FOOD AND TRAVEL

Monday, February 7, 2011

Molten Chocolate Lava Cake - Valentine's Day Dessert


(If you look carefully enough, you can see the entire room in that spoon)

I'm not a Valentine's day girl at all. 

In fact I'm not crazy about any date in the year, be it my own birthday. There have been times I have forgotten my own birthday. For most of the important days in my life, I really like low key celebrations. A simple day at home, with some good home cooked meal and good dessert. That's what I call perfect!


My day like many of you starts early, and the first thing that comes to my mind when I wake up is "hurry". I'm always running to get ready for office, to get the breakfast on table and the struggle with the daily traffic. When I reach office, I'm running around trying to meet deadlines (and tweet and visit blogs).When I reach home which is often late evenings, I'm running to make the dinner (tweet and blog reading) and even though leftovers surfaces most of the time for lunch, sometimes M wants new things for lunch. (that's mainly when the dinner is vegetarian)


Once that's done, I'm running around to get the dishes cleaned, doing university assignments and sometimes attending classes or catching up with office work (and tweeting and reading blogs). And midnight when I can't take no more I hit the bed (still tweeting). So for me personally, any day that I can be home not "running around" (tweeting and reading blogs) and have some chocolate dessert to eat is Valentine's day not particularly 14th February. Since February is also the month Kuwait celebrates its National day and Liberation day, we get quiet a few holidays and that's when I find my Valentine's day! But I know many of you celebrate it and if I can find a way to bring this to you, I don't mind calling it Valentine's day dessert.


There's something so soothing and relaxing about chocolate, I can't emphasize it enough. And when its hot, I'm transported to heaven. This molten chocolate cake with do just that. I had always eyed molten cakes by Paula Deen and The Pioneer Woman but it was not until my sweetest friend Prerna from Indian simmer (a gorgeous blog) posted this cake from Foodista that I really tried it. She is also celebrating her first anniversary this month, so this is for your Prerna. Lots of love and chocolate your way.

Molten Chocolate Lava Cake
Click here for printable version
Serves 6 or 3. Really it depends on who is eating it. 

Ingredients 
100 gm dark chocolate (I used 85% cocoa solid)
1/3 cup butter
1 1/4 cup powdered sugar*
1/3 cup warm water with 2 tsp instant coffee **
2/3 cup all purpose flour
2 egg yolks
2 eggs
Pinch of sea salt

Note

* We like our chocolate really dark. Depending on which chocolate you are using you might want to adjust the sugar. I suggest you start with 1 cup sugar and take your way up from there. The best way is to taste it before you mix the flour.

** I have tried this with 1/3 cup orange juice as well and we love that variation. The taste would be quite subtle but if you love chocolate and orange together, it sure will win you over.

Method

Preheat the oven to 220 C and butter the ramekins. I used 3 1/2 inch ramekins making 3 servings. If you want you can make smaller servings by using smaller ramekins, but remember its valentine's day. And indulgence is a good thing.

Melt chocolate and butter over a double boiler or in the microwave. Add in the powdered sugar. (This is when you taste the chocolate to your preference. This also when you hold your urge to lick the whole bowl. And also when you stop dipping the strawberries into the chocolate)

Once it cools down whip in the eggs and coffee. Then add the flour and salt.

Divide the batter into ramekins.  The original recipe calls for refrigerating the batter for 1 hour before baking but I didn't bother with it.

Bake for 13 minutes until the center is still gooey but the edges have slightly firmed. Run a knife over the edges and invert into dishes.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve immediately.

Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
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48 comments

  1. CONGRATULATIONS!!! and your photographs are getting better and better. A stunning post Kulsum and sending you wishes and hugs for many more to come.

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  2. Kulsum, I love this! Who doesn't love chocolate? Irresistible!

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  3. I love molten cake...but you know that already! Looking good Kulsum! Our recipes are just very slightly different- I had great difficulty taking photos of mine because the ice cream kept melting!

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  4. Well this year you should celebrate and butter your husb up a lil to help you with pics and all, LOL. ;)
    I love molten chocolate cake, it's a classic that you can never tire of!

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  5. Wow... your pictures are gorgeous Kulsum! I'm afraid my pictures of Prerna's choc cake don't match up to the quality of yours at all! Wonder when I'll be able to make this cake for myself. Great post babes and thanks for sharing your crazy schedule with us readers! It feels great to know there's someone else who also loves being as insanely busy as I do :)

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  6. I my laughing at the opening line of your post!! You knw the other day I was taking pics wearing pink PJs and later saw that all spoon pics have a pink reflection...still a lot to learn in taking pics. I had a similar crazy life style back in India..Lived my life only on weekends and I know once I start full time here..it will be the same..but like you ..I love it when I have lots of work around and in mind.I m not a BIG chocolate person but I wanna try this cake for the sheer joy of baking it to see if I can get it right.neat like yours...I always scared of inverting cakes..you have done it so beautifully even with ice cream intact!! Kudos!

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  7. I think you made this chocolate molten lava just for me lol. I love this. Amazing! They can skip the roses and give me this lol. But I love this recipe and I am definitely going to try it. Thanks for sharing

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  8. Oh I always go for this type of cake when we go out. Just something about all that warm luscious gooey chocolate bursting forth...impossible to resist. Yours looks great!

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  9. Wow, these look perfect! I'm not a huge fan of holidays either but I'll celebrate any day we can eat these for dessert! :)

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  10. Such a decadent perfect looking cake, this is just the right kind of chocolaty dessert for Valentine's day!

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  11. Thank you everyone :) I'm so glad you like it

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  12. That looks wonderful, perfect chocolate goodness!

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  13. ha! :-) I guess it was the way the tweet was worded that misled me :-D That is why I was wondering why there was no mention in the post and I read it twice when i could not find anything the first time.. LOL sorry about that.

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  14. looks yum- i planned to make this around v-day ! after seeing ur pic can't wait to make them !

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  15. This looks absolutely delicious! I may need to make it for Valentine's day.

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  16. The lava cake looks really decadent Kulsum. Any day that I can enjoy a dessert like that is worth celebrating, I cannot be limited to just a few such days in a year :) Your photographs are stunning.

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  17. beautiful dessert looks colourful and wonderful

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  18. I hope you try it and like it as much as do! :) Glad you like the pic

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  19. Sukaina as you can see I didn't do a great job with the shooting the melting ice cream myself. There are a few tips and tricks out there but I seem to have no patience :)

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  20. I was laughing when I read this, all that running around tweeting and reading blogs all day sounds familiar. Fantastic recipe for Valentine's day - lots of chocolate + not too much effort!

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  21. I made the same cake recently!! Love it!

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  22. Looks perfect! I won't be doing anything for V-day this year as I have to study for my upcoming exam =(

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  23. Love that I can see your whole room in the spoon.... What a great post Kulsum & gorgeous pictures! The little cakes have my name on them; chocolate paired with strawberries? Yes..doesn't get better than that!

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  24. Oh my this is looks absolutely fantastic... awesome shots. Chocolateyyyyyyyyyyyyyy i seriously drooling

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  25. Kulsum, that cake is absolutely fantastic. I was just thinking of the items to prepare for the Vday party and picked the main course form Tanvi's blog and now I decided on the dessert. That looks absolutely delicious and hubby is a big fan of anything chocolate. I am in love with your pictures, btw.

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  26. Glad you shall be making it :) Let me know how it goes

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  27. that looks too good..and ur pics needless to say, are stunning

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  28. A gorgeous Valentine's Day dessert! A terrific chocolate treat.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  29. Hey, Tried the cake y'day. Blogged about it too. http://foodzone-foodzone.blogspot.com/2011/02/molten-chocolate-lava-cake.html

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  30. Valentines Day or not (never been much of a fan, myself) that cake looks unbelievable! And I like the picture of the room via the spoon ...

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  31. Lovely post, Kulsum. I am not a big fan of the Hallmark holidays either but LOVE celebrating birthdays and anniversaries. Woe befall anyone who forgets by birthday..LOL!

    Sending lots of good luck and wishes your way for many such stunning posts.

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  32. YUM! I love choc lava cake! Beautiful pics! I'm not a huge fan of V day either but oh well..if hubby wants to take me out for dinner and buy me gifts...hey I'm not complaining! :))

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  33. This looks absolutely perfect and delicious! Molten cake is usually one of my most favorite desserts, especially because many times I can find a gluten-free version.

    Have a wonderful weekend my friend!

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  34. U did a great job! So glad u enjoyed it

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  35. This looks heavenly. Beautiful pictures.

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  36. I remember the first time i made these, i kept overbaking them in the beginning , lol, so they were gooey inthe middle but not melty. Yours look perfect!

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  37. i absolutely adore your blog ! will check it out more soon !!

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  38. Beautiful dessert, hope you had a great Valentine's day celebration!

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  39. This is just so gorgeous Kulsum, i have being eyeing the molten cakes for a while now i HAVE to make them pretty soon! darling you are already pro with white background :) Stunning!

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  40. and that whole room in the spoon is ha ha ha ha :D you are funny girl!

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  41. Wow now this is real valentine treat..looks so gud and ya can see the room :)

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  42. Loving ur blog and am happy to find u... these cakes sure are gooey and delicous!

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  43. Wow, it looks amazing, just came across your blog, love it, and love that picture of the spoon - fantastic!!!

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  44. v pretty photos- what a treat. i love Valentine's Day by the way, yup, my husb and i are real suckers for it! x shayma

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  45. Beautiful!
    fabulously photo shoot!
    Your Pics looks fantastic.
    Sooooo cute! Love it all!

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  46. why is my lava cake not perfect.i baked at 170c for 12 minutes but it became dry as my oven has settings 150c 170c, 200c settings kindly help.

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  47. WoW !!
    Beautiful !!
    Superb Cake.
    Thanks for sharing with us

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