A life has not truly been lived, without experiencing a dessert such as the ‘Moelleux au Chocolat’. Every now and then, you hit upon something that makes your eyes light up and leaves you completely and utterly speechless… My instincts were telling me, right the way through from preparation, to baking, to serving, that this particular dessert would be something pretty special, so I apologise for the slightly rushed photos and fully intend to make this dessert again on the weekend, updating you with some more oozy, chocolatey images. I may well have been (not surprisingly) a little too keen to dig in and taste… the camera, unfortunately taking second priority.
This recipe came from the most recent cookbook to line my bookshelves – ‘The Little Paris Kitchen’ by Rachel Khoo (from the BBC Series of the same name). I have adapted the recipe only very slightly by using raw sugar, instead of brown sugar – purely as a personal preference.
Moelleux au Chocolat | Chocolate Lava Cakes
Ingredients
- 6 Free-Range Eggs
- 170g Dark Chocolate (chopped)
- 170g Unsalted Butter (diced)
- 170g Raw Sugar (or Brown Sugar if you prefer)
- 85g Plain Flour (sifted)
- Plus a little softened butter and cocoa to line the ramekins
Instructions
- Half the quantity of this recipe produced 4 little ramekins of chocolate perfection. My ramekins are 2/3 cup capacity.
- Test the cakes with a skewer to ensure that the outer edges are cooked and the centres still slightly runny.
- I found that 15 minutes in the oven was long enough for mine…
- The prepared batter, poured into the ramekins and covered in cling film can be kept in the fridge for a day or two. They can also be covered and frozen like this and then baked from frozen (allowing 5-10 minutes extra in the oven).
- Recipe from Rachel Khoo’s ‘The Little Paris Kitchen’ Cookbook
Grease 6 – 8 small ramekins with a little softened butter and dust with cocoa powder, tapping out any excess.
Into a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs together and set aside for a moment.
In a smaller mixing bowl, combine the flour and sugar and also set aside for a moment.
Melt together the butter and chocolate – either in a double-boiler (a heat-proof bowl sitting over a saucepan of simmering water) or carefully in short bursts in the microwave, being sure to stir occasionally.
When the chocolate and butter are melted, combined and smooth, drizzle this mixture into the beaten eggs, whisking all the time as you go (so that the eggs don’t scramble). Then fold in gently the flour and sugar mixture.
Pour into the ramekins and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. This is an important step, as it will help to make sure that the centres of the cakes stay nice and oozy!
Pre-heat the oven to 180°C and then bake the little cakes for about 15-20 minutes.
Allow to cool for a couple of minutes before turning the Moelleux au Chocolat out of the ramekins and onto plates. Serve warm with your choice of ice-cream, whipped cream or fresh berries.
Gather & Graze 
Those look amazing. I love individual desserts in ramekins. Beautiful pictures.
Thanks very much Amber! They are truly delicious – though devoured in seconds! I’ve been meaning to make them again, to try and get some classier photos… Thanks so much for visiting G&G. Cheers, Margot
these are so adorable – perfect choccy goodness 🙂
Thank you ‘Hungry Mum’! They were adored by the whole family! 🙂
We have the same problem at our house – resisting eating the goodies before taking the photo’s does get hard, especially when they look and smell so good 🙂 I really enjoyed Rachel Khoo’s show on tv but I haven’t looked at her cook book yet, I will need to check it out. These look seriously good!
I think it’s particularly frustrating when you make a delicious meal or dessert that’s meant to be eaten warm/hot and the longer you take to photograph it, the colder it’s getting… Though, I’m very much looking forward to making this one again and re-photographing it! There are so many lovely recipes in her book, I’m sure I’ll get lots of use out of it! 🙂
PS. Thought of you as I made my orange cake again today – will wait and see what happens tomorrow! Fingers crossed! 🙂
Well then, I better start living my life and have me one of these babies! Or two! I have a confession to make… I am a chocoholic! 🙂
A well-suited recipe for you then Lidia! 🙂 I’m absolutely sure that I could make these desserts at least once a week and the family would never complain. Love to hear your thoughts if you give it try! Cheers, Margot
These sound delightful. And I’ve read good things about Rachel Khoo. Not that I’ve see the programme – I’d need a telly for that!
They are absolutely delicious Johnny and a small serving with a little cream or ice-cream on the side is all that you need to get that intense chocolate fix! You should feel proud to not have a telly – there’s so much rubbish produced these days! I don’t watch ours much at all… much prefer to have my head in a book.
it does look quite fabulous! Making mental note to check out the Little Paris Kitchen cookbook since you recommend it
Thanks Azita – the book is quite lovely, with many classic French recipes (often with a slight, but delicious twist) Some fabulous ideas for picnic food, casual family dinners and yummy desserts – exactly my type of food! 🙂
This looks great. Don’t do home delivery to Ireland? MM 🍀
Thanks Mick! I would dearly love to send a couple of these across to you, though I hate to think what they would look like on arrival… Perhaps ask again when I do a boiled fruit cake recipe… 🙂 Love the addition of the 4-leafed clover! Cheers, Margot
Oh man. These look incredible. Absolutely delicious… I can imagine the inside, even without an ooey gooey picture! I’ve been wanting to make lava cakes for a very long time but I haven’t invested in some ramekins as yet. You’ve completely convinced me that I need to. Now!! xx
Go get those ramekins Laura!!! 🙂 Though I’m sure there are all sorts of other oven-proof cups or bowls that could be used equally as well and perhaps even provide a prettier shape… Thanks for the lovely comment!
I think I need to! Or… actually you’ve just given me an idea. I could use teacups in the oven, right? Hm, I’d worry about cracking them though (they’re not very resilient china). On second thoughts, it’s ramekin shopping time this weekend!! xx
Tea cups would be great and a little on the quirky side – it would be fun to have people turn their own cakes out of the cups at the table… Might just have to give that a go! 🙂
This has been on my to-make list for so long, it already looks and sounds incredible, looking forward to more photos!
Me too! I’ve been keen to make this dessert for ages, but just waiting for the right recipe to come along… and here it is! Just hope I can be patient enough to take more photos the next time I make it – the same temptation to start eating immediately will certainly be there! 🙂
I can totally understand, the number of dishes and cakes that have, um, disappeared before I got photos…