Almost anything that reaches massive popularity eventually encounters a backlash — it’s too common, it’s too cliche, it’s just not cool anymore.
Case in point: Chocolate lava cake.
Mention this ubiquitous dessert, whose heyday was the ’80s and ’90s but is still going strong, and plenty of people will roll their eyes. Perhaps it jumped the shark long before it started showing up on chain restaurant menus or as middle school chorus fundraisers, as I seem to recall. But perhaps I don’t care! Perhaps it’s popular for a reason, or even many reasons!
I’m not ashamed to say I enjoy a personal chocolate cake that comes with a built-in sauce, that can be whipped up and on the table in less than an hour. And made with pantry staples. And is ideal for a special date night at home (this is a rich, once-in-a-while treat, though feel free stretch each cake to 2 servings if you happen to have four people around to eat them!).
For a history of the dessert, I highly recommend this excellent piece on Thrillist by Khushbu Shah, who is now the restaurant editor at Food & Wine. She traces how chocolate lava cake seems to have evolved in two slightly different variations, one by French chef Michel Bras that included a frozen center of ganache that melts during baking and another by Jean-Georges Vongerichten that is undercooked in the center to create the flowing sauce.
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The former is the kind made infamous in the 2014 movie “Chef,” in which a restaurant critic, portrayed by Oliver Platt, pans the dessert, prompting the chef, played by Jon Favreau, to vehemently defend his version with the frozen ganache, culminating in the line: “It’s f---ing molten!” Indeed it is, and having tried a recipe that Favreau and chef Roy Choi, an adviser on the movie, demonstrated in a video over on the Binging With Babish website, I can say it is a thing of beauty! (It also inspired the variation included in this recipe.) In the end, though, I went with the Vongerichten recipe, because it doesn’t require you to make a separate ganache and was just as satisfying.
If you can melt chocolate and use a hand mixer, you can make this impressive but shockingly easy dessert. One of the biggest potential sticking points, literally, is getting the cakes out of the ramekins or molds. Be sure you liberally grease with butter and then dust with cocoa powder (natural will lend a lighter, more reddish hue to the outside of the cake, while Dutch process, as seen here, will create a dramatically darker exterior). You do not want to see a single speck of uncoated ceramic, so if you end up with a spotty coating, don’t be afraid to clean it out and start again. It’s that important.
Given the speed at which these cook and the variability in ovens, it’s especially important to stay nearby and pay attention. The outer edge of the cakes should have a bit of spring, though the middle will look slightly wobbly and dipped in the center. A minute or so after removing from the oven, quickly and confidently turn them out, and prepare to wow yourself and your dining companion. Every insult you’ve heard about chocolate lava cake will instantly, well, melt away.
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Recipe notes: This recipe doubles easily. Serve with a dollop of softly whipped cream and berries or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Store the ramekins with the unbaked batter in the refrigerator for several hours. Bring back to room temperature before baking.
Add up to 1 tablespoon of your favorite liqueur, whisked in after the chocolate and egg mixtures have been combined. For an orange-flavored cake, rub the zest of 1 orange into the sugar before combining with the eggs. To make this recipe gluten-free, you may substitute a gluten-free flour blend.
If you are concerned about undercooked batter, you may use pasteurized eggs. Or you may choose to add ganache and fully cook the dessert. To make the ganache, in a small saucepan over medium heat, add 1/4 cup of cream and bring to a simmer. In a small bowl, add 2 ounces of dark chocolate. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and stir until smooth. Place ganache in the freezer until firm, 30 to 45 minutes. Fill the ramekin halfway with batter, add 1 tablespoon of the ganache and then cover with the rest of the batter. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.
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