Moelleux au chocolat is a French dessert with a liquid center, also known as chocolate lava cake. Its origin is uncertain, but it combines characteristics of soufflés, cakes, and puddings. High-quality chocolate, eggs, butter, and sugar are the main ingredients, and it can be baked in individual portions. It is often served hot with ice cream or whipped cream.
Moelleux au chocolat is a French dessert consisting of a chocolate cake with a liquid center, often baked in individually sized portions. In English, this dessert is often called chocolate lava cake or melted chocolate cake due to the “melted” chocolate center. Individual cakes are often served in upscale restaurants, but the dessert is also relatively simple for even someone with little baking experience to bake in a home kitchen.
There is no consensus as to where this dessert originated. New York chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten claimed he accidentally invented a melted chocolate cake in 1987 by removing a sponge cake from the oven too early. Other sources claim, however, that moelleux au chocolat is one of the oldest desserts in French cuisine. Yet another theory of its origin states that the cakes are based on a chocolate soufflé recipe by Dione Lucas, who was one of the first to start introducing French recipes to the United States in the 1940s.
Regardless of its origin, moelleux au chocolat has characteristics of soufflés, cakes and even puddings. The cakes are arguably more soufflé-like, as the recipes are usually flour-free and the cakes sink in the center as they cool. Like both soufflés and sponge cakes, chocolate lava cakes rely on beaten eggs for their texture and rise. The liquid center has a pudding-like consistency that thickens as it cools.
The main ingredient in any moelleux au chocolat recipe is, of course, chocolate. Since cakes depend on chocolate for their flavor, high-quality chocolate is important for a good cake. Most recipes call for bittersweet or dark chocolate. Some recipes include a little cocoa powder for even more chocolate flavor.
Eggs, butter and sugar are the other essential ingredients for a melted chocolate cake. The butter melts together with the chopped chocolate. Eggs and sugar are mixed in two ways: whole eggs can be beaten together with sugar, using a mixer to beat for a few minutes until the dough becomes light and fluffy; alternatively, only the yolks are beaten into the sugar and the whites are beaten separately until peaks form.
The melted chocolate-butter mixture is stirred into the egg-sugar mixture. If the egg whites were whipped separately, they are folded in last. Moelleux au chocolat may include additional ingredients such as vanilla or other flavoring extracts, espresso powder, and sometimes even flour.
Melted chocolate cakes are typically baked in individual ramekins, baking dishes, or muffin pans. They are cooked for only a few minutes to keep the center liquefied and are usually served hot from the oven. Moelleux au Chocolat can be served with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, but it can also be eaten on its own.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
