“Happiness is German engineering , Italian cooking and Belgian chocolate”- Patricia Briggs.

I love lava cakes or fondants.I love all things gooey and chocolatey . And I love warm desserts .

You know what I don’t like about lava cakes ? The whole process of unmolding and the delicate handling of it all. Ofcourse, that works great if you are serving it for a fancy dessert . But if you spend some time with me in the real world , you’ ll know that I am not a very “delicate” person ! Plus , I bake to share . Lava cakes aren’t easy to transport or bake ahead and lug around, so it doesn’t form part of my usual repertoire of baking for the workplace , potluck or gifting.

So sign me up for lava muffins! I have tried a few fondant-styled cuppies. There are a few ways of having a molten centre in a chocolate cupcake. One is to put a piece of chocolate in the centre of the liner filled with any chocolate cupcake batter. Or a truffle (set ganache) . The cupcake bakes while the piece of chocolate or truffle melts – hence the lava! In this particular muffin , the batter is just baked enough so that the exterior is crisp and the centre is still molten. Delicious . And easy . And make ahead . And transportable . And delicious!

Warning : I wouldn’t serve them without the liners … unless you don’t mind getting a little messy !

Recipe courtesy :www.hungryshots.com

The cracked tops , the crunch on the outside and the melty heart – this is any chocolate lover’s dream muffin ! So good ! But don’t take my word for it … try it and see for yourself! I didn’t get the typical muffin tops but I am still gonna call them muffins (and not cupcakes) because then its ok if you have them for breakfast too !! Probably I should bake it longer next time though for a firmer muffin!

Check out these Dulce de leche lava cakes for a caramel twist on the usual molten chocolate cakes. And if you love ooey gooey chocolate as much as I do , whip up this Swedish chocolate cake . It will change your life!

Chocolate lava muffins

Crisp top , chewy edges and molten lava centres in these muffins!!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 22 minutes mins

Total Time 37 minutes mins

Ingredients

  

• 300 grams or 1 1/2 cups dark chocolate chopped
• 150 grams or 2/3 cup unsalted butter
• 4 Eggs , at room temperature
• 70 grams or 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract or essence
• 75 grams or 2/3 cup all purpose flour

Instructions

 

• Melt together the chopped chocolate and butter in a double boiler or microwave until smooth. Cool to room temperature.
  
• Beat together the sugar and eggs for few minutes using a whisk or electric mixer.
  
• When it triples in volume , add in the vanilla and beat it in.
  
• Add the chocolate-butter mixture and beat until smooth.
  
• Add the flour and beat until incorporated.
  
• Chill this batter in the refrigerator for an hour or upto a day.
  
• Preheat your oven to 200 C / 400 F . Line your muffin tray with liners .Fill the liners about 3/4th full.
  
• Bake at 200 c/ 400 F for 15-20 minutes. 18 minutes for a gooier centre and 20-22 minutes for a firmer centre. The top should be firm and cracked, and not wobbly. Do not over bake! Cool on a wire rack - you can serve warm too!
  

Notes

Also:

• Store in an airtight container for upto 3 days. Microwave for 15-20 seconds for a gooey centre before serving / eating !
• If chilling the batter and overnight or longer , let it be at room temperature for 15 minutes or so before baking.
• This muffin is only as good as the chocolate you use. For the best results , use real baking chocolate and not compound.
• You might want to do a test bake with one muffin as all ovens run different.
• This muffin is only as good as the chocolate you use. For the best results , use real baking chocolate and not compound.
• You might want to do a test bake with one muffin as all ovens run different.