Moelleux au Chocolat

Moelleux au chocolat is pretty much molten chocolate cake or lava cake. But doesn't moeeeeeeeeellllleux sound so much better? Maybe it's because I like the French translation. Moelleux means something soft and mellow. It comes from the word moelle which means marrow, as in bone marrow, which is soft on the inside. This recipe is exactly what its name implies: soft, gooey and rich in the middle, just like marrow!



My friends S & J had hosted dinner followed by poker. I offered to bring dessert. This recipe is great because it's easy to make, and it can be baked right before it's served. There are also only five ingredients! I forgot to bring my camera and didn't quite know how to work S' camera. The pictures are a bit blurry. I guess I'll have to make it again, just to get better pictures...!

Moelleux au Chocolat - Serves 6
From French Food at Home.
I kept looking at the butter and thinking that I'd be eating a sixth of it. You musn't think this way. It is well worth the extra run or exercise the next day! The original recipe has an accompanying caramel sauce recipe. I personally think it's overkill and would rather have whipped cream or vanilla ice cream on the side!

* 4 oz dark chocolate
* ⅔ cup butter
* 4 eggs
* ⅔ cup sugar
* ½ cup flour

Butter six ramekins and line with a disk of parchment.
Melt the chocolate and butter together over a water bath.
Beat the eggs and sugar until thick, pale, and ribbony in a separate bowl.
Beat in the flour, and finally the chocolate mixture.
Pour into the ramekins and chill.
Just before serving, heat the oven to 400°F/200°C.
Place the moulds on a baking sheet and bake until the top is set, 12 to 14 minutes. (If you want it less runny, bake it for a few extra minutes.)
Remove and let sit five minutes.
Run a knife around the edges to separate the cake from the ramekin. (I didn't do this for the first ramekin and it was hard to get the cake out.)
Flip the ramekin with a tea towel (it's very hot!) and unmould onto a plate.
Serve with a scoop of ice cream or whipped cream.
Tada!



It was amazingly quick to make!


Even the blurry picture cannot hide the gooey-ness of this dessert!

For other chocolate recipes:
* Chestnut Brownies
* Chocolate Fondue
* Chocolate Pecan Cheesecake
* Chocolate Pie with Meringue Topping
* Flourless Chocolate Torte
* French Chocolate Bark
* Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Cake