Molten Chocolate Cakes

[nichi]

I'm wondering if you could premake Molten Chocolate cakes then rewarm them before service?

I'm creating a test batch right now to see how they turn out after sitting for a day. They seem sorta souffle like so I wanted to get some opinions of if this should even be attempted?

I have to bust out 250 of these bad boys so predoing them is the only way I could accomplish this in my humble little kitchen.

[naes]

I'm wondering if you could premake Molten Chocolate cakes then rewarm them before service?

You can pipe them into the cups and refrigerate them, but you definitely cannot pre-bake them. The souffle would rise and collapse and would not rise again when you reheated it. You'd end up with quite a different product that would be fairly dense.

[srhcb]

Emeril has a recipe for individual molten chocolate cakes which are made, frozen, and then baked right from the freezer!

I make them quite often, but, of course can't find the recipe right now.

I'll check on my other computer tomorrow.

SB

[Marlene]

Definately no prebaking, but my friend made and brought molten cakes for New Year's Eve which we baked onsite and they turned out wonderfully.

[srhcb]

Emeril has a recipe for individual molten chocolate cakes which are made, frozen, and then baked right from the freezer!

I make them quite often, but, of course can't find the recipe right now. 

I'll check on my other computer tomorrow.

SB

←

As Promised:

This is a recipe I saw Emeril do on his show. These cakes, which are baked until they just hold together and still have molten centers, are generally known as "flourless cakes", although they often do contain a small amout of flour like this recipe does.

I doubled the original recipe to make 4 cakes, since freezing is part of the process anyway.

Mise

3 oz good quality semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped

1 oz unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped

6 Tbl unsalted butter, softened + 2 tsp to grease bowls

6 Tbl sugar

2 large eggs

6 Tbl AP flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 Tbl cocoa powder

Lightly butter 4 ramikens with 2 tsp butter

In a double boiler, melt chocolates together, remove from heat

Stir in butter and sugar until smooth

Add eggs, flour, baking powder and cocoa powder

Beat at Med-High speed until thick and pale (apprx 5 min)

Divide mixture into ramekins (about 1/2 full)

Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 3 hours

When ready to serve, preheat oven to 375 degrees

Place ramekins on center shelf and bake until edges just set and center is still shiney (recipe says 10-12 min, Mine take 15+)

Invert cakes onto plates and serve immediately, garnished with whipped cream or ice cream.

SB (a favorite at my house) (I usually only got to eat one of the four)

[NickLam]

Hi Nichi,

Try this recipe, it was adapted from Bellouet's Saveurs Chocolatees for Thailand. If you need 250, make the necessary adjustments. This recipe is formulated for a tall ring that is 6.5cm in diameter. However, you can substitute these rings for a suitable tough tin foil 'cupcake' mold.

This recipe has 2 components, the ganache centre and the soft cake batter. After baking and cooling, you can store them in the chiller and nuke them for 45 seconds to 1min at 250watts in your microwave. It will come out nice and soft with a melted inside. However, beware that any chef's eating it will complain that its not freshly baked!

This recipe is as easy as making ganache and making a sponge cake. Don't let the lengthy instructions deter you.

Ganache Centres

525g Cream

45g Trimoline

750g Cacao Barry Mi-Amere 58%

225g Cacao Barry Fleur de Cao 70%

60g Unsalted butter

(1) Boil cream, spill over chopped chocolates and trimoline

(2) Emulsify the ganache and stir in butter

(3) Ladle into Flexipan circle mold (Demarle Number 2266) 40mm diameter, 20mm deep and freeze

(4) Alternatively, pour it into a sheet pan and use a small cookie cutter to cut rounds of ganache after it has been chilled overnight. The size of your cookie cutter should be at least 1.5cm smaller than the size of your baking ring or you will risk the ganache flowing out of the sides. Freeze the cut out ganache centres.

Chocolate Cake Batter (Moelleux)

2000g Cacao Barry Mi Amere 58%

2000g Unsalted Butter

2000g Castor Sugar

2000g Whole Eggs, room temperature

1000g Type 55 Flour (All purpose flour), sifted

(1) Melt chocolate and butter gently in microwave or over low flame

(2) Ribbon whole eggs and castor sugar

(3) Stir 1/4 of ribboned eggs into melted chocolate mixture to loosen it

(4) Fold remaining eggs into chocolate mixture

(5) Fold in flour in 3 additions

(6) Cover the mixture with plastic wrap touching the surface of the mixture

(7) Chill for 2 hours till piping consistency

Assembling the molten lava cake

(1) Grease and flour (Mix cocoa powder with flour) baking rings

(2) Pipe chocolate moelleux into baking ring

(3) Place a disk of frozen chocolate ganache into the middle and pipe chocolate moelleux all around (Important!), making sure there are no air bubbles.

(4) Pipe chocolate moelleux until it covers the ganache

(5) Freeze or chill till needed

Bake at 180 to 190 degrees celsius for 12mins if chilled, and 22mins if frozen. It is normal for the top to collapse and look like a volcano.

When removed from oven, let it cool and set. Remove from mold, wrap with plastic and chill till needed.

When needed, nuke it in the microwave on low power for about 45seconds to 1min.

Hope this recipe is what you need!

Nick.

[nichi]

After my test batch it was very obvious that the recipe I used could not be a prebake thing, very much like a souffle. To top it off I put them in a cupcake tin and cooked them clean through! I didn't even adjust the bake time, sheesh did I learn nothing in culinary school. They were darn tasty though.

I will give NickLam's recipe a go and see how it turns out this evening.

Thanks for all your help!

[bripastryguy]

I have a small production pastry company and we do these all the time. We make them, unmold, chill if necessary, box up and freeze. I used to work for a large restaurant group in NYC and we did 300 a day (3"x2" ring molds). Heat in the microwave for about 20-30 sec, Voila!

Valrohna Chocolate Cake

Yields: Approx. 156

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

-------- ------------ --------------------------------

9.75 pounds valrohna #61 (you can use any good quality bs chocolate)

9.75 pounds butter

81 eggs -- (11.8 lb)

3.75 pounds egg yolks --

3.75 pounds sugar -- (5 lb. 12 oz.)

3 pounds cake flour -- sifted

Melt chocolate and butter in top of a double boiler

In mixer fitted with whisk, whip eggs, yolks and sugar until ribbon stage.

Pour chocolate butter mixture into whipped eggs.

Mix in flour until just incorporated.

Pour or scoop into heavily buttered ring molds ON FLAT SHEETPANS!

Bake in 425F oven for 2 minutes, rotate tray and cook 2 minutes more. The tops should be dry and the cake should be puffed resembling a souffle.

***EVERY OVEN WORKS DIFFERENTLY SO DO A TEST RUN FIRST BEFORE BAKING THEM ALL, I LEARNED TO ONLY BAKE 1 TRAY IN THE OVEN AT A TIME.

Allow to cool and remove ring molds. Chill.

For service reheat in microwave for 20 seconds.

iF YOU WANT A REALLY LIQUIDY CENTER DROP THE GANACHE BALL IN BEFORE BAKING. I DONT, BUT YOU MAY NEED THEM MORE FLUID

If you have any questions call me 516-794-4478

Edited January 24, 2007 by bripastryguy (log)