Sweet Spot

The trick to making these heavenly delicious chocolate lava cakes is to make and freeze chocolate truffles, which will end up being the molten centers.

Truffles

¼ C Cream
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate (coursely chopped)
½ T unsalted butter
1/2 t instant coffee granules (or espresso powder if you can find it)
1 t grated orange zest (optional)

• Bring the cream almost to a boil, remove from heat and stir in chocolate, butter and coffee.
• Stir until smooth.
• Stir in the orange zest.
• Put into a metal bowl and place in the freezer for 20 minutes or so.  Mixture will be firm when it’s ready to roll the truffles.
• You’ll want 1” round balls.  You may want to clean your hands every truffle or so since the mixture will melt in warm hands.
•  With the extra truffles, if desired, roll them in cocoa powder, powdered sugar, coconut, ground nuts.
• Place the truffles for the lava cakes in the freezer until they’re needed.

Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes

Heat oven to 425, position a rack in the upper third.

• 1 C sugar
• ½ C milk
• 2 t instant coffee granules (or espresso powder if you can find it)
• 1 T flour
• 4 oz bittersweet chocolate (coarsely chopped)
• 4 oz unsweetened chocolate (coarsely chopped)
• 1 T unsalted butter
• 4 eggs, separated, at room temperature
• 6 truffles from recipe above

Using 4 or 5 oz ramekins or glass baking dishes, generously grease them with butter.  Coat the butter with sugar, removing extra sugar.

Line the bottom of the ramekin with a round parchment circle.  Make sure the circle only covers the bottom and not the sides.  Butter the circle if you can.

In a medium, heavy sauce pan, mix and bring the following ingredients to a rolling boil:  Sugar, milk, coffee granules.

Reduce the heat to a simmer and whisk in the flour.  Continue whisking for 1 minute.  Remove the pan from the heat.

Stir in the chocolates (bittersweet and unsweetened).

When melted, add the butter until melted in.

One by one, stir in the egg yolks, whisking until completely incorporated.

In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites to stiff peaks, but not dry.

Mix a generous spoonful of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture, fully incorporating it.

Scrape the chocolate into the egg whites and fold in.  Scoop from the bottom, turn the bowl.  Do not overmix.

Put the mixture into the prepared ramekins.  Insert a truffle into the center, then cover the truffle with a little batter.

Place them on a baking sheet.  Bake for about 12 minutes.  The tops should be dry to the touch.

Remove from the oven, and loosen the sides with a small spatula or knife.  Flip onto an individual serving dish.  Remove the parchment.

These will be a little too hot to eat, so let them cool before serving.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar, optionally serve with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.