Cherry Chocolate Lava Cakes

Now that the holiday season has passed, we have a bit of free time to focus on our New Years' resolutions, like learning a new recipe. One of my goals for 2017 is to try 1 new recipe each week, which I've been crushing so far considering we're only 2 weeks in (LOL). How are ya'll doing on your New Years' resolutions? I would love to hear what you have been focusing on this month so far (if you're reading this post, it's probably not health related, I hope*). 

Since the next big holiday to celebrate is Valentine's Day, I decided to make a recipe that I know Sam will love. If you've been following along on Instagram stories, you know that Sam's go-to cocktail recipe includes a whooole lot of Maraschino cherries and cherry juice. This pretty much made my choice for the lava cake filling a no-brainer. Okay - now for a major confession: I had never made a homemade lava cake before! I had ordered them out at restaurants and hoooly moley are they delicious. But, they looked a little too complicated to replicate at home. That's why I decided to tackle this recipe as my very first one of 2017 (#ambitious, right?) Wrong - I was actually just craving chocolate this day. Oops. 

Well, surprisingly, this dessert recipe turned out to be WAY easier than expected. It was almost* a let down - I was imagining myself as Ms. Martha herself, managing 6 steps at a time, twirling around with a blow torch (not even needed) and a pastry bag, hand crafting this lava cake that would ultimately deflate when I removed it from the oven (like a movie, you know?) Alas, that was not the case. It was almost easier to make than a normal cake which, in hindsight is a relief since Sam and I adored it so much. I literally (and I mean literally) ate 2 lava cakes and polished off a pint of vanilla bean ice cream as I was shooting this post. And I cherished every. single. moment. 

I like to think of this recipe as an elevated, brownie sundae. One that you can enjoy in bed while binge-watching 'This Is Us', and helping yourself to seconds because adulting can be hard, this cold weather has been brutal, and because you deserve it, dammit.  

Ingredients:

For the Ramekins

  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter (melted)
  • 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour


For the Molten Chocolate Cakes

  • 1 stick Unsalted butter
  • 2 1/2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
  • 3 ounces milk chocolate
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 2 large eggs (at room temperature)
  • pinch salt
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 24 maraschino cherries (plus more for garnishing)
  • confectioner's sugar (for sprinkling)


Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 375° Fahrenheit. Brush six 4-ounce ramekins or pan with melted butter. In a small bowl, whisk the cocoa powder with 1 tablespoon of the flour; dust the ramekins with the cocoa mixture, tapping out the excess. Transfer the ramekins to a baking sheet and set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl over a pot of simmering water, melt 1 stick of butter with the chocolate, stirring occasionally until fully melted, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow mixture to cool slightly.
  3. In a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the granulated sugar, eggs, egg yolks, and salt over high speed until very thick and pale yellow, about 3-4 minutes. Add the vanilla extract. Remove bowl from mixer and using a rubber spatula, fold in the melted chocolate until no streaks remain. Gently fold in the flour until mostly incorporated. Be sure not to over mix.
  4. Fill the the prepared ramekins slightly less than halfway. Drop 4 cherries into the center and pour cake batter over the cherries. Do not fill the jars to the rim; otherwise the cake will spill over when it begins to rise.
  5. Bake cakes in the center of the oven for 12-16 minutes, until the tops are cracked but the centers are still slightly jiggly. Transfer the ramekins to a rack and let cool for about 5 minutes.
  6. Run the tip of a small knife around each cake to loosen. Invert a small plate over each cake, slowly flip over and very carefully lift off the ramekins. Mine popped out very quickly so, be careful. 
  7. Garnish with more cherries and a sprinkle of confectioners' sugar, if desired.


Recipe adapted from Tastes of Lizzy T.

Let me know how your Cherry Chocolate Lava Cakes turned out! Tag us in your final photo via Instagram or Facebook!

xo Anna Elizabeth

FoodAnna SmithFood, Dessert, Cake, Chocolate, Recipe, Lava Cakes, CherryComment