Chocolate Espresso Lava Cake with Creme de Cacao Mascarpone Whipped Cream

It’s winter. It’s cold. You’re probably snuggled up inside more than usual. What could add to your cozy experience? How about a decadent, warm chocolaty dessert with a boozy whipped cream? Add on some ice cream, some berries, and boom, you’re set.

I participate in a monthly Improv Cooking Challenge, hosted by Lesa of Edesia’s Notebook. This month’s challenge ingredients are coffee and cream.

There is espresso powder in the molten cakes and in the silky mascarpone whipped cream. I kicked it up a notch and added some creme de cacao to the whipped cream too. Because…you’re cold and need your liquor blanket…

I bought the most adorable little ramekins in rose-color for this recipe. The set of 6 is perfect for the recipe below. I happened to make them on Valentine’s Day. The rameys matched my flower:

🙂

Let’s get you closer to eating the dessert– recipe, here we go:

The cakes:

6 oz bittersweet chocolate chips*
2 oz. semisweet chocolate chips
10 tablespoons (1 stick + 2 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar. sifted
1 tsp instant espresso powder, sifted in with the powdered sugar
3 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla

* you can use semisweet chocolate in place of bittersweet chocolate if that is easier for you. It won’t make much of a difference.

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Spray 6 6-oz ramekins with cooking spray. Set aside.
2) Melt the chocolate chips and the butter in a microwave safe bowl. Place in the microwave for about 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds. DO NOT heat the chocolate more than it needs to be heated– as soon as the chips are melted, you’re done. Pour the melted chocolate mixture into a large bowl. Add in the flour, powdered sugar, and espresso powder and mix a few times. Then add in the eggs, egg yolks, and vanilla, and gentle fold everything together with a rubber spatula until fully combined and no more flour/sugar streaks remain.
3) Scoop the batter into the 6 ramekins. Place them all on one large cookie sheet. Place that cookie sheet with all the rameys on it into the oven and bake for about 12 minutes. The edges should be juuust set, and the middles should be a little bit underdone-looking. They’ll continue to cook once you remove them from the oven.
4) If you want to turn the cakes out of the ramekins, allow them to cool for about 5 minutes. Then, for each one, place a plate, face down, on top of the ramekin, holding the plate and ramekin together. Then flip it, so that you’re turning the ramekin upside down the the plate right-side up, an the cake should come out onto the plate.
5) If you are leaving the cakes in the ramekins (like I did) let them cool for about 5 minutes, and then prepare to serve! You’ll need that mascarpone whipped cream for this…

Espresso Creme de Cacao Mascarpone Whipped Cream
1 cup (8 oz) mascarpone cheese
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tablespoon creme de cacao
1/2 tsp instant espresso powder, sifted

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Beat on a medium speed until it thickens a bit, then increase the speed to high until stiff peaks form. This is your whipped cream!

To assemble the cakes…

1) Take the little cake.
2) Place a large scoop of vanilla frozen yogurt (or ice cream) onto the middle
3) Use a pastry bag and tip to pipe on a beautiful, generous amount of boozy whipped cream
4) Spoon on strawberry slices

Serve warm!! You’ll find a luscious, molten chocolate filling on the inside. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

I should also tell you that I’m giving up chocolate for lent, so this will be my last chocolate post until Easter. Ahh! This should get you through the winter though 😉

Enjoy, stay warm out there!