Moelleux au chocolat (translation: soft chocolate) is also known as a chocolate lava cake or as a mi-cuit au chocolat. This recipe, Le Chef’s recipe, makes for a cake that is rich on the outside and decadently gooey on the inside – positively oozing with dark chocolate.
How I fell in love with my husband over chocolate cake
I fell in love with my husband over this Moelleux au Chocolat. I was 23 years old and had recently started dating this handsome French Chef during my university exchange to Nice France. One evening I was waiting for Le Chef to finish his dinner shift at the L’Auberge de La Vignette Haute, a 5-star hotel and medieval chateau in the village of Auribeau-sur-Siagne (close to Cannes) where he was Executive Chef.
I remember very clearly that I was flipping through French television channels at his apartment close to the hotel, not understanding anything and frankly feeling a little homesick. The door opened and in came Le Chef, in his pristine Chef’s jacket and apron, carrying a room service tray with the most tempting dark chocolate cake, strawberries and a glass of champagne. I stuck a spoon into the top of the Moelleux au Chocolat and the aroma was almost as seductive as the rich chocolate interior that oozed out like slow, molten lava.
He gave me a kiss and left as quickly as he arrived, leaving me to enjoy the dessert as he finished his dinner service. And I knew. I knew at that moment that Le Chef was someone special. That perhaps this was a man worth moving across the ocean for, learning a new language for and embarking upon an adventure that would change both of our lives. But that is another story (that you can read here if you are interested). In the meantime, It is almost Valentine’s Day, 15 years and 2 babies later, and I am craving this cake. The cake that made me fall in love…
Le Chef’s Moelleux au Chocolat
Portions: 4
Degree of difficulty: 3/5 (simply for the equipment needed and for the bain marie technique)
Equipment needed:
Pastry scale. This recipe is in grams because it is perfectly balanced. Do yourself a favor and buy a pastry scale if you are at all interested in baking. It will be the best $25 you have ever invested- I promise!
Parchment paper
Cooking spray (I use coconut oil)
A thin spatula. I have this one by Ateco, but any thin spatula will do
Cookie sheet
Whisk
Metal (or heat tempered glass) Mixing bowl
Sauce pot
Sieve for flour
Ingredients for Moelleux au Chocolat
250 grams of semi sweet chocolate
125 grams of butter, unsalted
8 large eggs
160 grams of sugar
120 grams of all-purpose flour
4 Strawberries (for garnish)
Le Chef’s Moelleux au chocolat Baking Instructions:
Melt the butter in a glass bowl (in the microwave is fine)
How to create a “Bain Marie” to melt the chocolate.
- Fill a sauce pot halfway with water, bring to boil
- Chop up the chocolate into slivers – place in the mixing bowl
- Set the mixing bowl on top of the sauce pan of boiling water (the base of the bowl should not be touching the water) – this is the “bain marie”. Stir the chocolate as it melts over the steam. Once it is melted and shiny, take the bowl off of the sauce pan and give it a good stir with a whisk
In a small bowl, melt the butter ( the microwave is fine), pour into the melted chocolate and stir.
In another large bowl, beat the 8 eggs with a whisk until frothy (1 minute)
Add sugar to the eggs and continue to whisk for another minute until dissolved – add to the chocolate and whisk again
Place the sieve over the chocolate bowl and slowly sift in the flour.
Mix again with the whisk until all the ingredients are well integrated.
Cover and chill in the fridge for at least one hour
How to Bake the Moelleux (very important!)
30 minutes before you are ready to cook your moelleux, heat the oven to 350 on the convection setting if you have one. You will want the oven to be nice and hot!
Cut out the parchment paper so that you have a square for the base of the pastry circle and a tall strip to place inside the circle (see photo). I cut a strip 6 inches deep. Then I cut off the last 3rd of the strip to be the base, the other piece fits into the pastry circle. The should parchment paper be higher than your circle. Repeat 4 times.
Place each square of parchment paper on the cookie sheet. Place a pastry circle on top of each square of parchment paper. Then a strip of parchment paper inside each pastry circle. Spray the insides with the cooking oil spray
With a spoon, carefully fill the pastry circle to the brim with the chocolate mixture. You will want to avoid getting the pastry mixture on the top rims of the parchment paper. This is fussy, I know, but it is so worth it!
Cooking time
Place in the oven and cook for 20 minutes. The top should be just firm to the touch. If your finger leaves a wet dent, place back in the oven for a couple minutes. If you don’t have a convection oven you might need a few more minutes as well. Be careful not to let the cake cook too much or you won’t get the lava effect inside!
Carefully remove from oven. Using a long spatula, slide the spatula under the pastry ring (above the parchment paper square) and set on a dessert plate.
Using a kitchen towel, grasp the pastry ring and gently slide it up over the cake.
Remove the parchment paper.
Garnish Le Chef’s Moelleux au Chocolat with a strawberry and serve immediately!
I hope you try Le Chef’s Moelleux au chocolat recipe – even for novice bakers it is surprisingly easy and incredibly delicious!
Au plaisir,
Le Chef’s Moelleux au Chocolat – the cake that made me fall in love…
- Prep Time: 15mins + 1 hour chilling time
- Cook Time: 20
- Total Time: 1h35
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: dessert
- Cuisine: french
Description
Le Chef’s Moelleux au chocolat recipe makes for a romantic dark chocolate cake that is rich on the outside and decadently gooey on the inside.
Portions: 4
Degree of difficulty: 3/5 (simply for the equipment needed and for the bain marie technique)
Ingredients
250 grams of semi sweet chocolate (1.5 cups)
125 grams of butter, unsalted (9 tbsps)
8 large eggs
160 grams of white sugar (1 1/3 cups)
120 grams of all-purpose flour (1 cup, and 1/2 tablespoon)
4 Strawberries (for garnish)
Instructions
Create a “Bain Marie” to melt the chocolate.
- Fill a sauce pot halfway with water, bring to boil
- Chop up the chocolate into slivers – place in a heat resistant mixing bowl
- Set the mixing bowl on top of the sauce pan of boiling water (the base of the bowl should not be touching the water) – this is the “bain marie”. Stir the chocolate as it melts over the steam. Once it is melted and shiny, take the bowl off of the sauce pan and give it a good stir with a whisk
In another large bowl, beat the 8 eggs with a whisk until frothy (1 minute)
Add sugar to the eggs and continue to whisk for another minute until dissolved – add to the chocolate & butter and whisk again
Place the sieve over the chocolate bowl and slowly add in the flower.
Mix again with the whisk until all the ingredients are well integrated.
Cover with saran wrap and chill in the fridge for at least an hour
How to Bake the Moelleux (very important!)
30 minutes before you are ready to cook your moelleux, heat the oven to 350 on the convection setting if you have one. You will want the oven to be nice and hot!
Cut out the parchment paper so that you have a square for the base of the pastry circle and a tall strip to place inside the circle (see photo). I cut a strip 6 inches deep. Then I cut off the last 3rd of the strip to be the base, the other piece fits into the pastry circle. The should parchment paper be higher than your circle. Repeat 4 times.
Place each square of parchment paper on the cookie sheet. Place a pastry circle on top of each square of parchment paper. Then a strip of parchment paper inside each pastry circle. Spray the insides with the cooking oil spray
With a spoon, carefully fill the pastry circle to the brim with the chocolate mixture. It should be 175 grams of chocolate mixture if you care to measure it out. You will want to avoid getting the pastry mixture on the top rims of the parchment paper. This is fussy, I know, but it is so worth it!
Cooking time
Place in the oven and cook for 20 minutes. The top should be just firm to the touch. If your finger leaves a wet dent, place back in the oven for a couple minutes. Be careful not to let the cake cook too much or you won’t get the lava effect inside!
Carefully remove from oven. Using a long spatula, slide the spatula under the pastry ring (above the parchment paper square) and set on a dessert plate.
Using a kitchen towel, grasp the pastry ring and gently slide it up over the cake.
Remove the parchment paper.
Garnish Le Chef’s Moelleux au Chocolat with a strawberry and serve immediately!
Notes
1) Use a “bain-marie” to melt the chocolate without burning it
2) coat the pastry circle with the parchment paper to make it easy to remove the cake
3) cooking time is key with the moelleux au chocolat. Cooked a couple minutes too long and you end up with a very dense chocolate cake.
Keywords: moelleux au chocolat, chocolate lava cake, valentine’s day desserts, chocolate cake, french pastry
Elizabeth Greer says
What size is the pastry circle? Thanks
lechefswife says
Hello Elizabeth, thank you for your comment. I use 3 inch rings.
The link to the ones I use is below:
3 inch pastry rings