Chocolate Lava Cakes with Dulce De Leche

• servings: 2 small cakes (see note)
• total time: 30 min

Ingredients

2 teaspoons cocoa powder, plus more for dusting

4 tablespoons (55 grams) unsalted butter, cut into chunks, plus more for dishes

3 ounces (85 grams) bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped

¼ teaspoon kosher salt, plus a couple pinches of flaky salt

1 tablespoon (15 grams) granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 egg yolk

4 teaspoons (25 grams) prepared dulce de leche, cold

Confectioners' sugar, to finish

Directions

Heat the oven to 450°F (230°C).

Butter two 6-ounce ramekins, making sure not to miss any spots.

Spoon a little cocoa powder into each dish, pat it around so it coats the bottom and sides, and knock the excess out.

Place 4 tablespoons butter and chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl, and—either in the microwave or set over a pot of gently simmering water—heat until the butter and chocolate are about two-thirds melted, then whisk until they finish melting. (This ensures that the mixture is not too hot for you to add other ingredients.)

Whisk in the kosher salt and granulated sugar. Whisk in the egg and yolk, and beat a good twenty to thirty extra times, to ensure that the mixture is very smooth, glossy, and a bit lightened; this step is important.

Add the 2 teaspoons cocoa powder, and whisk until it's combined.

Spoon one-quarter of the batter into each baking dish. Center 2 teaspoons dulce de leche in each, and sprinkle it with a pinch of flaky sea salt.

Cover the dulce with the remaining chocolate batter, nudging it around the dollop and sealing it in. Bake for 10 minutes-the cakes will feel dry to the touch and smell amazing—and transfer them to a cooling rack for 2 minutes.

Wearing pot holders, place a small dessert plate over your first ramekin. Flip the cake onto the plate, count to ten, then lift the cup off.

Repeat with the second cake. Dust them with confectioners' sugar. Eat immediately.

Notes

From: ‘Smitten Kitchen Keepers’ by Deb Perlman

This recipe makes exactly two small cakes, but do know that, for a truly decadent party, I've scaled it up to a dozen-preparing them up to the point where you'd bake them, and then keeping them in the fridge until you do; all they'll need is a few extra minutes in the oven—and baked them in a friend's kitchen, along with the Raclette Tartiflette (this page), on New Year's Eve.