Warm Chocolate Nutella Lava Cake is the perfect chocolate cake dessert. Use this important tip from Michelin-star chefs: Insert a frozen nutella truffle in the center of the batter. Nutella softens in flavor when cooked in a cake and when served warm as a sauce. This is a luscious dark chocolate cake with rich hazelnut undertones. Enjoy.
6 servings
Chocolate Nutella Lava Cake:
5 tablespoons (2.5 ounces or 70 g) unsalted butter
1 ounce (28 g) bittersweet couverture chocolate (70% cocoa content)
4 large egg yolks
1/4 cup (1.7 ounces or 48 g) granulated sugar
3 tablespoons (44 ml) nutella
3 large egg whites, room temperature for fuller volume
1 teaspoon (0.2 ounce or 6 g) granulated sugar
3 tablespoons (0.9 ounce or 26 g) all-purpose or plain flour
Frozen Truffle: 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) frozen nutella nugget per 1/4 cup (2 ounces or 59 ml) batter
Silicone molds with 1/4 cup (2 ounces or 59 ml) capacity each mold placed on a baking sheet
Unsalted butter and granulated sugar coating inside each mold
Nutella Sauce:
3/4 cup (6 ounces or 177 ml) nutella
Water to dilute nutella creating the sauce
1. Frozen Truffle: Scoop 1/2 (2.5 ml) teaspoon of nutella, shape it into a somewhat round truffle. Place on foil or waxed paper and cover. Freeze for several days or at least two hours before proceeding with the recipe.
2. Making the Warm Chocolate Nutella Lava Cake: Preheat the oven to 375°F/190°C/Gas Mark 5. In a small non-stick saute pan, melt together the butter and chocolate, stirring until smooth, then set aside to cool a little. In a mixer fitted with the paddle, beat together the egg yolks and sugar over medium-high speed for several minutes until they increase in volume, become shiny, and are light yellow in color. Add the nutella and briefly mix in. Pour in the slightly cooled melted butter-chocolate and briefly mix in; do not over-mix or the batter becomes stiff.
In another bowl, using a stand or hand-held mixer fitted with a whip, beat the egg whites until frothy, sprinkle in the sugar, and continue whipping for a few minutes to the almost stiff peak stage. Fold the beaten egg whites into the batter alternating with the flour, add the flour by sifting into the batter.
Fill silicone molds almost to the rim, pop the frozen nutella truffle in the center of each mold.
3. Bake for 8 to 9 minutes. Each individual cake puffs up, the top is shiny and when the surface is touched, you can wiggle it with your fingertip.
Remove from the oven and rest undisturbed for 3 minutes so it is easier to remove.
Stretch the silicone mold along its sides to help release each cake, then quickly invert onto a large plate or baking sheet. Carefully lift the silicone mold straight up into the air – do not tilt it – or it could break a cake. (In which case you have to eat the cake immediately, of course.)
(If the cake resists and bounces back when you touch it, your dessert is now warm cake with no runny center. In which case, pour the warm sauce over the warm cake, serve it and it really will be delicious. Of course, you didn’t tell anyone in advance you were serving warm chocolate cake with runny center, now did you? If you did, privately in your kitchen, make a very small hole in the cake, pour warm nutella sauce inside then pour warm nutella sauce over. Our secret.)
4. Nutella Sauce: Warm the nutella over low heat in a non-stick saucepan and dilute with a little water, stir until smooth to prevent sticking and burning. As nutella warms, it turns dark and looks like dark chocolate sauce. Cool for a minute. Evenly pour over each Warm Chocolate Nutella Lava Cake completely covering with a thin layer of nutella sauce. Let it set for a minute. Using a smooth metal spatula or a thin non-stick spatula carefully insert it underneath the cake and transfer to a decorated serving plate.
