RECIPE: Chocolate lava puddings
Chocolatey melt-in-the-mouth sponge puds with oozy, decadent molten chocolate centres
Makes: 4
Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients:
15ml (1 tbsp) good-quality cocoa, plus extra for dusting
200g dark chocolate, chopped, plus 4 extra squares
200g butter, chopped
4 whole eggs plus 4 egg yolks
100g caster sugar
15ml (1 tbsp) vanilla extract
50g flour
To serve:
Ice cream or whipped cream
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
2. Grease four heart-shaped ramekins and dust with cocoa powder.
3. Melt 200g chocolate and butter in a glass bowl over a pan of simmering water. Cool for 10 minutes.
4. Whisk the whole eggs and yolks and sugar until creamy.
5. Stir the vanilla extract and the chocolate mixture into the eggs.
6. Sift in the flour and cocoa and fold into the egg and chocolate mixture.
7. Half-fill the ramekins with batter, then add a cube of chocolate to each ramekin and add more batter until they are two-thirds full.
8. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the tops spring back when gently touched. Do not overbake.
9. Serve immediately with ice cream or cream.