I made this dessert for Valentine’s Day last Monday. Every day since, I have been trying to think of other reasons to make this cake for people I love. And by people I love, I mean me. Seriously. This thing is rediculous.
There are several versions of molten chocolate cake, and I have made many of them, but this recipe is the original, courtesy of chef Jean Georges Vongerichten, and also my favorite.
Molten Chocolate Cakes are unbelievably decadent on their own, but add a good quality salted caramel to the center and you have something truly transformative.
The caramel melts during baking only to reveal itself as it oozes out onto the plate. Don’t tell anyone, just let them cut, taste, and enjoy. It is pure magic.
To make this cake even more enticing, you can make it in advance and store it in the refrigerator until you are ready to bake. Bring the cakes to room temperature before baking.
Not just on Valentine’s Day, but every day we have the opportunity to honor the ones we love. We have an opportunity to love all the beings around us. We have the opportunity to choose love, choose happiness, and, every so often, choose cake.
The next time you choose cake, I hope it is this one. It will help you share love and happiness for sure.
Molten Chocolate Cake
Recipe Courtesy Jean Georges Vongerichten via Food & Wine Magazine
1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, preferably Valrhona
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 good quality salted caramels
Preheat the oven to 450°. Butter and lightly flour four 6-ounce ramekins. Tap out the excess flour. Set the ramekins on a baking sheet.
In a double boiler, over simmering water, melt the butter with the chocolate. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs with the egg yolks, sugar and salt at high speed until thickened and pale.
Whisk the chocolate until smooth. Quickly fold it into the egg mixture along with the flour. Spoon the batter into the prepared ramekins and insert a caramel into the center of each cake. Bake for 11 minutes, or until the sides of the cakes are firm but the centers are soft. Let the cakes cool in the ramekins for 1 minute, then cover each with an inverted dessert plate. Carefully turn each one over, let stand for 10 seconds and then unmold. Serve immediately.
