Mini Chocolate Cakes
Submitted by DIGIT36
Individual mini chocolate cakes baked in ramekins with a molten white chocolate center, toasted pecans, and a topping of whipped cream and grated dark chocolate. Restaurant-style plated dessert.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
15 minCOOK
45 minREADY
1 hrsThese individual chocolate molten cakes reverse the usual lava cake formula: instead of a dark chocolate liquid center inside a dark cake, you get a melted white chocolate surprise tucked inside a deep, dark, bittersweet chocolate cake studded with toasted pecans. The contrast is striking. Bite through the dense fudgy outer cake into a soft, sweet white pool that pours out as soon as you cut in.
The two-stage bake is the technique that makes this work. The cakes go in for 15 minutes first to set the outer structure, then come out for the white chocolate insert, then return for another 10 to 15 minutes to finish. Testing doneness with a knife along the side (NOT the center, where you’d hit the chocolate) is what tells you when to pull them.
Pro Tips
- Use high-quality bittersweet chocolate (60% to 70% cacao). Cheap chocolate chips don’t melt smoothly and leave a waxy texture.
- Grease the ramekins thoroughly. A buttered ramekin dusted with cocoa powder ensures clean unmolding.
- Cream the butter and sugar a full 5 minutes for proper aeration. Skipping this step gives dense, heavy cakes.
- Serve immediately after unmolding. The white chocolate centers firm up fast as the cakes cool.
Variations
- Sub raspberries or chopped strawberries for the white chocolate center for a fruit-filled version.
- Use hazelnuts or walnuts in place of pecans.
- Dust with powdered sugar instead of whipped cream for a simpler presentation.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat oven to 350℉ (180℃).
Using an electric mixer with a whisk attachment, cream butter and sugar together on high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
Add eggs and egg yolks, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
Continue to mix until the egg mixture is lemon colored, about 3 minutes more.
Lower the mixer speed and add the melted chocolate.
Stop and scrape down the sides and then continue to mix.
Add flour, nuts, and vanilla and mix just until the batter comes together.
Distribute the batter among six 8-ounce well-greased ramekins.
Place the ramekins on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.
Remove from oven. Place a 1-ounce piece of white chocolate into the middle of each half-baked cake.
Return cakes to oven and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the side comes out clean.
Do not insert the knife into the center or you will hit the white chocolate.
Let cakes cool for about 10 minutes, then invert onto a plate and pipe whipped cream on the top of each cake.
Top with grated chocolate and serve warm.
Serves six.
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