Tuesday, April 1, 2008

TWD: Gooey Chocolate Cakes


This week's Tuesdays with Dorie (TWD) recipe was chosen by Leigh of Lemon Tartlet: Gooey Chocolate Cakes. If you've been reading my blog, you'll remember reading a post I wrote not too long ago where I talked about these ooey gooey molten chocolate lava cakes! I have only made this type of cake once, and it was from a box mix (that was before I realized how easy these are to make from scratch!). When I received Dorie's book, this recipe was one of the many to catch my eye. I've seen several recipes for this type of cake, but I knew that I wanted to try Dorie's version. So I was really excited when I saw that Leigh had chosen these for this week's TWD.


After our honeymoon, I had my heart set on making these. So much so that I added this pan to my Christmas wish list :) The cake pan is perfect for these gooey chocolate cakes, but is also great for making muffins and mini cheesecakes. If you're not in the market to purchase yet another cake pan, Dorie points out that disposable aluminum foil muffin pans are also perfect for making these.


These were so good! This is definitely going to be my go-to molten chocolate lava cake recipe from now on. What I love about these is that they will satisfy any chocolate craving you have, and yet they are so simple to make. They really aren't any more work than a boxed cake mix. So if you're going to be entertaining and want to make something that will impress your guests that won't keep you in the kitchen all night, this is the dessert for you.


The only change I made to this recipe was to use semisweet chocolate instead of bittersweet. I'm not a fan of dark chocolate and as Dorie points out, "the most important rule to remember in making these individual cakes is to use not only the best chocolate you can find, but the chocolate you most love to eat, since that's the ingredient you will taste." I took this opportunity to use the TCHO chocolate I received from Blake Makes.


I simply used 4 ounces of semisweet chocolate chips for the batter and then 1 ounce of the TCHO chocolate to decorate the tops. My only complaint is that this recipe yielded only 4 small cakes for me, instead of the 6 that Dorie said it would. I think the cakes would have been really small if I had made 6 cakes with the batter.


Thanks Leigh, for picking this week's recipe. This was my first time making chocolate lava cakes from scratch and it certainly won't be the last! Make sure you check out the blog roll on the Tuesdays with Dorie blog to see everyone else's gooey creations.

Gooey Chocolate Cakes
from Baking: From My Home to Yours, by Dorie Greenspan

1/3 cup all purpose flour
3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
5 ounces bittersweet chocolate (4 ounces coarsely chopped, 1 ounce very finely chopped)
1 stick (8 tbsp) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
6 tbsp sugar


Getting Ready:
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F. Butter (or spray-it's easier) 6 cups of a regular-size muffin pan, preferably a disposable aluminum foil pan, dust the insides with flour and tap out the excess. Put the muffin pan on a baking sheet.

Sift the flour, cocoa and salt together.

Set a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water, put the coarsely chopped chocolate and the butter in the bowl and stir occasionally over the simmering water just until they are melted-you don't want them to get so hot that the butter separates. Remove the bowl form the pan of water.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and yolk until homogenous. Add the sugar and whisk until well blended, about 2 minutes. Add the dry ingredients and, still using the whisk, stir (don't beat) them into the eggs. Little by little, and using a light hand, stir in the melted chocolate and butter. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups and sprinkle the finely chopped chocolate over the batter.

Bake the cakes for 13 minutes. Transfer them, still on the baking sheet, to a rack to cool for 3 minutes. (There is no way to test that these cakes are properly baked, because the inside remains liquid.)

Line a cutting board with a silicone baking mat or parchment or wax paper, and, after the 3-minute rest, unmold the cakes onto the board. Use a wide metal spatula to lift the cakes onto dessert plates.

Yield: 6 Servings

*Note: For recipe tips, click here.

49 comments:

  1. Wow, yours look so runny, fabulous!! And I wouldn't mind a little bit bigger serving ;-)

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  2. I'm so jealous of how gooey your cakes are! Mine turned out moist, but nothing that like. They look amazing...great job!

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  3. Jaime, I have never baked anything like these cakes. They look so sinful! That oozing chocolate is killing me. :)

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  4. These look lovely! I am in awe of how much goo you got. They were so tasty, weren't they?!

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  5. yummo.....they look amazing... Great photos... :)

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  6. Wow, yours were really gooey! They look incredible, I bet they were delicious with raspberries!

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  7. Love the pan! Now there's another thing I'll HAVE to have for the kitchen...LOL!

    Your cakes look gooey and great!

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  8. Your little cakes look so perfect, and that first gooey pic is practically pornish. They make a pan specifically for these? SHUT. UP.

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  9. I love how gooey yours turned out!!

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  10. Great job! I used a different mix of chocolate, too. Great pics!

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  11. Love your addition of raspberries. Raspberries + Chocolate = Love :)

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  12. to say that you made "gooey" chocolate cakes is an understatement. that center is sinfully silky and luscious--nicely done!

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  13. Your cakes look so goooo'd. (I admit the play on words genius is from Rachel). Might have to add that pan to my must-have list!
    Clara @ I♥food4thought

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  14. Now, those are gooey cakes! The chocolate looks delicious too. How does it compare with what we can buy locally?

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  15. Yours turned out perfectly, and I love your photos!

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  16. They look exactly how a gooey chocolate cake should look! Great job!!

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  17. That first picture made me drool a little I think! Beautiful!

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  18. Interesting that you only got 4. I got 6 no problem. Maybe you have a larger muffin pan.
    Yours look extra gooey...yum!

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  19. This looks deliciously chocolatey. I started drooling after seeing the chocolate ooze out in the first picture.

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  20. What gorgeous photos! Great Job!
    I want one right now! Mine are gone.

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  21. Wow, yours are so perfectly gooey! Awesome job, they look incredible!

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  22. Ohh you got some great goo going on there! Mine were more fudgy than gooey, but they did taste delicious, especially with a drizzle of muscovado toffee sauce and some clotted cream!!

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  23. It definitely looks gooey and decadent and no doubt satisfies a chocolate hit. Deeeee-licious.

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  24. Yummm...your pictures make me want to lick the screen! :) I wish my cakes would've turned out that gooey! Your's are perfect! Great job!

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  25. BEAUTIFUL!! Those rock the gooey house!! You did such a great job :O)

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  26. My mouth is watering, my cakes did not have that much "goo" - yours look incredible :-)

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  27. Your cakes look great....they definitely have that gooeyness that mine lacked. Good job!

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  28. YUM!!!! It looks so perfectly round too!

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  29. Those look so gooey and chocolaty and good. I have been wanting to try making a molten chocolate cake for a while now.

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  30. I. AM. SO. Jealous! Yours looks so freaking gooey. You should def they the gooey award of the day. Beautiful job Jaime!

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  31. Darn it, tell me how you got them so gooey! This is what I wanted mine to be like!

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  32. VERY impressive. Your cakes turned out beautifully and wonderfully gooey in the middle. Mine came out without the goo, so I'll have to try making larger portions next time.

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  33. Last time I made these (not this exact recipe) I didn't sleep all night b/c of all the caffeine in the chocolate but your pictures sure make me drool and want to give them a try again, maybe I'll make them for breakfast this time so it won't mess with my sleeping. :)

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  34. Great job with this week's Dorie assignment. I love that you used the TCHO chocolate... I bet it tasted divine. And I'm with you... one can *never* have too many specialty baking pans. :)

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  35. I have a similar version of these cakes on my blog! I am not a baker, but they are FOOLPROOF:) I basically think these are the greatest desserts of all time, and they are impressive for a dinner party for sure,

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  36. This looks absolutely yummy! I think I am going to try this. In your post about Trader Joe's...my Mom used to buy me Pear Juice there!

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  37. That looks delectable. Almost think it was a sin to enjoy something so chocolatey and yummy.

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  38. Those look amazing! So gooey and beautiful! Great job.

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  39. Oh yum!!!! love gooey cakes like this. I've a recipe bookmarked similar to this that I've been meaning to make for the longest time! You've encouraged me to get to it!

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  40. I'm a lurker nestie who's bookmarked your blog! The lava cakes look devine! How long do you bake them for? It's not listed!
    Thanks

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  41. I was Googling for this recipe the other day, but nothing looked like yours. Thx for sharing.

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  42. Those look amazing (love your photos), and I've been thinking about trying to make something like this. Was so happy when I saw it on your blog! But then...ack...no baking instructions! EEK! How long did ya bake it for, and what do you do after baking? Invert it? Thanks!

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  43. Wow, so gooey! Those look awesome!

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  44. Judy - i'm not a huge fan of dark chocolate so it's hard for me to really comment on the quality of the TCHO chocolate. i liked it more than most dark chocolate that i try, if that means anything ;)

    Anonymous and Jeanine - sorry, I have updated the post w/the COMPLETE instructions for the recipe! that's what i get for hurriedly typing everything up to post before i leave on vacation! =P

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  45. i thine it looks delicious and would also work wirh pudding

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