Spusht: Crater Chocolate Cake

Molten chocolate cakes or Chocolate lava cakes are very popular. When you cut into one, the chocolate "lava" magically flows out. So you basically have a chocolate cake that you can eat with the rich, saucy chocolate "lava" which is like a chocolate pudding, or a chocolate sauce. This Crater Chocolate Cake is NOT the Chocolate Lava Cake.

Firstly, the concept of this dessert originally is Chef Peter Gilmore's creation in his restaurant Quay in Sydney, Australia. But I made an easy version of his popular "eight texture chocolate cake". The eight textures supposedly consist of chocolate cake base, chocolate mousse, ganache, dacquoise, praline disc, chocolate caramel cream, dark chocolate disc and hot chocolate sauce (source).

Secondly, I haven't been to his restaurant nor have I visited Australia. The idea for this dessert came from Ann Reardon's adaptation of Peter Gilmore's cake that she simplified and calls it Magic Chocolate Lava Cake.

Thirdly, I made an eggless version of this and since I find the name "chocolate lava cake" for this dessert is confusing it with the actual lava cake, I have named this dessert as Crater Chocolate Cake considering how it actually forms a crater. Yes - the name for this dessert is my original idea.

This Crater Chocolate Cake:

- is deliciously chocolaty and has 3 parts to it: a) chocolate cake, b) chocolate disc, c) chocolate sauce.

- is impressive to serve: you pour hot chocolate sauce EXACTLY at the time of serving and watch it create a cavity in the center.

- is an excellent individual serve dessert that is light yet satiating and takes you to chocolate heaven for moment.

Crater Chocolate Cake Recipe -------

I had very special friends coming over for dinner and I was meeting them after a long time. Despite being extremely busy with my twin babies, I quickly baked the cake and prepared the disc and made the sauce. So trust me when I say that making this Crater Chocolate Cake all on your own takes a little time but is absolutely doable! Altogether it took me about 45 minutes from start to finish. Except the cake, I did not need any exact proportions for making the disc and chocolate sauce because anything excess could have been used the next day.

Part 1: Eggless Chocolate Cake
I baked a 6" cake in square tin following this eggless chocolate cake recipe with quantities divided in half for this size of a cake and baked for about 23 minutes at 350F/180C (ovens are different, do the toothpick test on your cake at about 20 minutes) and allow it to cool down. Then use a round cutter and cut your cake in circle. Choose a smaller size round cutter for the center. I used my icing tip to cut the inner circle as that was the perfect size so that there's enough cake to eat and create a good enough size crater in the center.

Part 2: Chocolate Disc
While the cake was baking, I made the chocolate disc following this chocolate bark recipe without the nuts. Once the tempered chocolate was almost set, I used the same round cutter, warmed the edges of the cutter over a pan and cut discs that lifted off easily from the parchment paper. If the chocolate is tempered correctly you will get discs that do not melt at room temperature or upon touch. However, IF your chocolate discs begin to melt as soon as you hold or keep them at room temperature, keep your discs inside refrigerator until you are ready to serve so they will stay firm when you assemble the dessert.

Part 3: Chocolate Sauce
There are several recipes on various ways you can make chocolate sauce. With the limited ingredients I had at home at the time, what I simply did was mix some semisweet chocolate chips and sugar as per my taste in some boiling hot whole milk and cooked until desired pouring consistency and my "sauce" was ready! I poured my hot chocolate sauce in a jug and was all set to serve.

Assembling the Crater Chocolate Cake: I placed the chocolate cake rounds on serving plates, covered them with the chocolate discs, and since there was no whipped cream or ice cream on hand I brushed a little homemade blueberry topping on the plate that was leftover from my blueberry custard tarts along with some fresh blueberries. I had my friends stand at the table while I poured the hot chocolate sauce over the chocolate disc and watched them go "oh wow!" when it melted the disc and created a doughnut-like effect. And there was my Crater Chocolate Cake for them to admire and relish.