We love this cake because it is kind of fancy and yet homespun at the same time. It is from Classic Recipes for Modern Peopleby Max and Eli Sussman as are the Butter Scotch Pancakes (with chocolate chunks). The cake is pretty straightforward, enriched with cocoa and buttermilk. The Bundt pan is a must so that you have the hole to hold the “lava”, which is a white chocolate-strawberry creation. Make sure to pour the lava in the middle right before serving or you will have premature lava flow. Not that there is anything wrong with that.
Excerpted with permission.Classic Recipes for Modern Peopleby Max and Eli Sussman. Published by Weldon Owens, 2015. Photos byErin Kunkel.
We were young kids in 1997 when Hollywood brought us two of the finest volcano films ever, both of which revitalized the stale volcano-film genre. Tommy Lee Jones delivered a heartbreaking performance in Volcano, and Pierce Brosnan plucked our heartstrings as a volcanologist in Dante’s Peak. We’ve seen them both hundreds, if not thousands, of times. And using those two classic films as inspiration, we’ve taken the molten lava cake of our youth and reinvented it as an actual volcano cake that erupts strawberry ganache when you slice it.
Chocolate Cake with Strawberry Lava
Author:Max and Eli Sussman
Makes:Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients
cake & ganache:
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
- 9 oz (280 g) bittersweet chocolate, chopped
- 1 cup (8 oz/250 g) granulated sugar
- ¾ cup (6 fl oz/180 ml) canola oil
- 1 large egg
- 2 cups (10 oz/315 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (11/2 oz/45 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 Tbsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- 1 cup (8 fl oz/250 ml) buttermilk
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (1 oz/30 g) confectioners’ sugar
- ½ cup (4 fl oz/125 ml) heavy cream
lava:
- 8 oz (250 g) white melting chocolate
- 1 cup (4 oz/125 g) strawberries, stemmed and chopped
- 1 tsp rose water
- Pinch of kosher salt
Instructions
- To make the cake, place a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 350°F (180°C). Using your hand or a paper towel, rub the butter thoroughly over all of the interior surfaces of a 10-inch (25-cm) Bundt pan, then spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- In the top pan of a double boiler, melt 3 oz (90 g) of the chocolate over (but not touching) simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth. Scrape the chocolate into a large bowl and whisk in the granulated sugar. Add the canola oil and whisk until smooth and fully incorporated. Add the egg and whisk until smooth.
- In another bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Add half of the flour mixture to the chocolate mixture and stir until fully incorporated. Add half of the buttermilk and whisk until incorporated. Repeat this process with the remaining flour mixture and buttermilk. Add the vanilla and mix well.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out mostly clean (a few small crumbs are okay, but there should be no batter on the toothpick), about 45 minutes.
- Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Invert a plate over the pan, invert the pan and plate together, and lift off the pan. Let the cake cool completely.
- While the cake is cooling, make the ganache. In the top pan of a double boiler, melt the remaining 6 oz (185 g) chocolate over (but not touching) simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth. Add the confectioners’ sugar and stir well so it melts into the chocolate. Add 1⁄4 cup (2 fl oz/60 ml) of the cream and stir well until smooth, then add the remaining 1⁄4 cup (2 fl oz/60 ml) cream and stir well. Remove from the heat and let the ganache cool for a few minutes. It should be thick but pourable. Pour the ganache over the top of the cooled cake and let it set and harden for 30—45 minutes.
- To make the lava, in the top pan of a double boiler, melt the white chocolate over (but not touching) simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth. Fold in the strawberries and stir well. Add the rose water and salt and stir well. Once the mixture is smooth and pourable, pour it into the center of the cake. Cut into slices—the strawberry-laced lava will erupt as you cut—and serve.
FAQs
Lava cakes are typically small individual-sized cakes baked in a ramekin. In summary, molten cake is a broader term that can refer to cakes with a liquid center, whereas lava cake is a specific type of chocolate cake with a melted center.
Do lava cakes need to be refrigerated? ›
Absolutely! After making the Chocolate Lava Cake batter and filling the ramekins, cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day.
Is lava cake just undercooked cake? ›
In the 2014 movie "Chef," chef Carl Caper, portrayed by Jon Favreau, argues that chocolate lava cake isn't just "undercooked chocolate cake." The "molten" aspect of the dessert comes from a disc of frozen chocolate ganache that melts in the center of the treat as the cake bakes around it. He's not wrong.
Should lava cake be eaten hot or cold? ›
The idea behind it is to have a warm cake with a warm to hot center. If you're served a room temperature or cold lava cake, send it back. Some high volume restaurants will pre-bake them, and then pop them into a microwave or hot oven to warm them before serving. This type of dessert should always be warm, never cold.
Why is my lava cake dry? ›
Use room temperature eggs.
Cold eggs can break the emulsion of the sugar and butter, so the batter loses air cells, resulting in baked cakes that are grainy or flat in texture, dry or dense. Room temperature eggs hack: Add warm (not hot) tap water to a bowl then add eggs (still in their shells) for at least 20 minutes.
Can lava cake be eaten cold? ›
Although raspberry lava cake is ideally made and served à la minute, sometimes leftovers happen — and they can still be delicious. Cover and refrigerate leftover cooled cakes; they can be briefly reheated in the microwave or else eaten cold or at room temperature (though the centers will be solid).
Is Chocolate Lava Cake not just undercooked chocolate cake? ›
Chocolate lava cake is not just undercooked chocolate cake. That's not what makes the center molten. You take a frozen cylinder of ganache and set it in the ramekin so that as the outside cooks fully, the inside becomes molten!
Why is my lava cake sticking? ›
To combat this, be sure to use a cooking spray that contains flour. This flour-enhanced spray helps the lava cakes slide out of the pan seamlessly. If you don't have any cooking spray with flour on hand, simply grease your ramekins with butter and dust the inside with cocoa powder to prevent sticking.
Are chocolate lava cakes safe to eat? ›
Lava cakes typically include eggs so a common question, given that the center is molten, is if Lava Cakes are safe to eat. These Chocolate Peanut Butter Lava Cakes are baked at 425 degrees so the batter is able to reach 165 degrees in the center, rendering them safe to eat.
What can I use instead of ramekins for lava cake? ›
If you don't have ramekins, you can use a standard muffin pan. Grease 6 muffin pan cups and dust with cocoa powder to prevent the lava cakes from sticking. Because your lava cakes will be slightly smaller, you'll get 6 lava cakes instead of 4. Bake at 425°F (218°C) for 8–10 minutes.
Store. Store leftover lava cakes in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave or in the oven set to warm.
Does lava cake get you high? ›
With relaxing and euphoric effects that will encompass your whole body, Lava Cake offers a potent high that won't knock you out. Whether smoking or dabbing, you're sure to want seconds of this exotic treat.
How many days does lava cake last? ›
The lava cakes can be stored in the fridge for 3 days and n the freezer for up to 6 months. These little treats are fantastic to have in the freezer when you want that cheeky dessert.
What flavor is lava cake? ›
Molten chocolate cake is a French dessert that consists of a chocolate cake with a liquid chocolate core. It is named for that molten center, and it is also known as mi-cuit au chocolat, chocolat coulant ("flowing"), chocolate lava cake, or simply lava cake.
Why is it called molten lava cake? ›
Molten chocolate cake is a French dessert that consists of a chocolate cake with a liquid chocolate core. It is named for that molten center, and it is also known as mi-cuit au chocolat, chocolat coulant ("flowing"), chocolate lava cake, or simply lava cake.
What is molten lava cake made of? ›
These are the ingredients you'll need to make the this lava cake recipe: Chocolate: Make sure to use good quality semisweet chocolate for the most delicious results. Butter: A stick of butter lends richness, moisture, and flavor. Eggs: Three eggs add more moisture and help bind the batter together.
What is the meaning of molten lava cake? ›
Meanings and definitions of "molten lava cake"
A chocolate cake containing hot chocolate sauce which flows out from the middle. noun.
What is molten cake made of? ›
The ingredient list is short — butter, chocolate, eggs, sugar and flour — and the video that accompanies this recipe shows exactly how the magic of the chocolate-oozing molten cake comes to be.
by Max and Eli Sussman as are the Butter Scotch Pancakes (with chocolate chunks). The cake is pretty straightforward, enriched with cocoa and buttermilk. The Bundt pan is a must so that you have the hole to hold the “lava”, which is a white chocolate-strawberry creation. Make sure to pour the lava in the middle right before serving or you will have premature lava flow. Not that there is anything wrong with that. 
