If you ever need an excuse to eat chocolate, this week presents exactly that opportunity. It is 'National Chocolate Week' which means chocolate lovers can indulge their every whim for 7 days of glorious cocoa bean-based eating. We're delighted to share this rich, gooey and warm Chocolate Lava Cake recipe with you. And clearly, it would be downright rude not to try it during a week dedicated to all things chocolate!
A WARMING AND INDULGENT CHOCOLATE DELIGHT FROM Mark Lloyd
Created by professional chef Mark Lloyd, this recipe can be made in advance of your dinner party. All you need to do is pop it on the grill or in the oven when you're nearly ready for dessert! Great puddings which work on outdoor kitchens, BBQs and wood fired ovens can be hard to come by, so this should delight any outdoor cooking enthusiasts with a sweet tooth. Over to Mark...
Chocolate lava cake with salted caramel ice cream
This is a great “make ahead” recipe - you can make the mix and keep in on the side for an hour or so until you need it. It even cooks well from frozen if you need to make it well in advance, you will just have to adjust the cooking time. The perfect result is a cooked top with a lava flow of warm, runny chocolate sauce inside, the perfect coating for a big scoop of your favourite ice cream or even some strawberries.
This is perfect for cooking in a kamado ceramic grill (such as a Big Green Egg) or a gas BBQ grill with the lid closed. If you put this in there defrosted, it literally takes 10 minutes to cook to gooey perfection. I used a 6” skillet pan for this recipe as I find it works well for even heat distribution and looks pretty cool too. Plus, it will keep the lava cake warm if you're dining outside this autumn. Have your grill or BBQ sitting at around 190ºc, but if it is plus or minus a few degrees it won't make that much difference, if I'm honest.
Ingredients
- 150g unsalted butter, cut into dice
- 230g dark, dark chocolate (at least 65% cocoa), broken into even chunks
- 100mls or large tablespoon of liquid glucose, just slightly warmed
- 4 large free range eggs, beaten to break the yolks
- 90g of plain flour
Method
Melt together the chocolate, glucose and butter over a pan of simmering water, making sure the water is gently simmering and isn’t touching the bottom of the bowl...
In a bowl or food processor, whisk the eggs until mixed completely.
Next, whisk in the flour then add the melted butter, glucose and chocolate and keep stirring until the mixture is evenly coloured.
Pour into your pan or mould and place in the BBQ with the lid down for 10 minutes, the top should look baked but wobble a lot when you move it.
Serve with some rich salted caramel or ripe strawberries for dipping - or both! Did you know CENA creates outdoor kitchens with gas and electric grills, wood-fired ovens and kamado ceramic grills? Take a look here.
