What I’ve heard about this recipe is it was created by Chef Joel Robachen of Jamoin in Paris for Valrhona Chocolate Company. He taught it to Jean-Georges Vongerichten and I learned it from one of his sous chefs who worked for me in London at the Criterion Brasserie. It’s basically an under baked cake sp the batter is just raw in the center, though when I worked at Charlie Trotter’s we placed a thin layer of chocolate sponge cake on the bottom and placed on that balls of ganache to stuff in the center to assure a wet lava effect when you cut into the cake, then surrounded the whole thing with the cake batter.
| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 5 hr 10 min |
| Prep: | 1 hr |
| Inactive: | 3 hr 30 min |
| Cook: | 40 min |
| Yield: | 12 servings |
Ingredients
- 11 ounces butter (2 3/4 sticks)
- 10 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
- 6 eggs
- 6 egg yolks
- 3 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- Chocolate Bergamot Paint, recipe follows
- Cocoa nibs, as needed
- Star Anise Ice Cream, recipe follows
- Citrus Reduction, recipe follows
- Confectioners’ sugar, as needed
- Cocoa powder, as needed
- Equipment: 12 (8-ounce) foil tins
Instructions
- Make the Cakes: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Grease the tins and set aside.
- In a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the butter and chocolate together, stirring occasionally. Cool slightly.
- Meanwhile, in a separate bowl whisk together the eggs, yolks, and sugar. Whisk the egg mixture into chocolate mixture; then whisk in the flour.
- Fill the tins with the batter and bake for 4 to 5 minutes. (Alternatively, refrigerate the cakes until ready to bake, up to a day in advance. If baking cold, do so for 5 to 6 minutes.)
- Paint the bottoms of several shallow soup plates with the chocolate bergamont paint. Immediately unmold the cakes onto the plates. Place a pinch of cocoa nibs beside each cake (as a small stand for the ice cream), and place a scoop of star anise ice cream on top of each. Drizzle the citrus reduction around each plate and dust with confectioners’ sugar and cocoa powder.
- 4 1/2 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
- 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
- 1/3 cup brewed tea (recommended: Earl Grey)
- 1/4 cup light corn syrup
- In the top half of a double boiler, combine the 2 chocolates over simmering water. Stir constantly until melted; then whisk in the tea and syrup, without removing the double boiler from the heat. Whisk until smooth and shiny.
- If the sauce is too thick, thin it with a touch of hot water. Using a brush, paint the sauce onto plate before serving.
- (The sauce can be made up to 48 hours in advance and refrigerated. To rewarm, stir over low heat or heat in a microwave.)
- Yield: approximately 1 1/4 cups
- 2 cups half-and-half
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 heaping tablespoon star anise pieces
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 9 egg yolks
- 3/4 cup sugar
- In a saucepan over medium heat, heat the half-and-half, cream, star anise, ground cinnamon, vanilla, and cinnamon stick, whisking occasionally to make sure the mixture doesn’t burn or stick to the bottom of the pan. When the cream mixture reaches a fast simmer (do not let it boil), turn off the heat and let the flavors infuse for 10 minutes.
- In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar. In a thin stream, whisk half of the cream mixture into the egg yolk mixture. Then pour the egg-cream mixture back into the saucepan containing the rest of the cream mixture.
- Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. At 160 degrees, the mixture will give off a puff of steam. When the mixture reaches 180 degrees it will be thickened and creamy, like eggnog. If you don’t have a thermometer, test it by dipping a wooden spoon into the mixture. Run your finger down the back of the spoon. If the stripe remains clear, the mixture is ready; if the edges blur, the mixture is not quite thick enough yet. When it is ready, quickly remove it from the heat.
- Meanwhile, put 2 handfuls of ice cubes in a large bowl, and add enough cold water to cover. Rest a smaller bowl in the ice water. Pour the cream mixture through a fine sieve into the smaller bowl, to remove the vanilla bean pieces and cinnamon sticks. Chill 3 hours; then freeze in an ice cream freezer according to the manufacturer’s directions
- Yield: 1 quart
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 1/2 cup grapefruit juice
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1/4 cup corn syrup
- Place all the ingredients in a saucepan and simmer on low until reduced to a thick syrup. Chill before using.
- Yield: approximately 1/3 cup
Reviews
YUM Loved it, could do a little bit more time, say 8 to 10 mins
I added some coffee and vanilla too
great recipe
I made this recipe for my family last year for Easter and then again for Thanksgiving. It is definitely a crowd favorite and absolutely amazing dessert!! Now all of my friends ask me for the recipe and my family always requests it at holidays!
I made this and did not invert out of the custard cups. I sprinkled with powdered sugar and served with some vanilla ice cream. Simply amazing and I’ve been raving about it ever since, to everyone I know.
Loved the cake, the ice cream in my opinion would be better with just cinnamon and vanilla, but thats just my opinion not really liking the star anise. Next time i would use a little bit more sugar as well.
Only other problem was locating an 8 oz foil liner for cupcakes? largest i could find were Reynolds jumbo foil liners that were at best 4 oz container.
So i used 6 oz souffle cups. greased with butter and dusted with cocoa powder. turned out great
GREAT RECIPE FOR KIDS
evreyone should try it
couldnt be easier
Absolutely wonderful and easy to prepare.
This recipe is simple to follow and tastes amazing. I tried it with freshly made whipped cream and fresh strawberries… wow!!!