5-minute Chocolate Molten Lava Microwave Cake!

It’s been a hectic past couple of days... Between filming and running around from meeting to meeting I don’t get allot of time to blog anymore and 14 hour days on set doesn't really leave much time for cooking either.

After my most recent post hit the interweb, ‘Magic Chocolate Mud Pudding’ I received allot of E-mails and text messages asking that I should do a post on microwave cakes and puddings. Apparently not everyone has a stove or the time to cook up a ‘big’ 30 minute pudding.

I think it is quite fitting that I should do a post on a 5 minute or less desert as I am also super busy at the moment. For my avid followers and the foodies that have the time and equipment I will have more delicious and amazing recipes to come.

I am quite old school when it comes to cooking. I personally despise anything cooked in a microwave. I wasn't too excited to try this recipe, but I am actually glad I did, because it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. This really is a nice and fun recipe to do if you crave something sweet and chocolaty. The cake is sweet, rich and has a very fudge-like consistency. Just make sure you eat it while the cake is hot and fresh. I left my second cake for later and it literally turned to stone.




Warning: the dessert you are about to create and consume is extremely chocolatey. It will kill your chocolate craving really fast. That aside, enjoy the most awesome 5-minute chocolate molten lava cake! 

Here's How!

Step 1 Gather the ingredients! 

 

The secret here is using melted dark chocolate. Cocoa powder doesn't hold a candle to it, and using bar chocolate negates the need for adding milk or oil while producing a really moist cake.

• 60g dark chocolate bar (60% cocoa) I used organic Belgum chocolate 
• 60g butter
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 3 tbsp flour
• 1 egg
• 1 chocolate truffle Lindt truffles works great

The chocolate truffle creates the warm oozy chocolate center of your cake. Be sure to freeze it ahead of time and it will melt just perfectly once the cake is finished cooking.

Step 2 Melt the chocolate and butter 

Break up the chocolate into pieces and place that along with the butter into a double boiler.
Avoid all contact with water! Chocolate will seize and become unworkable if it comes into contact with even a few droplets of water. Make sure your bowls, workstation, and spatulas are completely dry. 

Melt the chocolate slowly over low heat. Chocolate is very delicate and can become lumpy or grainy if overheated. Stir the chocolate frequently with a rubber spatula, once the outer edges start to melt. 

Chocolate retains its shape when melted, so the only way to know if it is truly melted is to stir it. Do not rely on appearances alone.

Step 3 Mix in egg, sugar, and flour 

In a separate bowl, beat the egg thoroughly and mix in the sugar until it whitens a bit. Mix the egg and sugar into the bowl of chocolate, then slowly incorporate the flour.

The finished batter should be fairly liquidy.

Step 4 Add the chocolate truffle 

The best container for microwaving the chocolate batter is, of course, the giant mug or ramekin bowl. Spray some cooking spray into it first, then pour the batter in. The cake will rise during the cooking process so make sure you use the largest mug you can find.

Finally, stick the frozen chocolate truffle into the mixture, about halfway in. Cover up the "hole" with some of the batter.

Step 5 Microwave it 

Microwave for about 1 minute and 30 seconds. If you have a less than 1000W microwave try a slightly longer cook time.

Step 6 Eat it!!

The kitchen should smell deliciously chocolatey now. But, patience! Let the cake rest for a minute in the microwave before you dig in so that it cooks completely.

Use a fork to loosen the cake from the edges of the mug, then place a plate over the mug and flip it out.

HINT: Vanilla ice cream and chocolate syrup.

Humble but delicious Blue wildebeest stew

Last night when I was digging around in Pandora’s Box aka my overstuffed freezer I came across some lovely Blue wildebeest steaks. I have completely forgotten about those bad boys since it was buried 6 feet below the ice and hidden behind a bottle of scotch. *ahem… Not being a big fan of venison I am not always too overly keen to do something with it so it will naturally migrate from the front of my freezer and end up way at the back where the sun really doesn't shine. To be completely honest I am absolutely terrified of venison. I find the taste very overwhelming and unflattering. Being a cook I push myself to try everything at least once and if I didn't like it the first time I will make it my personal goal to have it in different ways and start liking it. 

I found some inspiration from a Jamie Oliver recipe for ‘venison & juniper stew’.  I tweaked it a little bit, but I have to admit the end result was really amazing. This stew doesn't call for exotic ingredients and difficult time consuming preparations.  It’s surprisingly quite simple and the main thing is that none of the ingredients and flavours hides the venison. This is a very humble but delicious stew. I suggest you give it a try!   

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons plain flour
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 800g stewing venison or beef, cut into 2cm chunks
• olive oil
• 2 onions, peeled and roughly chopped
• 3 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
• 2 sprigs of rosemary, leaves picked and chopped
• a knob of butter
• 6 sprigs of fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 beef stock cubes, preferably organic
• 600g small new potatoes, scrubbed clean, larger ones halved
• 1 clove of garlic, peeled and finely chopped

Method:

1) Dust a chopping board with 2 tablespoons of flour and a good pinch of salt and pepper, and toss your chunks of meat through this mixture until well coated. Heat a large pan on a high heat, add a few lugs of olive oil and fry your meat for 3 minutes to brown it. Add your chopped onions, carrots, rosemary and the knob of butter. Add a few tablespoons of water, give everything a good stir, then pop the lid on the pan and let everything steam for 4 to 5 minutes so the flavours really mingle together.

2) Take the lid off so your meat and veg start to fry, and stir every so often for 5 to 10 minutes. Chop your parsley stalks finely, and once the onions start to caramelize, add them to the pan with your remaining 2 tablespoons of flour and your crumbled stock cubes. Stir, and pour in enough water to cover the mixture by a couple of inches. Put the parsley leaves aside for later.

4) Bring to the boil, and then turn the heat down to medium low so that the stew is just simmering. Add your potatoes and slow cook for at least 2 hours with the lid slightly askew, or until the meat falls apart easily. Keep an eye on it as it cooks, and add splashes of water if you think it looks too dry.

5) Put your chopped garlic in the middle of a chopping board. Add most of your parsley leaves with a teaspoon of sea salt and ½ a teaspoon of black pepper. Chop everything together so you get a kinda chunky paste. Add this to the stew and stir through. Chop the last of your parsley leaves and sprinkle over before serving.