Lava cake, The French chocolate moelleux for Chocolate lovers

Are you fond of good chocolate cakes, the one which will really taste chocolate? This recipe is for you! The lava cake, called chocolate moelleux in France is a very easy recipe, with minimal ingredients and equipment. But the result is a huge success!

 Lava cake or chocolate moelleux is different from the fondant and the difference is very important in France.

How to differentiate between two classic chocolate flavors: soft and smooth.It’s not a easy task but here is my analyze as a French chef who is a pastry lover.
Butter, sugar, flour, eggs, chocolate… the chocolate moelleux and fondant contain the same ingredients, but their texture fuels the conversations!

A look at the results given by Google Images doesn’t give any answer but proves that the representation of”moelleux au chocolat” or a “fondant au chocolat” is confused.

The French chocolate moelleux, lava cake
A chocolate moelleux always has a runny center. The outside texture is similar to a cake but the inside is liquid. The trick is to insert a piece of chocolate or a cold or even frozen ganache, which will melt when cooked without baking. The moelleux contains more flour than the fondant, its exterior texture is firmer. The French Chocolate Moelleux presentation is in individual portion.

The chocolate fondant, marrowy chocolate cake.
The chocolate fondant is often confused with its brother the moelleux. The error comes from the fact that the name “fondant” in French is a synonym of melted, marrowy. So, it makes one think of melted chocolate, therefore liquid. However, “fondant” here refers to its wet, almost creamy texture. It refers to the sensation of the cake in the mouth, which melts on the tongue!

I already posted a fantastic recipe of Fondant chocolate and at my table some of you called it brownie!!! No absolutely not!!

What makes brownies different from other cakes?

Cakes, or especially chocolate fondant and brownies share the same ingredients of flour, sugar, butter and eggs but for brownies have a denser texture by not including a raising agent or having very little baking powder or baking soda. Brownies will always have cocoa to flavor the brownie while cakes can have many different flavorings.

In the recipe I proposed you, I even remove the flour for having a super smooth texture, this is one of my favorite fondant chocolate cake recipe as the favor of the chocolate is really there, dense and smooth. By the way, this recipe is perfect for gluten-free lovers.

Ingredients

You need very few ingredients for this lava cake, French chocolate moelleux, only 5 ingredients.

200g of dark chocolate

4 eggs.

10 tbs- 140 g of butter

½ cup of granulated sugar -100 g -if it’s 100 g of powdered sugar it will be 1 cup

2 tbs of flour : 16g

Preparation

Preheat oven to 460° Fahrenheit (240°Celsius).

Melt the butter and chocolate: 175G (except for the 12 squares) in a bain-marie. Smooth the mixture while whisking. It’s of course possible to melt them in the microwave for 1 minute and 30 seconds min at 500W

In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar.

Add the flour and then the melted chocolate, stirring constantly.

Butter 6 small individual molds.

Fill them halfway with dough and place two squares of chocolate in the center.

Then cover the chocolate moelleux with the rest of the preparation.

Bake for around 10 minutes and serve as soon as you come out of the oven, lightly dusted with powdered sugar or a custard cream.

How do you check if a fondant is ready?

A fondant, or semi-cooked cake, is perfectly cooked when the top has risen and is cracked on top.

If it looks cooked, but a little bit of dough seems to be coming out, still raw or shiny, from a crack in the top of your cake, don’t hesitate! They’re probably perfect!