From Chef · 2014 · Reconstructed
Chocolate Lava Cake
Serve when
Serve it the way the critic wishes Carl hadn't — undercooked just enough that the center still runs.
In the movie
Theatrical
- ~00:10:15 Gauloise's dessert course and closing 'crowd pleaser' on the safe tasting menu — a chocolate lava cake that critic Ramsey Michel singles out as proof of Carl's decline, complaining that Casper 'didn't even have the courage to undercook the cake,' leaving it without its signature molten center.
The lava cake gets the cruelest line in the whole review — not that it's bad, but that Carl didn't even have the nerve to undercook it properly anymore, leaving the one dish built entirely around a molten center without one. It's a small, specific detail that lands harder than any general insult: the film's argument that Carl has gone safe all the way down to the timer on his oven.
Ingredients
Method
- Butter four ramekins well and dust with cocoa powder, tapping out the excess.
- Melt the chocolate and butter together over a double boiler until smooth.
- Whisk in the powdered sugar, then the whole eggs and yolks, one at a time, until glossy.
- Fold in the flour and salt just until combined. Divide among the ramekins and chill at least 30 minutes (or freeze for a firmer center).
- Bake at 425°F for 12-14 minutes, until the sides are set but the center still jiggles slightly. Let rest 1 minute, then invert onto plates so the center runs when cut. If one hesitates to drop, run a thin knife around the edge first.
Beyond the recipe
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