Muffin Tin Chocolate Lava Cakes
Okuuuuuuurrrrrrr. Yes people. Muffin tin chocolate lava cakes.
I like to consider myself one of the strongest advocates for chocolate lava cakes.
I believe the public needs to be educated about the greatness that is a lava cake. Not just because of the lava cake’s incredible flavor. But also because of its incredible ease. To prepare. And also consume, obviously.
Trust me. I was just as misinformed as some of you may still be before I attempted my first homemade molten chocolate cake. I thought of the lava cake as a restaurant-exclusive, time-consuming, complex dessert.
How wrong I was. So sad. I don’t want to perpetuate this sadness. Let’s put an end to the sadness and ignorance now, once and for all.
A CHOCOLATE LAVA CAKE IS ONE OF THE EASIEST DESSERTS TO MAKE.
Do I need to repeat that? I won’t. The Caps Lock shall suffice.
Chocolate lava cakes are easier to whip up than your basic chocolate cake. No joke. Me for real.
All it takes is one bowl, 10 minutes, a few simple ingredients, and you’re set to create the best chocolate lava cakes of your lifetime.
Because a chocolate lava cake is basically a very much under-baked chocolate cake. A chocolate cake that contains wayyyyy less flour than a regular chocolate cake, and muuuuuch more chocolate and egg yolks. And butter.
Cuz I mean, we’re dealing with the richest form of a chocolate cake here, are we not? So we need all the rich ingredients.
Ugh. Chocolate lava cakes. What can I say. They’re heavy and rich and gooey and decadent and the best.
Also, need I remind you that we’re currently in the midst of winter? And a rich and hearty chocolate lava cake is definitely something that can help ease that bout of seasonal depression?
Chocolate lava cakes 1, winter 0.
And. These particular chocolate lava cakes are baked in muffin tins as opposed to ramekins. For a few reasons:
most people are more likely to own a muffin pan than a set of ramekins
a ramekin-sized lava cake is a fairly generous portion for such a rich dessert. Dividing the batter into muffin-sized cakes deals with that generosity.
I already have a lava cake recipe made in ramekins on the blog (this gluten-free version), so this is a nice alternative
So, to conclude: hot, gooey, rich, decadent muffin-sized chocolate lava cakes with melty, chocolatey centers and slightly crispy outer crusts and the perfect chocolate denseness and bitterness to sugar sweetness ratio.
Serve hot, with ice cream, obviously.
Muffin Tin Chocolate Lava Cakes
Yield: 8 lava cakes
4 ounces good-quality, bittersweet chocolate (I used 72%)
½ cup (1 stick) butter
½ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon salt
2 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
3 tablespoons flour
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease 8 muffin molds and then coat them with flour, shaking out the excess flour.
2. Chop up the chocolate and butter and melt them together in the microwave or over a double boiler until smooth.
3. Whisk the sugar, vanilla extract, and salt into the melted chocolate mixture until smooth. Next, whisk in the whole eggs and egg yolks vigorously until smooth again. Gently stir in the flour until just combined.
4. Divide the batter evenly among the muffins molds, filling each three-quarters full. Bake 8-11 minutes, until the edges are just set but the center is still soft and slightly jiggly.
5. Let the lava cakes cool for 2 minutes. Then, insert a knife around the edges of the cakes to ease them out of their molds before gently lifting them out. Serve right away, with a dusting of confectioners sugar and ice cream, if desired.
*Note: You can prepare the lava cakes up to a day in advance by covering the muffin pan with the unbaked lava cakes and placing it in the fridge until ready to be baked. If you want to bake these lava cakes in 4 ramekins instead of 8 muffin molds, bake the cakes at 400°F for 12-14 minutes.
