of vanilla or raspberry ice cream. Raspberry sauce is also a lovely accompaniment.
The first person to try this new recipe was Nora Septimus, the young daughter of photographer Matthew Septimus who took the photo above of her excellent results.
We are so thrilled with this recipe we are including several step by step photos just to show how very easy it is! This could well be the quickest and most fabulous chocolate recipe you’ve ever made!
Special Equipment Two 6 ounce/180 ml ramekins, buttered (preferably with clarified butter) and dusted with flour (preferably Wondra) see Baking Gems. Be sure to knock out any excess.
Preheat the Oven
* Twenty minutes or longer before baking, set an oven rack at the middle level. Set the oven at 350˚F/175˚C.
Mise en Place
* Thirty minutes to 1 hour ahead, cut the butter into tablespoon size pieces. Set on the counter to soften.
* Thirty minutes ahead, or shortly before mixing, weigh or measure the egg and yolk into a small bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap.
Melt the Chocolate (see Baking Gems)
1) Chop the chocolate into coarse pieces. In a medium microwavable bowl, stirring every 15 seconds (or the top of a double boiler set over hot, not simmering, water--do not let the bottom of the container touch the water--stirring often) heat the chocolate until completely melted.
Remove the chocolate from the heat source and, with a silicone spatula, stir until fully melted.
2) Stir the butter into the melted chocolate, 1 tablespoon at a time, until blended. If the butter is not warm enough and does not incorporate, scrape the mixture into the top of a double boiler set over hot, not simmering, water (do not microwave) and stir briefly just until incorporated. |
Remove it from the heat and set it aside.
Make the Batter
3) Add the sugar to the eggs and using a handheld electric mixer or by hand, whisk until thickened , lighter in color, and you can see the whisk marks.
Baking Gems
* This is a great recipe to make with kids for them to get involved with making the cakes and getting to enjoy the results within minutes of it coming out of the oven.
* Clarified melted butter makes the most even coating the ramekins. If you don’t have any on hand, you can simply melt some butter and use only the clear upper part, leaving the cloudy milk solids behind.
* It is important for consistent results to separate and weigh or measure yolks. We and you may have noticed that a carton of standard Grade A large eggs will have many eggs with smaller yolks than several years ago. Also, eggs on average can vary in weight. This has resulted in yolks ranging from as low as 12 grams to 19 grams, and thus an increase in white per whole egg.
* An instant-read thermometer is the best check to determine if your ‘chocolate lava’ will just slowly ooze when the cake is opened up versus a chocolate puddle on the plate or over-cooked and fossilized.
* If your gas oven has a pilot light or you have a tabletop oven with a warming setting of 110˚F/43˚C, an alternative method for melting the chocolate and adding the butter is to place both the chopped chocolate and butter in a glass bowl. Set the bowl on the lowest rack and let the oven’s heat melt both for a few hours. Then whisk to combine and continue with the recipe.
Yoko Sakuma, one of my dearest friends and former students who is now in Japan , was the second person to try this recipe and reported that since she only had 4 ounce ramekins she used 3 and baked them for 12 minutes. She refrigerated the third and reheated it for a few minutes the next day and it was still delicious! She wrote: the inside of the cake did not flow out but it kept a lovely creamy texture. I enjoyed a subtle difference between the two
