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Choc cakes with molten citrus ganache centres

happycat's picture
happycat

Choc cakes with molten citrus ganache centres

Inspiration

Lava cakes seem to be trendy for Valentine's day. This is more of a little chocolate cake with a slightly crisp shell and molten (but not flowing) orange citrus chocolate ganache centre. 

These cakes are mostly chocolate... so I wouldn't rely on chips for the cake or Lindor fillings to replace the ganache as suggested in the original. Blech! Give me deep chocolate, real vanilla and real orange!

The recipe was inspired from https://www.recipetineats.com/molten-chocolate-cakes/comment-page-2/#wprm-recipe-container-57946

With the following differences:

  • I used unsweetened chocolate and added 40% sugar (she used chips with a lower cocoa % to help with flow of the centre)
  • I used the stovetop to make ganache, not a microwave and choc chips
  • I added orange zest and vanilla bean to the ganache
  • I used cake flour

Ingredients

MOLTEN CHOCOLATE GANACHE CENTRE:

  • 60g unsweetened chocolate chopped into bits
  • 40g sugar for chocolate
  • 60g heavy cream (eg. 35% whipping cream)
  • 1 vanilla bean
  • zest 1 small orange

NOTE: I should mention that you won't use all this ganache. The original recipe made too much and so does this. The amount you put in each cake is up to your judgment but I had plenty (half?) left over.

CAKE BATTER:

  • 120g unsweetened chocolate chopped into bits
  • 80g sugar for chocolate
  • 100g unsalted butter 1cm cubes
  • 1 vanilla bean
  • 2 eggs room temperature
  • 2 egg yolks room temperature
  • 100g caster sugar for cake (or just food process regular sugar)
  • 16g cake flour

Instructions

GANACHE: 

  • in a saucepan, add cream, sugar, vanilla and zest and mix thoroughly
  • NOTE: consider food processing zest into sugar to enhance flavour
  • warm on stove medium, stirring regularly, until just starts to bubble
  • remove from heat and add small amount of chopped chocolate and stir until melted in
  • alternate warming, adding bits of chocolate, stirring until all smoothly integrated
  • Cool 10 minutes
  • refrigerate until firm enough to scoop

CAKE:

  • Preheat oven 390°F
  • Grease & dust moulds with cocoa, tapping out excess
  • in a saucepan, add butter, chocolate's sugar, stirring until integrated
  • warm on stove medium, stirring regularly, until just starts to bubble
  • remove from heat and add vanilla
  • add small amount of chopped chocolate and stir until melted in
  • alternate warming, adding bits of chocolate, stirring until all smoothly integrated
  • put aside to cool
  • In a bowl, whisk eggs, egg yolks and the cake sugar (I food processed it with old vanilla pods then sifted them out)
  • Add portion of melted chocolate into the eggs, mixing until combined, repeating until all integrated
  • Sift flour over batter and fold until just combined
  • Fill 7-8 muffin moulds ⅓ with batter
  • Place blob ganache into middle of each batter
  • Cover each with more batter until 1 cm from top
  • Bake 17 minutes 
    • I baked mine in a floppy silicone mould on a thin aluminum sheet and after 17 minutes I added another 3 without the sheet. This may be why I got the slightly crispy shells, which I liked

Some Photos

Chocolate chips are not a good substitute for baking chocolate. This is a mostly chocolate dessert... so start with real all-cocoa / cocoa butter chocolate without the extra sugar, wax, stabilizers, flavourings and whatnot of chips...

Here I've plopped a blob of glorious ganache into a pool of batter in 8 muffin cups. Then I topped it off with more batter and baked.

Look at how dark that chocolate is....

 And they baked up nicely...

Results

The cakes had a wonderful chocolate aroma, deep chocolate flavour, a slightly crispy shell and a molten chocolate interior with a lovely and nuanced natural orange essence from zest. The whole thing is mostly chocolate so it was pretty great because I took the time to make it with quality ingredients.

To serve, we microwave the cakes to melt the ganache. Yes, the shell stays a bit crispy.

I froze my cakes to portion them out over time. These are small but very satisfying.

 

Crummy photo... 

Comments

alfanso's picture
alfanso

When we lived in Portland Oregon there was a restaurant where we discovered these on the dessert menu.  They have a lasting memory for us.  A life-long lover of chocolate, although not in the vast quantities that I once consumed it, so I have a feeling I'll be visiting these soon enough.

Thanks for posting.  Alan 

Booda's picture
Booda

We always order Lava Cake when eating at the Chart House in Portland. The pandemic has kept us away, so I'll also have to give this recipe a try. 

Richard

alfanso's picture
alfanso

now closed.  But at least we have the recipe thanks to happycat.  And a 700 calorie dessert, if I only eat one!

happycat's picture
happycat

Thanks Alan

These aren't lava cakes as those would be cakes whose centres are not baked as much. You have to watch your baking times closely.

These use separately-made ganache centres so they might be more powerful. Chocolate is the star of the show and you can adjust the power based on your sugar ratio. I may have overbaked mine but I liked the result.

If you give it a try, hope you share your results.

alfanso's picture
alfanso

and picked up the Lindt chocolate balls today to use in place of the ganache, as Nagi mentions.  My wife is out of town these past few weeks but when she returns we can relive the Giorgio dessert days a little.  

Reviewing the ingredients, it's a tad rich, wouldn't you say!

happycat's picture
happycat

It is rich..l have small portions though and I forgot a key note from Nagi!

I should've mentioned that you won't use all the ganache. The original recipe made too much and so does this. The amount you put in each cake is up to your judgment but I had plenty left over.

alfanso's picture
alfanso

My wife has been away with family for the past two months.  I was holding off until her return, but...just couldn't.  So I made these 2 days ago and gave three to my friends for their dessert.  The reply was - "Oh Wow" "Amazing" "THIS is something we would get on the ship" "It's messy but good AND I didn't drop any in my shirt".

I didn't do anything special except for following the instructions.  I did, as mentioned earlier, use the Lindt's dark chocolate truffle balls in lieu of making the ganache.  We had 6 little ramekins, but one must be shy as it is hidden somewhere not to be found, so I subbed a coffee mug in its place.

This last photo is my midnight serving after late night dinner.  Way too rich and twice as much as I should have eaten at that hour.  I concur with the neighbors' comments above.  Especially the not getting any inside my shirt part!  Thanks for posting.

Benito's picture
Benito

Wow nice rich decadent molten chocolate cake Alan.  Next time I’m in Florida you need to make these.  Smart shortcut using Lindors for the molten centers.

Benny

happycat's picture
happycat

Wow those look great and you got the flowing centre. Awesome.

Benito's picture
Benito

These look so decadent David, I hope you and your wife enjoyed them, I know I would have.

Benny

happycat's picture
happycat

Decadent is certainly the word. It was one of those things that we'd look at each other and have that expression of, wow. I think the orange zest elevated it into that territory.