Perfect Molten Chocolate Lava Cake for Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine’s Day! There’s nothing quite like sharing one of these perfect little cakes with your sweetheart. When it comes out just right and your significant other cuts into the cake to reveal that flowing, almost mousse-like chocolate cream running from the center… it’s absolutely adorable and a fantastic delicacy! This classic chocolate cake is absolutely perfect for Valentine’s Day, especially if your special someone has a sweet tooth. These cakes deliver an intense chocolate and cocoa flavour that’s guaranteed to make someone very happy.

These little cakes, also known as Molten Chocolate Cake, Lava Chocolate Cake, Petit Gateau, or Volcano Cake, are essentially a chocolate mousse with a bit of flour. When baked, the cake begins to set, but if you don’t cook it completely, the interior will still be slightly liquid. This way, when you cut into the cake, a river of chocolate cream flows out, that’s why you want a hot oven to cook and brown the exterior faster than the interior. The beauty of this recipe is that even if you overbake them, you’ll still end up with a really nice chocolate cake, it’s a win-win situation!

This recipe makes 8 individual cakes, but if you’re cooking for 2 people, you can easily cut the recipe in half for 4 perfect chocolate cakes. It’s also important to choose good quality dark chocolate to give them that special touch that only premium dark chocolate can provide. Lets check the recipe!

Perfect Molten Chocolate Lava Cake for Valentine's Day

Servings: 8
Time: 50mins
Difficulty: Normal
Rating: ★★★★★
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For this years valentine day, how about a creamy dreamy chocolaty oooozing super duper mini cake! Its sure to impress especially if your better half loves chocolate treats hehehe ;D

Ingredients

Dark Chocolate – 200g
Butter – 200g
Sugar – 180g
Flour – 100g
Eggs – 4
Egg Yolks – 4
Cocoa Powder – For Sprinkling
Butter – For Greasing
Sugar – For Sprinkling (Powdered)
Salt – A Pinch

Directions

Start by greasing the molds with butter. You can use paper molds like I did, or small muffin or ramekin molds. Once they are well greased, sprinkle with cocoa powder and set aside in the refrigerator.

Next, melt the chocolate with the butter in a double boiler (a double boiler is when you pour a little water into a large pot and place a smaller pot inside it, so that the second pot heats up more gradually. By melting the chocolate in the smaller pot, you will avoid burning the chocolate). Once the chocolate has melted, remove from the heat and let the chocolate cool for about 10 minutes.
Now add the eggs and egg yolks with the sugar in a large bowl and whisk everything until the mixture is whitish and creamy.
Now sift the flour and whisk a little more.

Add the melted chocolate and a pinch of salt and mix well without whisking, then pour the cake batter into each mold and leave it out for 1 hour to let the mixture rest, and then in the refrigerator for another hour.
Finally, preheat the oven to 390°F (200°C) and bake the cakes for 12 to 14 minutes until they are golden brown on top. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for about 2 minutes, then they are ready to remove from the molds and serve.
These are often served sprinkled with powdered sugar and strawberries, wild berries or even OMG! Ice cream hehehe. Enjoy and Have Fun!

Notes: As the cakes cool, they continue to cook some of the cream inside. If eaten right out of the oven, they’ll be more soft and liquid. If eaten later or the next day, less cream may flow out or it may be thicker, this is perfectly normal!

Make sure your oven is properly preheated to 390°F (200°C). The high heat is essential for creating that perfect contrast between the set exterior and molten interior.

Use the best quality dark chocolate you can find – it truly makes a difference in the final flavor.

You can prepare these up to the point of baking and refrigerate them for up to 24 hours. Just add an extra minute to the baking time if baking from cold.

Don’t skip the resting period, it helps the flavors meld and ensures the proper texture.

This recipe for Perfect Molten Chocolate Lava Cake for Valentine’s Day was originally created on BakeAfter.com. Esta receita de Bolinhos de Chocolate Lava foi publicada em português no Iguaria.com.