Chef John's Chocolate Lava Cake

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   ingredients

1 h 15 m4 servings394 cals

• butter as needed
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 eggs
• 3 tablespoons white sugar
• 3 1/2 ounces chopped dark chocolate

• 5 tablespoons butter
• 4 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 pinch salt
• 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Add all ingredients to list

Directions

 

• Prep
  5 m
• Cook
  25 m
• Ready In
  1 h 15 m

1. Generously butter the inside of 4 (5 1/2 ounce) ramekins. Place them in a casserole dish.
2. Whisk together egg yolks, eggs, and sugar in a bowl until light, foamy, and lemon colored.
3. Melt chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe bowl in 30-second intervals, stirring after each melting, 1 to 3 minutes.
4. Stir melted chocolate mixture into egg and sugar mixture until combined.
5. Sift cocoa powder into the mixture; stir to combine.
6. Sift flour and salt into the mixture; stir to combine into a batter.
7. Stir vanilla extract into the batter.
8. Transfer batter to a resealable plastic bag. Snip one corner of the bag with scissors to create a tip.
9. Divide batter evenly between the prepared ramekins; tap gently on the counter to remove any air bubbles.
10. Refrigerate 30 minutes.
11. Preheat an oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
12. Arrange the ramekins in a casserole dish. Pour enough hot tap water into the casserole dish to reach halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
13. Bake in the preheated over for 15-18 minutes. Set aside to cool for 15 minutes.
14. Loosen the edges from the ramekin with a knife. Invert each cake onto a plate and dust with powdered sugar.                                                                      Recipe by:
       Chef John
                                                                                                                    "Legend has it that this dessert was the result of a major catering disaster. The dessert for this particular event was to be individual chocolate cakes, but someone took them out of the ovens too soon and the centers were not cooked enough and still liquefied. Well, there was no time to take them off the plates and bake them more, so the chef simply had his wait staff introduce the dessert as Chocolate 'Lava' Cake! Brilliant!"