Makes 2 lava cakes
2 large eggs
¼ cup (4 tablespoons) room-temperature butter
¾ cup Italian organic 00 flour
½ cup bitter cocoa powder
¾ cup sugar
½ cup whipping cream
1 pinch of salt
¼ cup freshly brewed, strong, coffee such as espresso
2 teaspoons of bicarbonate of soda
A small pinch of chili powder (cayenne)
A pinch of cinnamon
Combine the eggs and butter in a bowl whip or beat until smooth.
Sift the flour, then add it to the eggs and butter, along with the cocoa, sugar, cream, salt, and coffee, mixing well.
Finally mix in the baking soda, chili, and cinnamon.
Preheat oven to 350F. Pour/spoon mixture into 2 large ramekins or 4 small ones, prepared by buttering the insides, then shaking a bit of sugar to coat it all lightly.
Bake for about 20 minutes (less if using 4 smaller ramekins, more if it doesn’t cook in the allotted time).
Do not overcook, you want the inside still squidgy, not solid.
Take it out, get your spoon ready, and enjoy.
French Chef Michel Bras invented the famous molten chocolate cake in 1981, though for those who adore it, it seems like that brownie-like cake with the melting center has been with us forever. It’s that classic.
When it was created, “Coulant au chocolat“, or chocolate lava cake, or moelleaux d’chocolate, swept the world of dessert-lovers. It was simple, yes: it was delicious, oh yes! And it was unique.
Its creator worked “a little out of the box”, as they say. He described his inspiration: “It all started with a feeling that came over me, having returned home after a day’s cross-country skiing, during foul weather. Our frozen family, chilled to the bone, sat at the kitchen table in silence, thawing out with a hot chocolate which we held tightly to warm our hands, and sipped slowly, to savor the warming sweetness and bitterness of the chocolate.
As the effect of the heat gradually permeated our bodies, we relaxed and felt like we were coming back to life. Tongues were untied, laughter was heard, and the ambiance warmed up all around us.
The cake represents my translation of that moment into a recipe. After two years of much thinking and testing, I felt a sense of enthusiasm and pride that one rarely experiences as a chef.”
In the original recipe, a cookie type dough, when placed in the oven from cold, forms a soft external crust during cooking, leaving its internal heart of melting, dark chocolate. And this dessert is perfect for all seasons served with vanilla ice cream.