As you may know, almost every day of the year seems to have some special food “holiday” associated with it. Some are obvious, like July Fourth being National Barbecue Day or Christmas Eve’s National Eggnog Day.
But I’ve been scratching my head trying to figure out why Jan. 27 should be officially recognized as National Chocolate Cake Day. I haven’t been able to find a logical reason. Maybe people just need something pleasurable like a delicious chocolate creation to cheer them up in the middle of winter. Or maybe, if you love that flavor as much as I do, any day at all is as good as the others for something rich and chocolaty.
Come to think of it, though, there could be a very practical reason why this particular late-January date deserves such a distinction: It gives you just over two weeks to plan and perfect what you’ll be cooking for the one you love on Valentine’s Day. After all, many people want to make something special for the annual holiday celebrating love; and chocolate, for obvious reasons, is the go-to special ingredient. When the recipe has the ability to excite oohs and aahs like a magic trick, it makes sense that you, the cook, might want to practice it.
Not that my recipe for molten chocolate lava cakes needs much, if any, practice. In fact, you’ll be surprised by how easy it is to achieve the delightful results: tender individual rounds of rich chocolate cake that, when cut, release luscious flows of warm chocolate fudge. One key is making sure your oven bakes accurately at the temperature to which you set it. You can achieve this simply by calibrating your oven.
Hang an inexpensive oven thermometer from a rack set at the center level, and set the oven to the required baking temperature of 350 degrees. Then once the oven has heated, note any difference between the setting and the thermometer reading, using that difference to adjust your oven setting accordingly.
The other important factor is to use a good-quality chocolate containing 65 to 70 percent cocoa solids, a number that you’ll find noted on the labeling of upscale products. This will provide the intense chocolate flavor, balanced by the creaminess of its cocoa-butter content. Add the few other simple ingredients, mix them as instructed, and bake them with a close eye on the timer and on how the cakes look, and you should achieve the desired molten centers. Even if you overcook them a bit, you’ll still have delicious, warm chocolate cakes.
But of course, practice does make perfect. And National Chocolate Cake Day gives you an ideal excuse to start getting ready for Valentine’s Day.
MOLTEN CHOCOLATE LAVA CAKES
Serves 8
Ingredients:
Butter-flavored nonstick cooking spray
5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, 65 to 70 percent cocoa solids, cut or broken into chunks
8 ounces unsalted butter
3 large cage-free eggs
3 large cage-free egg yolks
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, sifted
To serve:
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
1 pint vanilla ice cream, or freshly whipped cream
1 cup fresh berries
Directions:
Position a rack in the center of the oven, and heat to 350 degrees. Spray the bottoms of eight 4-ounce ramekins or other round baking containers with the nonstick cooking spray, and place a circle of parchment paper in the bottom of each. Arrange on a baking tray. Set aside.
Put the chocolate and butter in a medium heatproof bowl. Set over a saucepan of gently simmering water, taking care that the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Stir occasionally until the mixture is completely melted and blended.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, using the wire whisk attachment at medium speed, beat together the eggs, egg yolks and sugar for 3 minutes. Whisk the flour into the warm chocolate-butter mixture. Then, beating at low speed, add the chocolate mixture to the egg mixture.
Pour the batter into the ramekins. Bake for 8 to 9 minutes, rotating the baking tray 180 degrees halfway through if your oven doesn’t cook evenly, until the sides look firm but the centers still seem very soft. Remove from the oven, and set aside for 5 to 10 minutes.
To serve, use a heatproof pad or towel to grip a ramekin firmly and invert onto a serving plate; lift up to unmold. (If the cake won’t unmold, run the blade of a thin knife between the side of the ramekin and the cake to loosen the edge.) Peel off and discard the paper. Serve immediately, garnished with ice cream or whipped cream and fresh berries.