Molten Chocolate Cake Nigella Lawsons Choco Pots Recipes

MOLTEN CHOCOLATE CAKE- NIGELLA LAWSON'S CHOCO-POTS

Steps:

• 1. Place a baking sheet in the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Butter the ramekins with 1 tablespoon butter.
• 2. Melt the dark chocolate and 1 stick butter, either in a microwave or in a bowl suspended over a pan over simmering water, then set aside to cool a little.
• 3. In another bowl, mix the eggs with the sugar and flour with a hand whisk and beat in the cooled butter and chocolate mixture. Divide the mixture between the 4 buttered ramekins.
• 4. Bake for about 20 minutes, by which time the tops will be cooked and cracked and the chocolate gooey underneath. *(I always cook them for 18 minutes. I grab the oven handle and shake the oven slightly, if the center of the chocolate cakes looks a bit jiggly then they are done, because they will continue to cook after you take them out.)
• 5. Serve in the ramekins. Don't forget to warn people that the dessert is hot! *(If you feel like serving the molten cakes without the ramekins, make sure to butter the ramekins then dust them with cocoa powder before filling them with the cake mixture. When they are baked, carefully flip them on the serving plate.)

CHOCOLATE CLOUD CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C Fan/gas mark 4/350ºF. Line the bottom of a 23cm / 9 inch springform cake tin with baking parchment. Melt the chocolate either in a double boiler or a microwave, and then let the butter melt in the warm chocolate. Beat the 2 whole eggs and 4 egg yolks with 75g / ¼ cup of the caster sugar, then gently add the chocolate mixture, the Cointreau and orange zest. In another bowl, whisk the 4 egg whites until foamy, then gradually add the 100g / ½ cup of sugar and whisk until the whites are holding their shape but not too stiff. Lighten the chocolate mixture with a dollop of egg whites, and then fold in the rest of the whites. Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 35-40 minutes or until the cake is risen and cracked and the centre is no longer wobbly. Cool the cake in its tin on a wire rack; the middle will sink as it cools. When you are ready to eat, place the still tin-bound cake on a cake stand or plate for serving and carefully remove the cake from its tin. Don't worry about cracks or rough edges: it's the crater look we're going for here. Whip the cream until it's soft and then add the vanilla and Cointreau and continue whisking until the cream is firm but not stiff. Fill the crater of the cake with the whipped cream, easing it out gently towards the edges of the cake, and dust the top lightly with cocoa powder pushed through a tea-strainer.

CHOCOHOTOPOTS

Steps:

• Place a baking sheet in the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F.
• Butter the ramekins with 1 tablespoon butter.
• Either in a microwave or in a bowl suspended over a pan over simmering water, melt the dark chocolate and 1 stick butter, then set aside to cool a little.
• In another bowl, mix the eggs with the sugar and flour with a hand whisk and beat in the cooled butter and chocolate mixture. Divide the mixture between the 4 buttered ramekins. Bake for about 20 minutes, by which time the tops will be cooked and cracked and the chocolate gooey underneath.
• Place each ramekin on a small plate with a teaspoon and serve. Make sure to warn people that these desserts will be HOT!

OLD FASHIONED CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Take everything out of the fridge so that all the ingredients can come to room temperature. Preheat the oven to gas mark 4/180°C/160°C Fan/350ºF and line and butter two 20cm / 8 inch sandwich tins with removable bases. Now all you have to do is put all the cake ingredients - flour, sugar, baking powder and bicarb, cocoa, butter, eggs, vanilla and sour cream - into a food processor and process until you have a smooth, thick batter. If you want to go the long way around, just mix the flour, sugar and leavening agents in a large bowl and beat in the soft butter until you have a combined and creamy mixture. Now whisk together the cocoa, sour cream, vanilla and eggs and beat this into your bowl of mixture. Divide this batter, using a rubber spatula to help you scrape and spread, into the prepared tins and bake until a cake tester, or a thin skewer, comes out clean, which should be about 35 minutes, but it is wise to start checking at 25. Also, it might make sense to switch the two cakes around in the oven halfway through cooking time. Remove the cakes, in their tins, to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes before turning out of their tins. Don't worry about any cracks as they will easily be covered by the icing later. To make this icing, melt the butter and chocolate in a good-sized bowl either in the microwave or suspended over a pan of simmering water. Go slowly either way: you don't want any burning or seizing. While the chocolate and butter are cooling a little, sieve the icing sugar into another bowl. Or, easier still, put the icing sugar into the food processor and blitz. This is by far and away the least tedious way of removing lumps. Add the golden syrup to the cooled chocolate mixture, followed by the sour cream and vanilla and then when all this is combined whisk in the sieved icing sugar. Or just pour this mixture down the funnel of the food processor on to the icing sugar, with the motor running. When you've done, you may need to add a little boiling water - say a teaspoon or so - or indeed some more icing sugar: it depends on whether you need the icing to be runnier or thicker; or indeed it may be right as it is. It should be liquid enough to coat easily, but thick enough not to drip off. Choose your cake stand or plate and cut out four strips of baking parchment to form a square outline on it (this stops the icing running on to the plate). Then sit one of the cakes, uppermost (ie slightly domed) side down. Spoon about a third of the icing on to the centre of the cake half and spread with a knife or spatula until you cover the top of it evenly. Sit the other cake on top, normal way up, pressing gently to sandwich the two together. Spoon another third of the icing on to the top of the cake and spread it in a swirly, textured way (though you can go for a smooth finish if you prefer, and have the patience). Spread the sides of the cake with the remaining icing and leave a few minutes till set, then carefully pull away the paper strips. I love to dot the top of this with sugar pansies - and you must admit, they do look enchanting - but there really is no need to make a shopping expedition out of it. Anything, or indeed nothing, will do.

CHOCO-HOTO-POTS - NIGELLA LAWSON

Steps:

• Place a baking sheet in an preheated oven 400° Butter four 2/3-cup ramekins and set aside.
• Using a microwave or double boiler, melt together the semisweet chocolate and the butter,set aside to cool.
• In a bowl combine eggs,sugar and flour Add cooled chocolate mixture and mix well.
• Fold in white chips.
• Divide mixture evenly among ramekins and place on baking sheet.
• Bake until tops are shiny and cracked and chocolate beneath is hot and gooey about 20 minutes.
• Serve on plates this is very hot.