Monday 31 March 2008

TWD: Gooey Chocolate Cakes


Once again, its time for TWD! I've found that its the perfect solution to Monday blues since every Monday night (if I've procrastinated, which is usually the case), I have a Dorie baking session to look forward to! This week, the chosen recipe was Dorie's Gooey Chocolate Cake aka molten chocolate cake or chocolate fondant.

While I've made this type of cake many times, I've actually never tried Dorie's recipe so I was definitely looking forward to giving it a go. Molten chocolate cake is one of those cakes that is almost universally loved - you can find it on just about every restaurant's dessert menu - but is so quick and easy to whip up.

After having read the problems and questions post on the TWD blog, I decided to reduce the cooking time in order to ensure that I had a gooey inside. As such, instead of 13 minutes, I decided to bake mine for 11. I must have an oven that runs cold though because I think I could have easily left it in for at least another minute. No matter though - the cake was still absolutely delicious, if a little more gooey than normal! Next time you have unexpected dinner guests, this is your go to recipe because you can have it on the table in under 30 minutes tops.

Gooey Chocolate Cake
From Baking: From My Home to Yours

1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ teaspoon salt
5 ounces bittersweet chocolate,
4 ounces coarsely chopped,
1 ounce very finely chopped
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
6 tablespoons of sugar

Getting ready: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. butter (or spray – it’s easier) 6 cups of a regular-size muffin pan, preferably a disposable aluminum foil pan, dust the insides with flour and tap out the excess. Put the muffin pan on a baking sheet.

Sift the flour, cocoa and salt together.

Set a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water, put the coarsely chopped chocolate and the butter in the bowl and stir occasionally over the simmering water just until they are melted – you don’t want them to get so hot that the butter separates. Remove the bowl from the pan of water.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and yolk until homogenous. Add the sugar and whisk until well blended, about 2 minutes. Add the dry ingredients and, still using the whisk, stir (don’t beat) them into the eggs. Little by little, and using a light hand, stir in the melted chocolate and butter. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups and sprinkle the finely chopped chocolate over the batter.

Bake the cakes for 13 minutes. Transfer them, still on the baking sheet, to a rack to cool for 3 minutes. (There is no way to test that these cakes are properly baked, because the inside remains liquid.)

Line a cutting board with a silicone baking mat or parchment or wax paper, and, after the 3-minute rest, unmold the cakes onto the board. Use a wide metal spatula to lift the cakes onto dessert plates.
Makes 6 servings

24 comments:

Mari said...

Wowsa, those sure were gooey! Mine were not that gooey at all. Maybe next time I can cut the cooking time, but I loved them as they were, so I'm not sure.

Welcome aboard, btw!

Engineer Baker said...

Wow, those look molten alright! Nice work, they look amazing!

Mary said...

those are so gooey! i should have thought ahead like you did....mine were more like sludge than goo!

April said...

Looks great! I love all that chocolate lava!! yum!

Mary Ann said...

Looks delicious! I agree with the dinner party thought. These were simple, delicious,and so quick.

Rebecca of "Ezra Pound Cake" said...

Oh, what a great pic! You're right, they're so easy to make ... might be a good one to do along with company. Everyone always seems to gather in the kitchen.

Rebecca
http://www.ezrapoundcake.com

Madam Chow said...

Yours turned out beautifully! Molten in the middle. Mine were a tad overbaked, but that did not slow us down!
Madam Chow
http://www.mzkitchen.com

LyB said...

They'll definitely be my go to recipe, they were so easy to make and really chocolatey! Maybe I'll try them as gooey as yours next time, they look delicious!

Annemarie said...

They look EXACTLY how a gooey chocolate cake should look!

Marie Rayner said...

Welcome aboard! Well done on your first challenge too! Yours turned out lovely. Mine was more fudgy inside instead of molten, however it was still delicious. I think I will follow your lead and cut down on the baking time the next time I bake them!

Unknown said...

They look so tasty! ALl goeey, and not solid like mine.

amanda. said...

Ooh! Look at all the gooeyness! Yum!

Dolores said...

I'm with you... I can't think of a better antidote to a stress-filled Monday than an evening with a bit of music, perhaps a glass of wine, melted chocolate, and Dorie. Great job!

Gretchen Noelle said...

I love the gooey look of your delicious cakes!

Donna said...

WOW! Lots of Gooey molten delicious-ness!

Donna

Karina said...

I agree that these would be a perfect dinner party dessert. I'm impressed at just how molten your cakes remained, mine were still quite gooey but definitely not lava-like. They look great!

Cecilia said...

I should have read the comments on TWD like you before baking my batch of chocolate cakes last night. I didn't reap the benefits of procrastinating this time around, and it showed when I didn't get see any goo coming out of my cakes.

Wonderful job; your cake looked scrumptious!

giz said...

The more I see these creations every Tuesday, the more I want to learn how to bake.

Natalie said...

Wow, major goo/molten!

Judy said...

That's a really nice molten lava inside in those cakes.

Bridget said...

I tried 11.5, 12, and 13 minutes, and I found my favorite was the 11.5, when it was still pretty runny. But I'm all about raw batter, so what do I know. :)

slush said...

Yours are so gooey!!! I will def reduce cooking time next go round. Great job!

Erin said...

This looks so good! I think these are the most gooey cakes I've seen!

Jaime said...

i think it's great extra gooey! :)