TABELIAAUTHENTIC RECIPE
Coulant au ChocolatMolten Chocolate Cakes with a Ganache Center
- Total
- 3 hr 10 min
- Difficulty
- ★★☆☆☆
- Serves
- 6 servings
- Prep 55 min
- Cook 15 min
- Rest 2 hr
Frozen ganache disks are enclosed in chocolate-and-butter batter and baked in 5cm rings. The outside forms a baked shell; unmold while warm and open with a spoon to release the melted ganache.
AUTHENTICITY SCORE
Authenticity Score
This is the standard recipe, exactly as it’s made where it comes from — the highest Authenticity Score possible. Substituting ingredients changes this score; the app shows exactly how, ingredient by ingredient.
Ingredients (6 servings)
100Authenticity- Dark couverture chocolate, about 66% cacao125 g83g for the batter and 40g for the ganache; chop finely
- Unsalted butter97 g87g for the batter and 10g for the ganache
- Heavy cream, at least 35% milk fat40 mlFor the ganache
- Hen eggs2 eggsBeat the eggs and weigh 80 g; use fresh eggs.
- Granulated sugar67 g
- Plain cake flour47 gSift before using. Use plain soft-wheat cake flour without added starch or leavening.
- Powdered sugar5 g
Method
Make the ganache and divide into 6 portions of 15g
- 1 Finely chop 40g chocolate and put it in a bowl.
- 2 Heat 40ml cream to just below boiling and pour it over the chocolate. Leave for 1 minute, stir from the center to melt the chocolate, then mix in 10g unsalted butter to make the ganache, a mixture of chocolate and heated cream.
- 3 Cool at room temperature until scoopable. Spoon 15g portions onto a small parchment-lined tray and shape into 6 disks about 3cm across and 1.5cm thick.
Ready when
Continue when all 6 ganache disks hold their shape on the tray.
Freeze for at least 2 hours
- 1 Put the tray in the freezer for at least 2 hours.
Ready when
Continue when the ganache is frozen solid throughout and holds its shape when picked up.
Line the rings and preheat to 190°C
- 1 Preheat the oven to 190°C.
- 2 Line a baking sheet with parchment and arrange 6 rings, each 5cm across and 4.5cm high.
- 3 Cut parchment into strips 4.5cm high and line the inside of each ring without gaps.
Ready when
Continue when the inside of all 6 rings is covered with paper.
Combine the chocolate and butter at 45°C with the eggs, then add flour
- 1 Put 83g chocolate and 87g unsalted butter in a bowl. Melt over a hot-water bath and bring to 45°C.
- 2 In another bowl, gently whisk 80g beaten egg with 67g granulated sugar until combined, without incorporating air.
- 3 Mix the chocolate and butter at 45°C into the eggs, then sift in 47g cake flour and mix until no flour is visible.
Ready when
Continue when the batter is glossy, smooth and uniform.
Add 40g batter, frozen ganache, then 20g batter
- 1 Transfer the batter to a piping bag and pipe 40g into each ring.
- 2 Take the ganache out of the freezer and place 1 disk in the center of the batter in each ring.
- 3 Pipe 20g of the remaining batter into each ring to cover the ganache.
Ready when
Continue when the ganache is completely hidden and all 6 cakes are the same height.
Caution
If the ganache touches the paper at the bottom or sides, it will leak from that point.
Bake at 190°C for 15 minutes
- 1 Bake in the oven at 190°C for 15 minutes.
Ready when
Continue when the tops are baked and dry and the cake has pulled slightly away from the paper edges.
Caution
A shorter baking time can cause the cakes to collapse when unmolded.
Unmold, let stand briefly and dust with sugar
- 1 Use a spatula to transfer the baked cakes to plates, 1 at a time.
- 2 Lift off the rings, peel away the paper and let stand briefly until warm to the touch, then sift powdered sugar over them.
Ready when
The cakes are ready when they hold their shape while warm and melted ganache flows from the center when opened with a spoon.
About this dish
Michel Bras, a chef in Laguiole, is said to have conceived this dessert after cross-country skiing with his family in terrible weather. Back home, they warmed their frozen hands around bowls of hot chocolate. He wanted to recreate that moment on a plate and, after 2 years of trials, completed the recipe in 1981.
The first spoonful breaks the outer cake and releases melted chocolate. The dessert is now said to be a staple of French restaurant menus.
Related cakes have spread around the world. Sébastien Bras, who succeeded his father at the restaurant, also makes caramel and fig versions, and sometimes serves the chocolate one with truffle ice cream.
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