• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Recipe Index
  • About Le Chef’s Wife
  • Contact

Le Chef's Wife logo

  • Start Here
  • Cooking in French
  • Riviera Recipes
  • Baking
  • Family Meals
  • Entertaining

February 6, 2021

Le Chef’s Moelleux au Chocolat – the cake that made me fall in love…

Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe
finished moelleux au chocolat

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.

chocolate cake

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:

4 x 80 mm pastry rings

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

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)

bain marie
Bain Marie

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
melted chocolat
Melted chocolate

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

Moelleux au chocolat batter
completed Moelleux au Chocolat batter

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!

how to bake the moelleux au chocolat
how to bake the Moelleux au Chocolat

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!

Moelleux au chocolat batter ready to cook
Ready to bake

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!

Perfectly cooked moelleux

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!

moelleux au chocolat
Moelleux au chocolat

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 Chefs Wife Logo
Print
clock clock icon cutlery cutlery icon flag flag icon folder folder icon instagram instagram icon pinterest pinterest icon facebook facebook icon print print icon squares squares icon

Le Chef’s Moelleux au Chocolat – the cake that made me fall in love…

  • Author: lechefswife
  • Prep Time: 15mins + 1 hour chilling time
  • Cook Time: 20
  • Total Time: 1h35
  • Yield: 4 1x
  • Category: dessert
  • Cuisine: french
Print
Pin

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)


Scale

Ingredients

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)


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 a small bowl, melt the butter (in the microwave is fine)

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

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @lechefswife on Instagram

Filed Under: Baking, Desserts, Food, Recipes, Riviera Recipes Tagged With: chocolate cake, chocolate lava cake, french pastry, romantic dessert, valentine's day desserts, valentine's day recipe

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Le Chef's Wife

Bonjour! My name is Anina Belle. I am a Canadian/American working mom who went on a study exchange to the South of France in my early twenties and fell in love with a French Chef. We were married in Nice and now live in Washington, DC with our toddler daughter with another baby on the way! Our time in France gave me a deep appreciation for French food and the French joie de vivre. Read More

Follow Me On

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
https://lechefswife.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/02-La-madrague.m4a

Footer

My Favorites

Healthy Freezer meal batch cooking
Les Amoureux

Search

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

lechefswife

lechefswife
I had so much fun cooking for @an_organized_life ‘s friends today! So many great questions and comments. I even convinced @lechefsebastien to join me for an impromptu Q&A 🧑‍🍳 Thank you, Lauren, for this opportunity to share what I love with your friends. ❤️❤️ #instagramtakeover #frenchcooking #frenchfood #foodblogger #grateful
The hidden secret underneath a cutting board that The hidden secret underneath a cutting board that doesn’t move. Such a simple adjustment that makes chopping your « mise en place » so much easier! #cheftips #cookinghacks #cookinginfrench #cookingtips
Anyone else feel like this after our first sunny d Anyone else feel like this after our first sunny day in seemingly forever? Bring on the 🌞 #donewithwinter #cantwaittotravelagain #cotedazur
The #1 professional cooking tip I learned from @le The #1 professional cooking tip I learned from @lechefsebastien that makes me a better home cook. “La mise en place” is the act of preparing all of your ingredients in advance, ready to cook, before you turn on the heat. When there are multiple distractions (children, dogs, life...) cooking is much more pleasurable when you are not worried about burning the onions because you forgot to cut the carrots...n’est ce pas? #cookinginfrench #miseenplace #cookingtips #homecooking #chefstips
Bite-sized lessons in French cooking and language Bite-sized lessons in French cooking and language by @lechefsebastien and I, coming your way! Keep an eye out for this graphic on both of our accounts for translations of French cooking terms, basic French recipes and random culinary savoir-faire (know-how). Allez les amis, on y va?! (Let’s go friends, shall we?!) #cookinginfrench #learnfrench #frenchwords #francophile #frenchcooking #speakfrench
Follow on Instagram

Copyright © 2021 Le Chef's Wife on the Brunch Pro Theme