Turn a festive dinner into an elevated feast with this easy and impressive dessert.
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Those throwback darlings of the 1990s upscale restaurant scene, chocolate lava cakes are a playful throwback to dessert decadence while also being downright delicious. With a smoothly flowing center that spills out of tender crumb cake with a mere slice of a fork, these lava cakes are impressively easy holiday masterpieces. They’re no more difficult to make than a pan of your favorite fudge brownies, and they’re packed with the wholesome goodness of Quaker 100% Whole Oatmeal.
A controversy in the cakes
Whether you believe celebrity chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten invented molten lava cakes or simply popularized a version of a chef Michel Bras creation several years earlier, there’s no denying that the mix of melted chocolate plus flour and eggs is a classic combination that creates something quite spectacular. However, in terms of technique, pastels can also be surprisingly divisive. Some camps follow the Bras method of using a ganache to achieve the liquid center. The most popular (and not coincidentally, much easier) method bakes the cakes to the point where the outside has been fully baked and the inside is still flowing, a balancing act that can be accomplished with a few simple steps.
Baking with oatmeal
To make this very special chocolate lava cake, Anna Olson uses an ingredient that is gaining prominence in the baking world: oatmeal. Although she can think of hearty breakfasts when it comes to oatmeal, oatmeal, like the one made by Quaker, is quite finicky. Produced by grinding whole oats to a fine consistency, oatmeal is a smooth, light-golden baby powder. You can use Quaker Oat Flour to add the wholesome goodness of 100% whole grain oats to your favorite baked goods while delivering a delicious toasty and nutty flavor. This season, introduce him to the world of festive baking in everything from cookies and squares to scones and muffins.
Tips and Techniques
This recipe takes full advantage of the smoothness of oatmeal in a number of clever cooking techniques. Greasing and flouring the pans with oatmeal before baking ensures they won’t crack when it’s time to take out the finished cakes to serve; the fineness of the oatmeal ensures that it peels off easily. Since the runny nature of the center is key in this cake, the texture of the oatmeal plays a key role in keeping the interior smooth and eliminating clumps, even without sifting. The underlying nutty roasted flavor carries through as well, emphasizing the richness of the semi-sweet chocolate. With just 15 minutes of hands-on work, this cake comes together from start to finish in less than an hour—a neat trick for any holiday celebration.
Anna Olson Chocolate Quaker Oatmeal Lava Cakes
- Preparation time: 15 minutes
- Cooking time: 20 minutes
- Total time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 individual desserts
Ingredients
- 5 oz semisweet baking chocolate, chopped
- ½ cup unsalted butter, diced
- 2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup Quaker® Oatmeal, plus extra for dusting pans
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt
- Icing sugar, for dusting
Instructions
- Grease four 5 oz ramekins and dust with oat flour, tapping off any excess.
- Melt the chocolate and butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, or melt in the microwave.
- Pour the chocolate into a bowl and mix in the brown sugar. Beat the eggs one by one and then add the vanilla. Whisk in the oatmeal and salt.
- Pour the batter into the molds and chill until ready to bake. This can be done up to two days in advance.
Preheat oven to 400°F. Place the pans on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, until the top of the pastries has set, but the center still shakes when moved. Let the desserts rest for 5 minutes, then run a small spatula or knife around the inside edge of each pan and quickly but carefully invert each onto a dessert plate. When you lift the pan, lava may start to flow from the center of the dessert. Dust the surface with icing sugar and serve immediately.
For more tasty ways to add 100% whole grain Canadian oats to your day, check out more Quaker oatmeal-based recipes.