What is "Moelleux au Chocolat"

Moelleux au chocolat (literal translation: soft chocolate) is also known as a chocolate lava cake or as a mi-cuit au chocolat. It is a rich chocolate cake that, when you stick a spoon into it, the gooey chocolate inside comes oozing out. The trick in making a good Moelleux au chocolat is all in the cooking time. Done well, it is one of the most delicious, impressive desserts ever. This simple recipe makes it easy to make at home!

Is a Moelleux au Chocolat hard to make?

No. But it does require taking a few extra steps to make this dessert to perfection. Use parchement paper and a pastry round to get a perfect shape. Keep a close eye on your oven and follow the steps of this recipe one by one and you will succeed at making a beautiful, gooey, ultra chocolately, Moelleux au Chocolat, also known as a Mi-Cuit or Chocolate Lava Cake.

Best Moelleux au Chocolat - Chocolate Lava Cake

Name: Le Chef’s Moelleux au Chocolat
Prep time: PT-481199H54M54S
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: PT-481199H54M54S
Yield: 4
Cuisine: french
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 tablespoons); 4 Strawberries (for garnish)

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- positively oozing with dark chocolate. Moelleux au chocolat (translation: soft chocolate) is also known as a chocolate lava cake or as a mi-cuit au chocolat. The perfect dessert to make for the one you love.

Portions: 4

Degree of difficulty: 3/5 (simply for the equipment needed and for the bain marie technique)

Ingredients

Scale

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 tablespoons)
4 Strawberries (for garnish)

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Instructions

1) 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)

5. In another large bowl, beat the 8 eggs with a whisk until frothy (1 minute)

6. Add sugar to the eggs and continue to whisk for another minute until dissolved – add to the chocolate & butter and whisk again

7. Place the sieve over the chocolate bowl and slowly add in the flower.

8. Mix again with the whisk until all the ingredients are well integrated.

9. Cover with saran wrap and chill in the fridge for at least an hour

2. How to Bake the Moelleux (very important!)

1. 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!

2. 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 3^rd 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.

3. 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

4. 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!

3. Cooking time

1. 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!

2. 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.

3. Using a kitchen towel, grasp the pastry ring and gently slide it up over the cake.

4. Remove the parchment paper.

5. 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.