Molten Lava Cake

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Have you ever had those molten lava cakes so many restaurants make? If you are craving chocolate they are THE.BEST.THING.EVER.

I’m cheap. I have major issues spending $5-$7 for dessert at a restaurant. Especially when the dessert is so huge (or rich) I can’t eat the whole thing.  Then I decided to make my own molten lava cake. (Take THAT major restaurant chains).

It is fairly easy and if you have eggs and cream you have a good start to making it very inexpensively.  The last time I had to buy the ingredients it cost me about $10. Yeah, that was the time I paid $4 for a pound of butter! I didn’t need to use all the ingredients so that $10 went farther than dessert. It is a little healthier than a molten lava cake you order at the restaurant with hot fudge, ice cream, and whipped cream piled on it and your portion size can be better controlled.

Molten Lava Cake

Print Recipe

• Author: Heather McCurdy

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 5 ounces bittersweet or semi sweet chocolate (I use whatever I have but German chocolate is favorite and I use 4 ounces)
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 2 large eggs
• 2 large egg yolks
• 5 TBS. sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 – 1/2 tsp. instant espresso powder 
• large pinch salt
• 1 TBS. flour
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder

Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Generously butter 4 3/4 cup souffle or custard dishes ( I use mini loaf pans or muffin tins).
3. Stir chocolate and butter in heavy small saucepan over low heat until smooth.
4. Remove from heat.
5. Stir in brandy.
6. Cool 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
7. Using electric mixer, beat eggs, egg yolks, 4 TBS sugar, vanilla, espresso powder, and salt in medium bowl until very thick ribbon falls when beaters are lifted, about 6 minutes.
8. Sift flour over batter and fold in gently.
9. Fold in chocolate mixture.
10. Divide batter among dishes, filling completely.
11. Bake cakes until tops are puffed and dry and tester inserted into batter comes out with moist batter clinging to it, (10-15 minutes).
12. Cool cakes 5 minutes.
13. Beat cream and 1 TBS sugar until firm peaks form.
14. Spoon a generous heap onto the lava cake.
15. Sprinkle a pinch of dark cocoa on top.
16. Serve.

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