Soft Centered Warm Chocolate Cakes Recipes

CHOCOLATE CAKES WITH LIQUID CENTERS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Butter and flour four 4 ounce ramekins or custard cups.
• In the top half of a double boiler set over simmering water, heat the butter and the chocolate until chocolate is almost completely melted.
• Beat the eggs, egg yolks and sugar together until light colored and thick.
• Beat together the melted chocolate and butter. While beating, slowly pour the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture, then quickly beat in the flour and mix until just combined.
• Divide the batter between the four molds and bake at 450 degrees F (230 degrees C) for 6 to 7 minutes. The centers of the cakes will still be quite soft. Invert cakes on serving plates and let sit for about 15 seconds, then unmold. Serve immediately with fresh whipped cream, if desired.

MOLTEN CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Put the butter in a medium bowl and melt it in the microwave. Add the chocolate to the hot butter and stir until melted.
• Crack 2 eggs into a bowl, and add 2 more yolks (discard the extra whites). Add the sugar, and beat or whisk until light and thick, about 1 minute. Add egg mixture and 2 teaspoons flour to the melted chocolate; beat until combined.
• Butter and lightly flour four 4-ounce molds or ramekins (make sure not to miss any spots, or the cakes will stick). Tap out the excess flour. Divide the batter among the molds. (At this point you can refrigerate them for up to 3 hours; just bring them back to room temperature before baking.)
• When you're ready to bake, heat the oven to 450. Put the molds on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until the cakes have puffed up a bit, the tops are barely set and the cakes still jiggle slightly when shaken, 7 to 9 minutes (better underbaked than overbaked). Let sit for 1 minute.
• Put a plate on top of the ramekin and (with a potholder to protect your hand) carefully invert the cake onto the plate. Let it sit for 10 seconds, then lift up the ramekin. Serve immediately, with ice cream, sorbet or whipped cream.

JEAN-GEORGES'S WARM CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Butter eight 4-ounce ramekins or sixteen 2-ounce molds and dust them lightly with flour. Set the ramekins on a baking sheet.
• Put the butter and chocolate in a glass bowl and melt in the microwave, using 30-second bursts. Stir until smooth.
• Put the egg yolks and eggs in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the whisk. Beat at medium speed until frothy. Pour in the sugar and increase the speed to medium-high. Continue to beat until the eggs have tripled in volume.
• Scrape the butter and chocolate into the eggs. Beat until well mixed, scraping the bowl once or twice. Sift the flour over the batter and fold it in gently.
• Put the batter in a pastry bag and pipe into the ramekins. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until you're ready to serve the dessert or for up to 8 hours.
• Take the cakes out of the refrigerator to bring them to room temperature. Heat the oven to 475°F or 450°F on convection.
• Slide the baking sheet into the oven and bake the cakes until the sides and tops are set, about 4 minutes for small cakes or 6 to 7 minutes for large ones. The centers will still be very soft.
• Invert the ramekins onto dessert plates. Leave for about 10 seconds, then lift off the ramekins. Spoon a little chocolate sauce around each cake. Make a small pile of chocolate crumble to the side, and top with a scoop of ice cream. Garnish the ice cream with crystallized vanilla and the cake with confectioners' sugar, if you want. Serve immediately.

GRAND MARNIER SOFT-CENTERED CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Cream the butter and the sugar together.
• Add the melted chocolate and gently fold in the eggs being careful not to over mix.
• Add the flour, orange zest, and Grand Marnier.
• Pour the batter into individual moulds or ramekins and insert a square of chocolate into the middle of each cake.
• Bake for 12 minutes.
• Unmould the cakes onto plates and decorate with a spoonful of whipped cream and sprinkle with cinnamon.

SOFT-CENTERED WARM CHOCOLATE CAKES

Steps:

• Butter 8 1-cup/250-ml. ramekins. Freeze them for 5 minutes, and then butter them again. Finally sprinkle them with flour, discarding the excess. Put the chopped chocolate and butter in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water and stir until melted and smooth, 5 to 8 minutes. Set the bowl aside to cool.
• In another bowl, beat the egg yolks with half the sugar until thick and light, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the cooled chocolate mixture, followed by the flour. Using an electric mixer, whisk the egg whites with the remaining sugar to form a light, stiff meringue, about 2 minutes. Fold the meringue into the chocolate mixture. Fill the ramekins to the rim, smooth the top with a spatula, and run your thumb around the edge to detach the mixture from the sides. Cover and refrigerate the cakes for 8 hours or overnight.
• To bake the cakes, heat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (200 degrees Celsius). Set the cakes on a baking sheet and bake until puffed and set on the surface but still liquid in the center, 8 to 9 minutes. Take them out and let them cool for about 10 minutes so they shrink back into the molds. Run a knife around the edge and turn the cakes onto warmed individual plates. Top with a spoonful of ice cream, crème fraîche, or whipped cream, and serve at once.