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Molten Chocolate Cake

5.0(1633)

Here is a can’t-fail version of the chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s warm, soft chocolate cake. He says more than a thousand of these cakes are made in his restaurants every day. 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 Mark Bittman

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Quick, Dessert

Servings

4 servings

Total time

30 min

Calories / serving

464 kcal

Ingredients (5)

serves

1/2 cup unsalted butter, plus more for buttering the moldsbutter
4 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces
4 large eggsegg
1/4 cup sugarsugar
2 teaspoons flour, plus more for dusting the moldsflour

Instructions (5 steps)

01Put the butter in a medium bowl and melt it in the microwave. Add the chocolate to the hot butter and stir until melted.
02Crack 2 eggs into a bowl, and add 2 more yolks (discard the extra whites). Add the sugar, and beat or whisk until light and thick, about 1 minute. Add egg mixture and 2 teaspoons flour to the melted chocolate; beat until combined.
03Butter and lightly flour four 4-ounce molds or ramekins (make sure not to miss any spots, or the cakes will stick). Tap out the excess flour. Divide the batter among the molds. (At this point you can refrigerate them for up to 3 hours; just bring them back to room temperature before baking.)
04When you’re ready to bake, heat the oven to 450. Put the molds on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until the cakes have puffed up a bit, the tops are barely set and the cakes still jiggle slightly when shaken, 7 to 9 minutes (better underbaked than overbaked). Let sit for 1 minute.

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Rich recipe — supports nutrition-aware planning.