Salted Caramel Chocolate Lava Cake Food

SALTED CARAMEL CHOCOLATE LAVA CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425. Butter the ramekins and dust with cocoa powder (optional). Cut each caramel square into a few smaller pieces and press some salt onto them and set aside. If you leave them whole, they might not melt all the way through.
• Microwave the chocolate and butter for one minutes in a large bowl. The chocolate will not have completely melted at this point. Whisk till the chocolate and butter combines.
• Add the sugar and mix it inches Add the eggs and incorporate. Stir in the flour. Work the flour in gently to combine. Divide batter evenly between the 4 ramekins. Gently scatter the caramel bits around the batter, trying not to press so hard that the caramel rests on the bottom of the dish.
• Place ramekins on a cookie sheet and bake between 10 - 14 minutes. The cake is ready when it has a domed appearance, the centre is a little moist and the edges of the cake, dry and firm. Leave in ramekin for 5 minutes before inverting onto serving plates. Run a knife around the cake and carefully invert. Garnish with some extra salt.
• Note: The recipe works extremely well with the salt flakes -- anything else would really affect the taste. Plan well when you want to serve them. If not served within 10 minutes of taking them out of the oven, the caramel tends to harden up.

CHOCOLATE LAVA CAKES WITH SALTED CARAMEL

Steps:

• Prepare 6 to 8 ramekins by brushing them with soft butter and then dusting with the cocoa powder. Make sure to tap out all the excess cocoa powder.
• Melt chocolate with cubed butter in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally. Alternatively, melt chocolate and butter in microwave on low.
• Combine brown sugar and flour in bowl. Mix melted chocolate with eggs, followed by flour and sugar, Divide mixture between ramekins 3/4 full. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Make caramel filling: Sprinkle a thin layer of sugar over bottom of a heavy-bottomed pan and place on medium heat. Once sugar starts to melt, add some more sugar. Repeat a couple of times until all the sugar has melted. Continue heating the caramel, swirling it around in pan (do not stir). When caramel is almost a Coca-Cola color, add cream and salt (be careful as caramel may splatter). Cook until temperature reaches 226 degrees, or until caramel coats the back of a spoon, then pour into a dish and leave to cool a little.
• Once caramel is cool, transfer to a piping bag fitted with a small round nozzle, or to a heavy-duty food bag (just snip off corner to use). Pop the nozzle into the middle of the chocolate mixture in each ramekin and squirt in the filling. The mixture will rise almost to the top.
• Bake in preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until edges are firm and the centers slightly runny. Test by inserting a toothpick in the center; it should come out wet. Leave to rest for 2 minutes before turning the cakes out of the ramekins onto plates. Serve immediately.

SALTED CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the inside of two 9-inch round cake pans. Line the bottoms with parchment paper and butter that as well. Dust with cocoa powder, being sure to tap out the excess. Set aside.
• Whisk together the cocoa, flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a large bowl until there are no large lumps. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the eggs, melted butter, sour cream, instant espresso and 1 1/2 cups water. Slowly start to work everything together, adding the dry to the wet ingredients as you go until everything is combined and you have a smooth batter. Do not over mix. Divide evenly in the prepared cake pans and bake until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes in the pans. Unmold onto a wire rack and cool completely.
• For the frosting: Beat the butter in a medium bowl on medium speed using a hand-held mixer until light and fluffy. Add the confectioners' sugar, cocoa powder, heavy cream, vanilla and kosher salt and continue to beat on medium speed until light, fluffy and creamy.
• Place one layer of cake on a plate or cake stand. Spread one-quarter of the frosting on the cake evenly all the way to the sides using a small offset spatula. Place the other layer of cake on top and press gently. Spoon the remaining frosting on top and spread evenly, pushing the frosting over the edge and spreading it around the sides. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving. Sprinkle the top evenly with the flake salt to serve.

SALTED CARAMEL MILK CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Put your chocolates in a big bowl. Put the sugar and 1/2 cup water in a saucepan and place over medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves and bring up to a boil. As soon that happens, stop stirring and let it boil until it turns an amber color, 8 to 10 minutes or so. (If you think that it needs another stir, brush down the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush, and stir the entire mixture, picking up the pot itself by the handle, being careful not to touch the caramel or else it could crystallize.) Once the mixture reaches that dark amber color, turn the heat down. Stand back from the pot and add the cream very slowly, stirring with a heatproof spatula. (If you are nervous about the steam, wear a kitchen glove to protect your hand.) Continue to stir until all is incorporated. Once the mixture is smooth, stir in the fine salt. Take off the heat and pour the caramel over the bowl of chocolate. Whisk to combine, making sure all the chocolate melts. Pop in the fridge for about 1 hour until completely chilled.
• Take the frosting out of the fridge and beat it with a hand mixer just until it becomes spreadable. Add the butter in pieces and mix until it's all combined. Pop back into the refrigerator for another hour.
• Place 1 cake layer on a cake platter, flat-side up. (You want the cake flat-side up so when you get into it you'll have nice and even layers.) Evenly spread 2 cups of the frosting over the top. Sprinkle with sea salt flakes, then put the other cake layer on top, flat-side up. Spread the rest of the frosting over the top and on the sides of the cake. Sprinkle the top with more salt flakes.
• Put a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter 2 (9 by 2-inch) nonstick round cake pans. Line the bottom of each with a round of parchment paper, and then butter the paper.
• Sift the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt together onto parchment paper. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, 4 or 5 minutes. Add your eggs, 1 at a time, mixing until completely incorporated before adding each additional egg. Mix in the chocolate and vanilla, making sure to combine really well. Turn the mixer to low and slowly add the dry ingredients, alternating with the buttermilk, in 3 batches, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Make sure to let it mix thoroughly.
• Pour half the batter in each pan and spread it evenly with a spatula or butter knife. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, 25 minutes. Remove the pans to racks and allow the cakes to cool for 10 minutes or so. Loosen the edges of the cake from the pan with a knife, then turn them onto the racks. Remove the paper and let the cakes completely cool.

THESE WARM SALTED CARAMEL LAVA CAKES ONLY REQUIRE 8 INGREDIENTS (EASIEST HOLIDAY DESSERT EVER!)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F. Grease and line the bottoms of 9 muffin tins, set aside.
• In a small bowl, mix together the dulce de leche and flaky salt. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and lightly grease with neutral oil. Dollop 1 heaping teaspoon of dulce de leche on the greased paper, place in freezer for at least 30 minutes.
• While your dulce de leche is cooling: in a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Once the butter has melted, turn off the heat and stir in the chopped chocolate. Mix until mixture is smooth.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whip the eggs and sugar on high until doubled in size, about 4-5 minutes. Stream in the melted chocolate mixture and vanilla and whisk to combine. Fold in the flour.
• Once the dulce de leche is cold, lightly grease your hands and roll them into perfect rounds. Set aside.
• With an ice cream scoop, fill the muffin tins ⅔ of the way full, reserving about ½ cup of batter. Push the dulce de leche rounds into the centre of each and top the cakes with the remaining batter.
• Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes until the tops are slightly cracked. Cool in the muffin tin for 10 minutes. Wedge a knife or offset spatula to lift the cakes out, peel off the parchment. Enjoy with a scoop of ice cream.