Molten Chocolate Babycakes

By Nigella Lawson

Molten Chocolate Babycakes
Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
Total Time
25 minutes
Rating
5(557)
Comments
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This is a fancy restaurant dessert that's easy to make at home: mix up the little cakes, stash them in a fridge for a day and then take them out as you sit down to your meal, popping them in the oven just 10 minutes or so before serving them with a dollop of vanilla or pistachio ice cream. As each oven varies, it's worth having a practice run of these to see exactly how long the babycakes need to give them this glorious texture.

Featured in: Two Paths to Glory: Smashing Desserts

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Ingredients

Yield:6 servings
  • 4tablespoons soft unsalted butter, more for greasing dishes
  • 12ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate (preferably with 70 percent cocoa solids)
  • 4large eggs
  • Salt
  • ¾cup superfine sugar
  • 1teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ⅓cup flour
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

508 calories; 28 grams fat; 16 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 9 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 66 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 55 grams sugars; 7 grams protein; 305 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Place a baking sheet on center rack in oven and heat oven to 400 degrees. Butter insides of six 6-ounce heatproof glass or ceramic baking dishes. (If using soufflé dishes, line bottoms with parchment paper; dishes with flared sides will not need lining.)

  2. Step 2

    In a small saucepan over low heat or in a microwave oven, melt chocolate; set aside to cool slightly. In a medium bowl, beat eggs together with a pinch of salt until frothy; set aside. Using an electric mixer, cream together 4 tablespoons butter and the sugar. Gradually add egg mixture, then vanilla. Add flour and mix well. Add chocolate and blend until smooth.

  3. Step 3

    Divide batter among six baking dishes and arrange them on baking sheet hot from the oven. Bake until firm and dry on surface, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove dishes from oven and immediately invert cakes onto small plates or shallow bowls. Serve hot.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
557 user ratings
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Comments

Elizabeth

What kind of baking dish looks like a muffin paper, please? This is a serious question.

Kat

Easy to make the batter ahead, pour in muffin-tins lined with cupcake papers, and store in fridge until dinner. Remove from frig an hour or so ahead of dessert, so it comes to room temp. Pop them in over for about ten minutes, following directions. Any leftover cakes can be frozen, popped in microwave for about 30 secs, and enjoyed later. The microwaved ones will cook a bit more and lose some of the molten quality, but are still yummy. These are a hit every time, and SO easy.

lorna

I'm sorry, when are you supposed to stash these in the refrigerator, per Nigella? Before or after baking? Are you reheating them, or storing the batter (which it seems would lose volume).

Taylor

Delicious! I doubled the recipe and put the cakes in a silicone muffin tin. The size difference must have been stark compared to the recipe designer's ramekins, because I ended up with 20 cakes instead of 12. I refrigerated mine and then baked for 15-16 minutes; should definitely have let them come to room temperature first, because they were still a bit too molten. I couldn't get a single one out of the pan intact. Regardless - they were delicious. Served them with vanilla ice cream and all at the party thoroughly enjoyed this dessert.

Susan

These were delicious! I was worried about how stiff the batter was, expecting it to pour like cake batter, but it was fine. Really love this recipe.

Susan

What is meant by superfine sugar? Is there something that's between granulated sugar and powdered sugar?

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