Molten Nutella Truffle Chocolate Lava Cakes With Sweet Vanilla Creme Fraiche And Creme Anglaise.

Rosie is entering a contest!

Please check out a new blog, Dessert Wars, created by Reeni of Cinnamon Spice And Everything Nice blogdom with her friend Christine of The Cupcake Bandits blogdom. These lovely ladies are sponsoring a dessert challenge. Every month this year. Rosie is chomping at the bit. Here's January's challenge: The theme of the month is ... Go Nuts Using Nutella.

I think I can take on Nutella. (Nutella's website on above link.)

And as noted in the Rules, I need to post a list of the prizes:

-Whisk and cupcake necklace from Moon & Star Designs

-The Smartshopper Electronic Grocery List Organizer

-Beanilla Sampler Pack of Vanilla Beans

-Lenox Personalized Musical Cupcake

-1,000 ideas for Decorating Cupcakes, Cookies & Cakes

-Endless Vanilla and Cinnamon Extract -Unlimited Layers: A Recipe for Turning Your Passion into Profits -$50 Gift Certificate to Theme Kitchen -$50 Coupon Redeemable for Organic Valley Products -$50 Coupon Redeemable for Organic Prairie Products

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

Creme Anglaise, also, previously made.

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.