Molten Chocolate Cake recipe

[Chocoholic]

I've tried several times to duplicate the small Godiva chocolate cakes that they serve at Morton's restaurant (individual warm chocolate cake with a soft chocolate center). Most of the recipes I've tried work on the principle of underbaking the cake so the center is soft Unfortunately, I found it unappetizing to see uncooked batter (made with eggs) oozing onto the plate, so when I made them again I baked them too long and just ended up with a plain cake with no soft center. I've recently seen another recipe that calls for making a ganache, freezing into cubes, and then sticking that into the batter of each individual cake before baking. That sounds better to me and would seem to be less worrisome as far as overbaking. Has anyone ever tried this method and liked it? I'd love to have the recipe. Another recipe I found calls for just putting a cube of regular chocolate in the middle of the cake before baking -- has anyone tried that? Of course I could experiment myself with all these options, but hopefully I won't have to do that!

Thanks!

[Vanessa]

Hi. I don't have that recipe but Chef Caprial Pence makes these which look awsome in her TV show...a warning they are very sinful
Mini Chocolate Cakes with White Chocolate Lava
These cakes are more like brownies, with a chunk of white chocolate in the middle of each. They are really at their best when served warm.

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
3 egg yolks
1 pound bittersweet chocolate, melted
1 cup flour
1 cup toasted, ground pecans
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
6 ounces white chocolate, in 1-ounce pieces
3/4 cup heavy cream, whipped
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, grated

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using an electric mixer with a whisk attachment, cream butter and sugar together on high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs and egg yolks, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Continue to mix until the egg mixture is lemon colored, about 3 minutes more. Lower the mixer speed and add the melted chocolate. Stop and scrape down the sides and then continue to mix. Add flour, nuts, and vanilla and mix just until the batter comes together.

Distribute the batter among six 8-ounce well-greased ramekins. Place the ramekins on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven. Place a 1-ounce piece of white chocolate into the middle of each half-baked cake. Return cakes to oven and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the side comes out clean. Do not insert the knife into the center or you will hit the white chocolate.

Let cakes cool for about 10 minutes, then invert onto a plate and pipe whipped cream on the top of each cake. Top with grated chocolate and serve warm.

Serves six.

[Vanessa]

Hi I kept searching in my files and this next one might be closer to the one you need

INDIVIDUAL MOLTEN CHOCOLATE CAKES
(Recipe courtesy of David Rosengarten, Taste, Random House, 1998)
7 1/2 ounces imported bittersweet chocolate (preferably El Rey or Valrhona), coarsely chopped
11 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut in large pieces
3 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons white granulated sugar
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour, sifted

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Butter and flour six 6-ounce custard cups.

Place 5 1/2 ounces of the chocolate and the butter in a metal bowl, and set it over a pan of simmering water. Stir until melted and smooth. Cool slightly.

Using a standard electric mixer with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs, yolks and sugar at medium-high speed until they are pale and thick, about 10 minutes.

Reduce the speed, and gradually mix in the flour.

Add the chocolate mixture to the flour mixture, and continue to beat until thick and glossy, about 5 minutes.

Divide half of the mixture among the prepared custard cups. Divide the remaining 2 ounces of coarsely chopped chocolate among them, placing the chunks in the very center of the chocolate mixture (there should be about 1 tablespoon of chopped chocolate per custard cup). Then top with the rest of the chocolate batter.

Bake until the cake is set around the edges but the center jiggles slightly when the cup is moved, about 12 minutes. Cool slightly (no more than 5 minutes).

Run a sharp knife around the edges of the cups. Turn the cakes out onto plates, and serve.

Yield: 6 servings
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cooking Time: 12 minutes

[jjf]

chocoholic,
i was just at barnes and noble browsing through all of the new cooking magazines and saw a recipe for something like you are describing in food and wine (i think). it looked so good. i will check the magazines when i am at the store tomorrow to make sure which magazine has the recipe.
jen

[doggerham]

We went to Morton's for our anniversary in July, and OH BOY WAS THAT CAKE GOOD!!!!

Amy

[kathy123]

I made the following recipe last night. It was incredible. Browneye posted it on a Valentine's Day thread. It is a definate make again!

MOLTEN CHOCOLATE CAKES WITH MINT FUDGE SAUCE


These cakes are slightly underbaked so that the chocolate center oozes when cut into.
Sauce
4 1/2 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1/3 cup hot water
1/4 cup light corn syrup
3/4 teaspoon peppermint extract

Cakes
5 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter
3 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup all purpose flour

Vanilla ice cream

For sauce: Stir both chocolates in top of double boiler over barely simmering water until melted. Add 1/3 cup hot water, corn syrup and extract; whisk until smooth. Remove from over water. Cool slightly. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover; chill. Before serving, rewarm in saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly.)

For cakes: Preheat oven to 450°F. Butter six 3/4-cup soufflé dishes or custard cups. Stir chocolate and butter in heavy medium saucepan over low heat until melted. Cool slightly. Whisk eggs and egg yolks in large bowl to blend. Whisk in sugar, then chocolate mixture and flour. Pour batter into dishes, dividing equally. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill.)

Bake cakes until sides are set but center remains soft and runny, about 11 minutes or up to 14 minutes for batter that was refrigerated. Run small knife around cakes to loosen. Immediately turn cakes out onto plates. Spoon sauce around cakes. Serve with ice cream.

Makes 6.


Bon Appétit
January 2001

[clairea]

There was a really good Molten Chocolate Cake recipe in the Feb. 02 issue of MS Living. It used a truffle (made of semisweet chocolate and heavy cream) in the center, and the cake part is more like a souffle. I made these and they were fantastic and pretty easy (although not at all light). The best part is you make them in advance and stick them in the freezer, then bake frozen (the only problem with this is the recipe makes 6, DH and I each ate one, and now everyday I have to resist the remaining 4 that are still in my freezer:D ).

If you are interested I will post the recipe. Probably can't do it until tomorrow, but it doesn't sound like you are in a hurry.

Claire

[Gwendolyn]

Clairea -- Oooooo, I would LOVE that recipe. Any cake that you can pull out of the freezer and bake sounds great. I only cook for two, so I'd love to know how to make that one.

[Gilgamesh37]

I'm not clairea, but here's one I did for Valentine's a few years ago that sounds similar. It was pretty good, but having them in the freezer was a huge temptation! Just watch the baking time, and be careful to not overbake.

Molten Chocolate Cakes

Chocolate Ganache Filling:
2 oz. coarsely chopped bittersweet chocolate
¼ cup heavy cream
1 Tbsp. light corn syrup
1 tsp. Amaretto

Cake:
8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
¾ c. unsalted butter, cut into pieces
3 eggs
2 egg yolks
½ c. sugar
¼ c. all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. instant coffee granules
½ tsp. salt

Make ganache:
Place the coarsely chopped chocolate in a medium-sized bowl and set aside. In a small saucepan, set over medium heat, heat the cream and corn syrup, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture comes to a boil. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate. Let the mixture stand for 30 seconds to melt the chocolate. Gently whisk until smooth. Stir in the Amaretto. Cover a small tray with plastic wrap. Pour the warm chocolate mixture into the tray. Freeze the mixture for at least one hour. Keep frozen ganache in the freezer until ready to assemble the dessert.

Make the cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Liberally spray six 6-oz. ramekins with nonstick spray. In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the chocolate and butter, stirring often to prevent burning. Remove from heat and allow to cool. In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the whisk attachment, beat the eggs, egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla extract until they are pale and thick (like
whipped cream), about 10 minutes. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, salt, and coffee granules. Fold into the batter and beat for an additional 2 minutes. Fold in the melted chocolate mixture and beat for another 5 minutes. (This frequent beating nicorporates air into the batter, thus lightening it texture.) Spoon half of the batter, filling each ramekin a little more than half full. Take the frozen ganache from the freezer. Scoop out six balls and nestle a ball in the center of each batter-filled ramekin. Spoon the remaining batter over the tops of the frozen ganache balls, covering them completely. (Note: at this point the cakes can be refrigerated, or well-wrapped and frozen. Bring the cakes back to room temp. before baking.) When ready to
bake, place the ramekins on a baking sheet and bake 12 to 15 minutes, or until puffed and mostly dry around the edges. (It is critical to bake these cakes for the right amount of time. Otherwise, they'll either be way too "molten," or end up as brownies.) Check the cakes after 12 minutes. If they are really moist on top bake one minute longer and check again. Remove cakes from oven and let rest 3 minutes. They may sink a little--that's okay. To unmold, place serving plate on top of ramekin and invert. Carefully remove ramekin, tapping lightly on the plate to loosen cake. Serve cakes warm with whipped cream, and berry puree, if desired.

[LisaSue]

I have made the molten chocolate cake recipe posted by Kathy123 from Bon Appetit several times. It always turns out perfect and I truly think it's at least as good as the restaurant versions. I alway leave out the peppermint extract because I like my chocolate "pure." But you have to serve the cakes with a non-chocolate flavor ice cream because otherwise it really does get too chocolatey - even for a die hard chocolate fan like myself. I usually use Ben & Jerry's vanilla (real ice cream, though, no "light" stuff will do with these cakes).
As testimony to how good these are, whenever I make them, the people eating them are unable to say anything except "yummmm" while they gobble them up.

[clairea]

but I can't figure out how to export from mastercook:o . I just posted another thread asking for help doing that, so if I figure it out before DD wakes up from her nap, I will post this afternoon, otherwise will type it in tonight.

Claire

[clairea]

* Exported from MasterCook *

Molten Chocolate Cakes

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories :

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
6 tbsps unsalted butter
12 ozs semisweet chocolate
5 lg eggs -- separated
10 tbsps sugar
1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
Chocolate Truffles (recipe follows)

Butter 6 ring molds (2 1/2" high and 2 3/4" diameter) or ramekins. If using ring molds, place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and set aside.

Place chocolate and butter in a medium heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, and heat until melted. Stir mixture to combine.

Combined egg yolks and 6 tablespoons of sugar in a large bowl, and whisk until mixture is pale yellow and thick, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in vanilla. Add the chocolate mixture to the egg-yolk mixture, and stir to combine.

Place egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and beat until frothy. Add the remaining 4 tablespoons sugar and whisk until stiff peaks form. Fold egg-white mixture into chocolate mixture.

Spoon about 1/4 cup batter into each ring, and place a truffle in the center of each. Spoon the remaining batter over the truffles, and place in the freezer to set, at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350. Transfer the baking sheet to the oven, and bake cakes for 20-25 minutes, or until sides are set but center is still soft.


- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 703 Calories; 49g Fat (58.1% calories from fat); 8g Protein; 70g Carbohydrate; 0g Dietary Fiber; 228mg Cholesterol; 67mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1/2 Lean Meat; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 9 1/2 Fat; 4 1/2 Other Carbohydrates.

NOTES : I made this in ramekins because I didn't have ring molds. It worked ok, but the ring molds might make for a more impressive presentation since you wouldn't have to turn the cakes upside down to get them out.
Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 0 0 0 0

* Exported from MasterCook *

Chocolate Truffles

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories :

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
4 ozs semisweet chocolate -- finely chopped
3/4 c heavy cream

Place chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. Bring the cream to a boil in a small saucepan and pour over the chocolate. Let sit for 5 minutes, and stir until thoroughly combined. Place the mixtures in the freezer until set, about 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Divide the mixture into 6 equal parts, and roll each into a ball. Cover truffles with plastic wrap; freeze until ready to use.


- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 193 Calories; 17g Fat (72.5% calories from fat); 1g Protein; 13g Carbohydrate; 0g Dietary Fiber; 41mg Cholesterol; 13mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Non-Fat Milk; 3 1/2 Fat; 1 Other Carbohydrates.

NOTES : I used chocolate chips (Ghirardelli) and didn't chop the chocolate. It took longer than 45 minutes to set so that it was firm enough to form into balls.
Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0

[kathy123]

I love the idea of freezing the cakes. Do you think I could freeze the recipe I posted?

Do they sell disposable ramekin containers? I sometimes cook meals for neighbors or friends if they are sick or super extra busy. Granted friends would return dishes but it would be so much easier to be able to toss the containers.

thanks

[Chocoholic]

For Clairea --- could you describe what the ring mold is? I usually bake them in small custard cups -- is a ring mold different?

For everyone -- thanks for all the great recipes -- I was surprised to see this thread bumped up again from when I first posted it in October.

I have tried several different versions of the molten cake and I find that the one that works best for me is the version where you make and freeze a "truffle" or "ganache" and insert it in the batter before baking. I have tried the other versions where you have to underbake the cake so it is juicy in the middle, but I always overbake them and just get "cake". I guess I tend to overbake them cause I don't like the idea of eating liquid uncooked batter that contains eggs. I am still trying to make the "perfect" cake though. The receipe for the one I made previously with the frozen truffle came from the Godiva web site -- the center came out perfectly, but I thought the cake part was too dry. So I will try the ones posted on this board in the future.

I'm sure you can freeze these either before baking or after. It would just take a lot of trial and error to nail down the baking or reheating time to preserve that liquid center.

[ClaraB]

For Clairea --- could you describe what the ring mold is? I usually bake them in small custard cups -- is a ring mold different? Well, I'm not Claire (although Clara does come close ;) ), but I suspect that ring molds might be like a mini springform pan. Am I close?

[KimKelly]

Chocoholic,

Love your name btw...

I saw this on Wolfgang's show a while back. I'm not sure if it is exactly what you are looking for, but it did indeed look fabulous! I copied it that night and have not had a chance to try it yet, but it is definitely on my list.

Kim


Chocolate Truffle Cake

Recipe courtesy Mary Bergin and Judy Gethers, Spago Desserts Random House, 1994.

For the Truffles:
4 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, cut into small pieces
3 tablespoons, heavy cream
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoons flavoring of your choice (orange, almond, or raspberry liqueur, etc.)
8 fresh perfect raspberries, optional

For the Chocolate Cake:
5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, cut into small pieces
5 ounces unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
3 eggs, at room temperature
3 egg yolks, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
5 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
Whipped Cream, optional
Ice Cream, optional
For the truffles: Combine the chocolate, cream and butter in a small heatproof bowl set over simmering water and let melt. When almost melted, remove from heat and stir the mixture until smooth. Stir in your flavoring of choice and refrigerate until thick enough to mound on a spoon, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes.

Line a baking tray with waxed or parchment paper. Scrape the chocolate mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a #3 plain tip. Pipe 8 (1-inch) mounds onto the prepared tray. Place 1 raspberry in the center of each chocolate mound and pipe a little more of the chocolate mixture to enclose completely. Refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes.

For the cake: Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter or coat with vegetable spray, 8 oversize muffin cups (4-inches wide and 2-inches deep) or 1 1/4-cup custard cups. Line bottoms with rounds of waxed paper.

In the top of a double boiler or a small heatproof bowl set over simmering water, melt together the chocolate and butter, cool slightly.

Meanwhile in the bowl of an electric mixer with a paddle or beaters, beat the eggs, egg yolks and sugar on high speed until tripled in volume, about 5 minutes. Scrape in the chocolate mixture and, on low speed, beat until just combined. Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in the flour, using a rubber spatula. Spoon a little of the batter into each of the prepared cups, top with 1 truffle, and cover with the remaining batter. Arrange the cups on a baking tray and bake until the edges of the cakes begin to pull away from the sides of the cups, 12 to 13 minutes.

Let stand 10 minutes. Invert onto individual dessert plates and carefully peel off the paper. Serve warm. Spoon softly whipped cream or ice cream next to each cake and, if desired, garnish with a few fresh raspberries. Serve immediately.

Yield: 8 servings
Prep Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Cook Time: 10

[clairea]

Originally posted by Chocoholic
For Clairea --- could you describe what the ring mold is? I usually bake them in small custard cups -- is a ring mold different?



To be honest, I'm not exactly sure what a ring mold is either (as I noted in my recipe, I used ramekins). I actually posted a thread about this before I made these cakes, and nobody seemed to know where to get them, and several people suggested using ramekins, so that is what I did. I did find something called "round mousse rings" (I think on cooking.com) and that is probably pretty close. As I said, the ramekins were fine, but if I could find the ring molds I would like to try them some time, because I think it would look really nice to be able to serve the cake "right-side up" but still not in a ramekin -- but that is really just an issue of presentation.

Kathy123, they do sell disposable ramekins. I get them at the grocery store with the other foil baking pans. I think they may call them cupcake or muffin tins, but they are about the right size and that is what I use for this recipe.

Claire

[Lrimerman]

I pulled up this thread looking for a recipe for Valetine's day dessert. I ended up making the Molten Chocolate Cake recipe that gilgamesh37 posted above, with the ganache center.

I didn't have amaretto, so I subbed Grand Marnier. It tasted good, I don't think you even notice the flavor. The cakes turned out moist and brownie like and the ganache center was perfectly molten. They were extremely rich and I thought the coffee taste in the cake was very pronounced. I might cut down the amount of instant coffee I use next time. However, DH loved them and ate a whole one and part of mine, I couldn't finish it because it was so rich. DD didn't like it, but I made cookies for her. My parents shared one and thought they were good. I served them with Vanilla ice cream and I think that was a nice contrast with the hot cake and cold ice cream and it also helped cut the richness.

The cakes were not real sweet, which was nice. I used Scharfen Berger Bittersweet chocolate and Penzey's cocoa and Penzey's double vanilla extract.

Lisa

[breadmama]

We've made the BA molten chocolate cakes for New Year's and Valentine's Day - with great success. I thought the mint sauce recipe was too dark for our tastes. We top the cakes with caramel sauce, and use semi-sweet rather than unsweetened chocolate in the cake. (Our tastes run more to the sweet chocolate side...)

I like the fact that you can prepare these ahead of time, and just pull them out of the fridge before baking, but I also bake them longer than recommended. I'm not keen on the oozing uncooked egg factor, either. My DH likes it, but for the rest of us, I cook ours a bit longer.

This recipe is definitely a once-in-a-great-while treat!

It is fun to see other ideas...now I want to try the white chocolate centers! :)

Laurie

[Lrimerman]

Laurie,

The recipe I used didn't have the uncooked egg problem, the cake cooks completely, it is the ganache center that is molten. That might solve the issue of the uncooked egg (which I wouldn't want to eat either).

Lisa