Chef John's Chocolate Lava Cake

Valentines's Day - Holidays and Events

Legend has it that this dessert was the result of a major catering disaster. The dessert for this particular event was to be individual chocolate cakes, but someone took them out of the ovens too soon and the centers were not cooked enough and still liquefied. Well, there was no time to take them off the plates and bake them more, so the chef simply had his wait staff introduce the dessert as Chocolate 'Lava' Cake! Brilliant!

Brief

Prep 5 mins

Cook: 25 mins

Additional: 45 mins

Total: 1hr15 mins

Servings: 4

Yield: 4 servings

Chef John's Chocolate Lava Cake

Ingredients

butter as needed

2 egg yolks

2 eggs

3 tablespoons white sugar

3 ½ ounces chopped dark chocolate

5 tablespoons butter

4 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder

3 tablespoons flour

1 pinch salt

⅛ teaspoon vanilla extract

Chef John's Croissants

Holidays and Events

Directions

Step 1

Generously butter the inside of 4 (5 1/2 ounce) ramekins. Place them in a casserole dish.

Step 2

Whisk together egg yolks eggs and sugar in a bowl until light foamy and lemon colored.

Step 3

Melt chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe bowl in 30-second intervals stirring after each melting 1 to 3 minutes.

Step 4

Stir melted chocolate mixture into egg and sugar mixture until combined.

Step 5

Sift cocoa powder into the mixture; stir to combine.

Step 6

Sift flour and salt into the mixture; stir to combine into a batter.

Step 7

Stir vanilla extract into the batter.

Step 8

Transfer batter to a resealable plastic bag. Snip one corner of the bag with scissors to create a tip.

Step 9

Divide batter evenly between the prepared ramekins; tap gently on the counter to remove any air bubbles.

Step 9

Refrigerate 30 minutes.

Nutritional Information

Chef John's Chocolate Lava Cake

Servings Per Recipe:4

Calories: 393.7

% Daily Value *

Protein: 6.9g 14%

Carbohydrates: 32g 10%

Dietary Fiber: 1g 4%

Sugars: 9.7g

Fat: 28.7g 44%

Saturated Fat: 16.4g 82%

Cholesterol: 241.2mg 80%

Vitamin A Iu: 778.9IU 16%

Niacin Equivalents: 1.7mg 13%

Vitamin B6: 0.1mg 4%

Folate: 35.8mcg 9%

Calcium: 39.2mg 4%

Iron: 1.7mg 10%

Magnesium: 14.6mg 5%

Potassium: 155.1mg 4%

Sodium: 207.4mg 8%

Thiamin: 0.1mg 8%

Calories From Fat: 258.6

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

**Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.

(-)Nutrition information is provided for reference only. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.