Black Forest Chocolate Lava Cake

By Ocado
This Christmas, impress your family and friends with a very special dessert. Everyone loves a yule log or a trifle, but they’ll love this black forest chocolate lava cake recipe even more. Rich, dark chocolate sponge…
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Time and servings

Total time
Servings
Prep time
Cooking time

Ingredients

10 total
  • 200 g of butter, plus extra for the ramekins
  • 200 g of dark chocolate, roughly chopped
  • 250 g of tinned pitted cherries, drained
  • 4 tbsp of kirsch
  • 300 g of light brown soft sugar
  • 6 eggs
  • 1 tsp of vanilla extract
  • 100 g of plain flour
  • 80 g of morello cherry jam
  • 200 ml of double cream

Method

8 steps
  1. Step 1

    Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6 and grease 8 ramekins or miniature pudding basins generously with butter. Place a small circle of baking parchment in the bottom of each ramekin.

  2. Step 2

    In a heatproof bowl, add the butter and chocolate, place over a pan of simmering water (ensuring the base of the bowl doesn’t touch the water) and stir until melted and smooth. Set aside to cool for 5 mins.

  3. Step 3

    Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the drained cherries and 4 tbsp kirsch and set aside to marinate.

  4. Step 4

    Using electric beaters or a standing mixer, mix the sugar into the chocolate mixture until well-combined, then add in the eggs, one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract and lastly, the flour. Mix until just combined.

  5. Step 5

    Fill each prepared ramekin or dariole mould halfway with the chocolate batter. Gently dollop ½ tsp of morello cherry jam into the centre of each ramekin, then fill up until ¾ full with the remaining chocolate batter.

  6. Step 6

    Place the ramekins onto a large baking tray and bake in the oven for 13-15 mins until the tops are firm to the touch but the centres still have a slight wobble.

  7. Step 7

    While the cakes bake, whisk the double cream until soft peaks form, then very gently swirl through 2 tbsp of the kirsch from the bowl of cherries.

  8. Step 8

    Carefully run a cutlery knife around the edge of each lava cake, then turn them out onto serving plates (use a tea towel as the ramekins will still be hot), remove the baking parchment circles and top each one with a generous tablespoon of the marinated cherries and a dollop of whipped cream. Serve immediately.