500-Degree Butter-Bathed Hot Chocolate Cake
Chapter 5: Cocktails & Desserts
Five hundred degrees. Borrowing the furious heat and butter-sizzle theatrics of the nation's best leather-booth chophouses, this molten Valrhona chocolate cake hits the table violently bubbling in a cast-iron skillet. This isn't the time for restraint; pull it when the center still jiggles and the edges blister, yielding a gloriously messy collision of bitter chocolate, scorched dairy, and melting vanilla ice cream.
Ingredients
- premium bittersweet chocolate (70% cacao)6 oz
- European-style unsalted butter1/2 cup
- eggs3 large
- egg yolks3 large
- granulated sugar1/2 cup
- unbleached all-purpose flour3 tbsp
- pure vanilla extract1 tsp
- instant espresso powder1 tsp
- kosher salt1/2 tsp
- unsalted butter1 tbsp
- cocoa powder1 tbsp
- high-quality salted butter4 tbsp
- premium vanilla bean ice cream1 pt
Method
- 01
Preheat the oven and four mini cast-iron skillets to 500°F.
Place four 5-inch or 6-inch mini skillets on a heavy baking sheet and put them in the oven as it heats. This brutal thermal mass is what creates the legendary steakhouse crust.
- 02
Melt the chocolate and unsalted butter in a double boiler until perfectly smooth.
Set a heatproof bowl over barely simmering water, ensuring the bottom doesn't touch the water. Fold gently until glossy, then remove from heat, whisk in the vanilla and espresso powder, and let cool slightly so you don't cook the eggs in the next step.
- 03
Whip the whole eggs, yolks, sugar, and salt to the ribbon stage.
Beat on medium-high for about 4 to 5 minutes until the mixture is pale, significantly increased in volume, and falls back onto itself in a distinct ribbon that takes a few seconds to dissolve.
- 04
Fold the slightly cooled chocolate into the egg mixture and sift in the flour.
Use a large rubber spatula with sweeping motions to combine. Fold in the sifted flour just until no white streaks remain, taking care not to overmix and develop the gluten.
- 05
Remove the scorching skillets from the oven to quickly grease, dust, and fill them.
Working swiftly with heavy gloves, drop a bit of the softened butter into each pan so it instantly sizzles, brush the sides, and dust lightly with cocoa powder before dividing the batter evenly among them.
- 06
Bake for exactly 7 to 9 minutes until the edges set but the center remains wobbly.
The batter will sizzle on contact. Pull them from the heat when the outer edge pulls slightly away from the cast iron but the inner inch and a half is still visually fluid.
- 07
Transport to the table immediately and execute the tableside butter baste.
Set the blazing hot skillet in front of the diner and drop a pat of chilled salted butter directly onto the exposed iron rim so it aggressively foams. Crown with vanilla ice cream and break the center immediately.
Notes
Prepare the batter in advance for seamless entertaining.
The batter can be poured into room-temperature skillets or ceramic ramekins and refrigerated tightly covered for up to 24 hours. Add 2 to 3 minutes to the total bake time if baking straight from the fridge.
Navigate the inaccuracies of the residential oven.
Home ovens often fluctuate wildly. Use an independent thermometer, and if yours maxes out at 450°F, simply extend the bake by a few minutes, watching the wobbly center closely.