Molten Chocolate Nutella Lava Cakes

Molten Chocolate Nutella Lava Cakes - made June 16, 2016, adapted from Veggie and the Beast Feast

I rarely have true cravings. Sure, I’ll feel like having a particular food once in awhile (typically dessert) but not with that “I must have this and only this RIGHT now” feeling. I didn’t with this one either but every once in awhile, I’ll be surfing pictures and recipes on pinterest, something will catch my eye, I’ll think it looks good and I’ll simply make it then and there.

Such was the case with this recipe for molten chocolate Nutella cakes. And let’s be honest, I wanted to use my 4^th of July ramekins again. They’re actually a bit big for lava cakes since molten chocolate cakes are typically very rich and best consumed warm so you don’t want too much in one serving. I went with them anyway because that’s what I wanted to use but I’d say these are best split with 3 other regular people or 1-2 chocoholics.

This is prepared like a typical lava cake – beat the eggs a lot to get the volume in the batter and airiness in baking, bake at a high temp and take out when the sides are done and middle is still jiggly for the molten chocolate part. The only change is adding the dollop of Nutella in the center before baking so there is guaranteed molten lava upon serving.

It looks burned but it actually isn't

Mine didn’t turn out as pretty as the original blog but that was probably because I released the cake from the ramekin too early and it broke apart while it was too hot and fragile. It didn’t affect the taste but if you don’t want your cake to break too soon,  let it cool a few minutes before turning over onto a plate then leave it overturned but with the ramekin still in place to hold it together while it cools for a few minutes more before you remove the ramekin.

I warned ahead of time but I’ll warn again – this is rich. The Nutella makes it so but there’s also still the chocolate batter in the middle that has enough time to heat up but not enough time to fully bake. The two together make for a formidable assault on your sweet tooth and tolerance of decadence. My tolerance is quite high but even I was almost defeated by half a serving of one ramekin. So arm yourself with vanilla ice cream when you take on this chocolate goodness, just to give yourself a fighting chance.

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
1 egg
1 egg yolk
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
2 tablespoons Nutella
2 teaspoons powdered sugar, optional, for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Generously grease two 7-ounce ramekins.
2. Combine the butter and chocolate in the top half of a double boiler over simmering water. Whisk until melted and smooth,
3. In a separate bowl, beat the egg, egg yolk, sugar and salt on high until thickened and pale, 3-4 minutes. Scrape down the sides of bowl as needed.
4. Whisk the cocoa powder into the melted chocolate then fold mixture into eggs just until incorporated. Do not overmix.
5. Divide batter evenly between ramekins. Drop 1 tablespoon Nutella in the center of each ramekin.
6. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the sides are firm and the centers are still soft but not juggly.
7. Let cakes cool for 1 minute in the ramekins then set a plate face-down on top of each ramekin. While wearing an oven mitt, carefully flip the ramekin and plate over. Let stand for 10 seconds then carefully lift the ramekin.
8. Sift a little powdered sugar on top of each cake, garnish with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and serve warm,