If you want to impress someone, try my no-fail chocolate lava cake recipe. It is incredibly simple and requires only a handful of ingredients that you probably already have on hand. Most importantly, the outcome is so good it’s a show stopper. Since it could be made ahead of time, it is also a perfect dessert for any dinner party. (Printfriendly recipe is at the bottom of the post)
The trickiest part of making this decadent dessert is to have it pop out of the ramekin while not over-baking it (otherwise it will not have that lovely molten centre). In order to ensure that, the key step is to coat the ramekins with a generous amount of butter and cocoa powder. This would form a protective layer between the ramekins and the cake, so when it's done it will pop right out. Trust me when I say this is the hardest part of this recipe:
No-Fail Chocolate Lava Cake
Servings: 2
Course: Dessert Prep Time: 45 min Cook Time: 10 min Total Time: 55 min
Ingredients
90 g 70% Dark Chocolate Chips (or a bar of chocolate of the same weight, chopped)
35 g Butter (Plus extra for greasing)
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1-2 Tbsp Caster Sugar
1 Egg1 Egg Yolk
1 pinch Salt
1 pinch Espresso Powder
15g (or 1 Tbsp) All-Purpose Flour
Cocoa Powder
Chocolate Truffle (Optional)
Vanilla Ice Cream (to serve)
Instructions
Thoroughly butter two 6-oz ramekins. Coat the ramekins generously with cocoa powder. Shake out the excess. Place the prepared ramekins into the fridge until ready to use.
Melt together the butter and chocolate chips, either in the microwave or over a double boiler.
Add espresso powder, sugar, salt and vanilla extract. Beat in the eggs and egg yolks.
Pour into prepared ramekins. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 450°F/ 230°C.
Place ramekins on a baking sheet and bake for exactly 8 to 12 minutes.
Remove from the oven. Let cool slightly and turn out onto a plate.
Dust with powdered sugar if desired. Serve immediately with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.