Molten Lava Chocolate Cake

Warm chocolate cake with a gooey, melted centre, served with vanilla ice cream.  My favourite combination.  The contrast between the warm cake and cold ice cream is so pleasing.

I attempted this dessert today because a friend who is a total chocoholic came to visit my sister and Shankar.  This recipe, by Trish Magwood from Party Dish, is definitely a keeper.  I got it off the Food Network website which also lists a caramel sauce recipe that I didn't make. 

The original recipe calls for bittersweet chocolate.  I think that is probably the ideal thing to use.  I had a huge bar of Lindt milk chocolate I wanted to use so I tried it out.  It has more sugar than dark chocolate so I cut the amount of sugar I added.  The cake, while delicious, didn't have the intense chocolate flavour I was hoping for.  Next time I would also try adding some cinnamon or espresso to add more flavour.

Ingredients
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate
1/2 cup butter plus extra for buttering ramekins
2 eggs
2 yolks
1/4 cup sugar
pinch of salt
2 tbsp flour

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Generously butter and lightly flour six ramekins
3. Melt chocolate and butter over a double boiler (heat water in a pot and place bowl over it --not touching the water--with chocolate and butter).   Mix until smooth. Set aside.
4.  Beat eggs, yolks, sugar and salt together until pale yellow and light.
5. Quickly fold chocolate mixture into eggs with a spatula.
6. Fold in flour.  (I recommend sifting it in because I got clumps when I just dropped it in)
7. Pour 1/3 cup of batter into each ramekin.
8.  Bake for 8-9 minutes.  The sides of the cake should be set and the centre should be soft.
9. Let it sit for 1 minute before turning it on to a dessert plate.  Run a knife around the edge to help loosen it before inverting.

Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whip cream.  Add fresh fruit like strawberries or raspberries and a sprig of mint for garnish.  Enjoy!

*Photographs by Kanchana Sundaram