Gochujang Chocolate Lava Cakes,
Excellent!Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Mist four 6-ounce ramekins with cooking spray and place them on a sheet pan. In a small microwave-safe bowl, melt the chocolate in the microwave in 30-second intervals, checking and stirring between each zap, 1 to 2 minutes total. Set aside to cool slightly.In a separate bowl, whisk together the olive oil, eggs, granulated sugar, vanilla, gochujang, and salt until light and fluffy, about 1 full minute. Gently stir in the melted and slightly cooled chocolate.
Pour the chocolate batter into the ramekins and bake until the tops have set and even cracked slightly (the insides will still be hot and gooey), 10 to 15 minutes. Use tongs and/or a kitchen towel to carefully transfer the hot ramekins to individual small plates (serve these immediately).
If desired, add equal parts powdered sugar and gochugaru to a sieve and gently dust the tops of the chocolate cakes. Serve a scoop of vanilla ice cream atop each ramekin.
Ingredients
- Cooking spray
- 4 oz bittersweet chocolate (60% or more cacao)
- 1⁄4 c plus 2 T olive oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1⁄2 c granulated sugar
- 1 t vanilla extract
- 1 t gochujang
- Pinch of kosher salt
- Powdered sugar, for garnish (optional)
- Gochugaru (optional), for garnish
- Vanilla ice cream, store-bought or homemade, for serving
Notes
Serves 4
The talented food writer, baker, and author of Cookies, Jesse Szewczyk, suggested that I try combining gochujang and chocolate in one of my desserts. I was hesitant at first, but when I added a smidge of the fermented chile paste to my lava cakes, it transformed them completely— in a wonderful way. The salty, fermented notes of gochujang add great depth and savoriness to the gooey-sweet chocolate cake, leaving behind some heat on the tongue, which obviously feels paradisiacal for heat seekers like me. To add to the chile-spiked aroma of the dessert, I also suggest a light dusting of gochugaru powdered sugar.
There’s no flour here because I adore the meringue-like chew of a flourless chocolate cake, and the fat is olive oil because the fruitiness and ease delight me. Vanilla bean ice cream’s soft coolness would be excellent against this hot, chocolatey moltenness.
