Black velvet lava cake
Made for love
Moulleux au chocolat, as the French elegantly call it. Fluid vibe, surprisingly smooth, volcano of desire. Ultimate dessert for those who want to discover love. Hidden treasure inside that reveals itself first on the table. Pure pleasure on every level. Straightforwardly sensational for some. Crunchy,intense and soft at the same time. For those with guts, nothing for timid doubters. Petrifies when the excitement stops flowing.
Making a perfectly liquid lava cake requires courage, patience and the right choices. Avoid chocolate chips full of stabilisers work against melting. Too short in oven? Hot chocolate sauce. Too long? Full chocolate cake. Love also needs to relax for a while when cutting. Use the best dark chocolate. Nice company for a real Kriek from Brussels' Zenne Valley.
- serves 4
- 20 min.
- vegetarian
Ingredients
125 g dark chocolate, finely chopped
100 g butter, diced
100 g sugar
2 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
few drops of vanilla extract
pinch of salt
55 g flour
icing sugar
Method
Mix the chocolate with the butter in a heatproof bowl. The more chocolate, the more intense the flavour. More butter makes them a little lighter and fluffier.
Place the bowl over a pan of boiling water, make sure the bowl does not touch the water. Stir gently until everything is melted. You can also put the bowl with chocolate and butter in a microwave for about 1 minute, stirring a few times in between. Set aside for a while.
Using a whisk, beat the sugar, egg, egg yolk, vanilla extract and salt briskly for about 2 minutes until light, lumpy and frothy. Sift and whisk in the flour until you have a nice smooth batter. Then pour in the chocolate and gently stir or 'fold' it in.
Grease four small bowls or ramekins with butter and sprinkle them with some flour. Fill them two-thirds full with the chocolate batter; they will still rise. If you prepare them a day earlier, put the bowls in the fridge. Bake the cakes for 10 to 12 minutes in an oven at about 200 degrees Celsius. The top should be nice and springy and not too firm. If the bowls have just come out of the fridge or if they contain more chocolate, bake them a few minutes longer.
Hold the dishes with a kitchen towel (they are red-hot!) and carefully loosen the lava cakes from the edges with a spatula or knife. Place a plate on top and turn the dish over smoothly. Sprinkle with some icing sugar and add some whipped cream or red fruit if you like. Serve immediately.
Characteristic Belgian Krieken
Cherrie beers are the perfect partners for classic lave cake. The fresh acidity of a cherry and the deep, sweet flavors of the cake go super well together.
