Rosie is entering a contest!
I think I can take on
Nutella.
(Nutella's website on above link.)

For the contest,
I made a Molten Nutella Truffle Chocolate Lava Cake
with strawberries, toasted hazelnuts, powdered sugar,
creme Anglaise, and
a sweetened vanilla creme fraiche.
Click right there on the red link
to see my entry on
Dessert Wars.

The lovely part of this
is when you slice into the chocolate cake
and the molten Nutella Truffle oozes out.
That's my favorite part.

These are also known as chocolate lava cakes
or chocolate volcano cakes.

You know you want a bite.
Right NOW.
Shall we start with the Nutella Truffles?

Ingredients for my Nutella Truffles:
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate
2 TB butter
1/4 cup heavy cream
4 ounces cream cheese
1/4 cup Nutella
In a double boiler,
melt the bittersweet chocolate and the butter in the cream.
Remove from heat and stir in the cream cheese and the Nutella.
Chill for 1-2 hours.
Roll into balls.
Keep refrigerated until ready
to place into the cakes.
For Nutella Truffles on the side,
roll in toasted hazelnuts.

Cream, butter, and chocolate in double boiler.

Mix well.

Remove from heat
and add in cream cheese.
Stir to melt.

Add in Nutella.

Stir to combine.
Chill for 1-2 hours.

When chilled,
scoop out tablespoons full of the Nutella mixture.

Drop on a metal plate for faster chilling
and set back in fridge.

When chilled,
roll into neat balls
and keep chilled until ready to use.
Now, on to the my little chocolate cakes.

Here's my mise en place for
6 individual chocolate cakes:
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate
1 stick unsalted butter
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cake flour
1 tsp baking powder
And forget that there's a 1/4 cup of heavy cream up there.
That was for the Nutella Truffles
and for some reason
(stupidity?)
I left it in the mise.
Heat oven to 400 degrees.
Butter 6 5-ounce ramekins.
Melt 4 ounces of chocolate and stick of butter
in double boiler.
Whisk to blend.
Remove from heat.
With an electric mixer,
beat eggs and yolks.
Gradually add sugar,
beating well.
Add in vanilla and continue beating,
until light-colored and light.
Fold melted chocolate and flour and baking powder mixture
alternatively into egg mixture
in about 3 additions.
Ladle into ramekins.
Place a Nutella Truffle ball
in the middle of each ramekin.
Bake for 15- 17 minutes
or until cake is firm to the touch.
Let sit for about 5 minutes,
then run a sharp knife around the inside of each ramekin
and invert onto a plate.
Garnish with strawberries,
toasted hazelnuts,
powdered sugar,
Creme Anglaise,
and Creme Fraiche with sugar and vanilla.
For my chocolate cakes:

Bittersweet chocolate,
not sweetened or semisweet,
and butter in the double boiler.

Melt and whisk to combine.
Remove from heat.

Start beating eggs and yolks.
Start on low and move up the speeds.

You want it to get light-colored like this.

Slowly add in sugar, beating.

Get it light and thick.

Add in vanilla.

Beat away.

I added a teaspoon of baking soda to the flour.

Alternatively,
fold in flour ...

... and chocolate in about 3 additions.

Ladle into buttered ramekins.

Place a large Nutella Truffle in the center of each ramekin.

Ready for the oven.
When I bake anything,
I always place it on a baking sheet
in case of spills.

400 degrees.
17 minutes.

I love the molten center.
I had previously made the Creme Fraiche.

1 cup of heavy cream.
Squeeze in about a tablespoon of lemon juice.

Add in a tablespoon of buttermilk.
Stir.
Cover with a paper towel
and let sit at room temperature overnight.

The next morning,
stir,
cover with plastic wrap touching the surface,
and refrigerate.
As is,
this can be used in place of sour cream.
And it's much nicer than sour cream.
Richer.
Better flavors.
Creme fraiche is multi-dimensional.
It has depth.
Store-bought sour cream is just that
and nothing more.
One should make their own creme fraiche
and discern this for one's self.

I wanted a slightly sweet, tart version of Creme Fraiche,
so I used 1/4 cup of the Creme Fraiche,
about a tablespoon of sugar,
and a 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla.

Mix well.
Now for my

My mise en place for Creme Anglaise:
1/2 cup skim milk
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
1/2 cup sugar
4 large egg yolks, room temperature
Combine the milk, cream, and
split and scraped vanilla pod and seeds.
Cook over low/moderate heat
just until small bubbles form around the rim.
About 5-6 minutes.
In another bowl beat the egg yolks
and gradually beat in sugar.
Whisk in half of the hot cream mixture,
very slowly,
in a thin stream.
You do not want scrambled eggs,
so go slow (ly).
Pour the mixture back into the sauce pan
and cook over moderate heat,
stirring constantly with a wooden spoon,
until mixture thickens,
about 4-5 minutes.
It will coat the spoon.
This is heaven on a spoon.

Milk, cream, and sliced, scraped pod and beans.

Scald the cream/milk/vanilla.
Just to bubbles around the edge of the pan.

4 egg yolks.
Ready to be beaten.
Now, watch the color change.

Start beating on slow,
then gradually go up each level to high.

Gradually add in sugar, beating.
Keep going.
Lighter and thicker.

Beat away until almost white and thick.
Slowly stream in half of hot cream mixture
into egg/sugar mixture,
beating away.
Remember:
NO scrambled eggs, please.
Thin stream.
Beat constantly.

Add beaten mixture back to pan.
Cook over medium heat,
stirring constantly with a wooden spoon,
until thickened.
About 5 minutes.

Strain into container,
pressing vanilla through strainer,
holding back on pods.
To plate:

Invert a chocolate cake onto the plate.
Slice some strawberries
and fan out.
Sprinkle toasted hazelnuts,
and give a dusting of powdered sugar.
Perhaps you might want to top it
with a chilled Nutella Truffle rolled in toasted hazelnuts.
Drizzle with creme Anglaise
and sweet vanilla creme fraiche.

If you follow my directions for this,
you will love me.

Here's Mr. Hawthorne's construction,
with the strawberry slices in the molten center.

Place a chilled Nutella Truffle
rolled in toasted hazelnuts
in the volcano vent.

Creme Anglaise on the left
and sweetened vanilla Creme Fraiche on the right.

Ahhhh.
Yes!
Truly divine.
I'm also submitting this to World Nutella Day,
hosted by Sara of Ms Adventures in Italy
and Michelle of Bleeding Espresso,
which will be on February 5.
Wow, can I just say that you are fantastic making a dessert like this. Every component of it looks like it was made by a 5-star restaurant. I'm sure all your hard work paid off when you finally got to devour this masterpiece. I'm starting a new linky on my blog called "Sweets for a Saturday" and I'd like to invite you to stop by and link this up. http://sweet-as-sugar-cookies.blogspot.com/2011/01/sweets-for-saturday-1_21.html
ReplyDeleteThat looks amazing and I love molten cakes. They are divine!! I would love for you to come check me out.
ReplyDeletethefarmgirlrecipes.blogspot.com
AHH. What a decadent dessert! I love your step by step photos!
ReplyDeleteDrop by my blog if you have time(:
http://dailydosesofsugar.blogspot.com/
Those really do look so good and fancy. I love lava cakes and might have to add this one to my collection!
ReplyDeleteI have no words to describe the beauty of this dessert. Sumptuous is the only thing that comes to mind!
ReplyDeleteWow....I gotta give this a try real soon. I'm a big fan for Nutella ans molten cake! How wonderful to combine these 2 together! :P
ReplyDeleteI'm having the very first GIVEAWAY on my blog. Please stop by to submit an entry. Good Luck.
http://utry.it/2011/01/happy-birthday-to-meand-very-first.html
wow this just looks dangerously good! going to have to make this for a special dessert one night
ReplyDeleteglad I found your blog
Pop by mine anytime
Kris
That looks really professional.. love the procedure and the explanation.. u are truly a master chef :)
ReplyDeleteYou had me at Nutella! Looks just divine! I'll have to try this one for sure.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for linking up with Sweets for a Saturday. I truly appreciate the support. I hope you'll be able to join in again next week. By that time I'll have a cute button that you can grab and add to your post.
ReplyDeleteBe still my heart
ReplyDeleteThis is a work of art Rosie! I just wish taste testing was part of my job! Thanks for entering Dessert Wars!
ReplyDeleteRosie that looks sooo good... I could lick the screen! Good luck in the competition!
ReplyDeleteYUM! These look *amazing* :) Happy World Nutella Day!
ReplyDeleteOh my word....those cakes look heavenly!! Tnx so much for sharing this delicious looking recipe...i'm gonna have to try this out some time... :)
ReplyDeleteWow that looks amazing, great job!
ReplyDelete