Chocolate Lava Cakes

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Alice Medrich had an article in Fine Cooking Magazine describing chocolate lava cakes as precisely timed individual souffles that were undercooked enough to ooze "chocolate lava" when broken open. She proposed a more flexible method by cooking a souffle batter with a center of chocolate ganache that didn't fail if over baked. I found this recipe on the web, but Medrich gives much more elegant variations in her article. This recipe version serves 10.

Ingredients

Ganache
4 oz good quality semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
3 oz heavy cream
1 tbsp unsalted butter

Batter
14 oz good quality semi-sweet chocolate
8 oz unsalted butter
2 tsp vanilla
6 eggs, separated
2/3 cup cake flour, sifted
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 cup sugar

Ganache

Chop the chocolate into thick slivers and place in a bowl.

Heat the cream in a pan until it begins to simmer. Pour over the chocolate.

Mix the cream in until the chocolate is melted.

The mixture should be smooth. Then add the pat of butter and whisk in until well blended. Refrigerate the ganache.

Batter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Butter large muffin tins and dust with cocoa powder.

Place the chopped chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and set over a pan of water.

Stir the ingredients until melted over the simmering waterbath. Remove from heat and let cool a little.

Add egg yolks and vanilla. Whisk mixture.

Whisk in sifted cake flour.

Meanwhile, put egg whites into a bowl with salt and cream of tartar. Whisk or beat the whites until soft peaks stage. Gradually add sugar and continue to beat until peaks are stiffer (but not too stiff).

Fold the whites into the chocolate batter mixture 1/3 at a time.

Fill muffin tins 2/3 full of batter. Remove ganache from refrigerator and scoop large tablespoonfuls of ganache to place in the center of each cake. Push the ganache down if possible.

Top off the last third of each cake with batter.

Smooth the tops and bake in the oven for 15 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool in pan for 5 minutes.

Serve hot, complimented with freshly whipped cream. These cakes can also be stored and heated in the microwave (20-40 seconds), but fresh is definitely better.

	Chop the chocolate into thick slivers and place in a bowl.
	Heat the cream in a pan until it begins to simmer. Pour over the chocolate.
	Mix the cream in until the chocolate is melted.
	The mixture should be smooth. Then add the pat of butter and whisk in until well blended. Refrigerate the ganache.

	Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Butter large muffin tins and dust with cocoa powder.
	Place the chopped chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and set over a pan of water.
	Stir the ingredients until melted over the simmering waterbath. Remove from heat and let cool a little.
	Add egg yolks and vanilla. Whisk mixture.
	Whisk in sifted cake flour.
	Meanwhile, put egg whites into a bowl with salt and cream of tartar. Whisk or beat the whites until soft peaks stage. Gradually add sugar and continue to beat until peaks are stiffer (but not too stiff).
	Fold the whites into the chocolate batter mixture 1/3 at a time.
	Fill muffin tins 2/3 full of batter. Remove ganache from refrigerator and scoop large tablespoonfuls of ganache to place in the center of each cake. Push the ganache down if possible.
	Top off the last third of each cake with batter.
	Smooth the tops and bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
	Remove from oven and let cool in pan for 5 minutes.
	Serve hot, complimented with freshly whipped cream. These cakes can also be stored and heated in the microwave (20-40 seconds), but fresh is definitely better.