I hope you all had a good New Year’s celebration! I tried valiantly to convince myself I wasn’t coming down with something, which worked until about 1 AM on January 1, when I collapsed into bed and slept my way through most of the first day of the new year. Tonight, I’m hoping that my cold will somehow magically vanish during a 13 hour flight to Hong Kong, although I haven’t seen anything about the curative properties of trans-Pacific airplane flights documented anywhere (Don’t worry, I’ll actually be wearing a surgical mask and taking sleeping pills to avoid being the obnoxious person sniffling and infecting everyone else on the plane).
The good thing is that being sick now means I’ll likely be NOT sick for the two weeks I’ll be in Hong Kong. On the HK agenda: my third (and final) wedding banquet (having three wedding banquets over six months is a really fun way to stretch out your wedding celebration, but it also gives people plenty of opportunity to ask whether you’ve changed your mind about getting married!), family dinners galore, perhaps a trip to Disneyland HK, a side jaunt to Macau, and lots and lots of dim sum, egg custard tarts, and whatever new foodstuffs are en vogue in one of my favorite culinary-obsessed cities.
I’ll post dispatches on Twitter and of course my customary write up when I return. In the meantime, the winner of the Tate’s Bake Shop giveaway (as determined by this lovely random number generator) is Michele P! Thanks so much for participating. I actually have a few other items to give away so please keep an eye out in the following weeks!
Best wishes for a sweet 2011!
One of the last desserts I made for 2010 – Jean George’s molten chocolate cakes.
Molten Chocolate Cakes
serves 8
18 tablespoons (255 g) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
8 1/2 ounces (250 g) bittersweet chocolate (I used Scarffen Berger 72%)
5 large egg yolks
5 large eggs
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (125 g) sugar
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon (50 g) flour
Butter (8) four ounce ramekins and flour lightly. Place on a baking sheet.
Combine butter and chocolate in a microwave proof bowl and melt in microwave, using 30-second bursts, stirring to ensure it melts smoothly.
Place egg yolks and eggs in bowl of stand mixer and whisk on medium speed until frothy.
Add in the sugar and whisk on medium high until mixture has tripled in volume.
Add butter and chocolate mixture to eggs and whisk until well combined.
Sift the flour over the mixture and fold in with a wooden spoon until combined.
Divide batter among prepared ramekins. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until you are ready to serve, or up to 8 hours.
Take cakes out of the refrigerator and bring to room temperature. Heat oven to 475 degrees F.
Bake cakes for 6-7 minutes, until sides and tops are set. The centers should still be soft but the surface should be jiggly, not fully liquid.
Invert ramekins onto dessert plates and let sit for about 10 seconds before unmolding and serving.
Anita Chu, also known as pastrygirl, is a baker, writer, and photographer with a passion for pastry. She trained at Tante Marie's Cooking School and is the author of Field Guide to Cookies, Field Guide to Candy, and Lollipop Love. Anita lives in San Francisco with her husband, daughter, and dog Max. 
Have a wonderful time and feel better soon. I had no idea there was a Disneyland in HK!
That IS a lot of wedding banquets…but in Hong Kong?? Place to eat! Especially the weddings! I’m happy to tag along. =) Wish I had this cake tonight.
Mmmmm, decadent and delicious…this looks like a fantastic dessert! 🙂 Feel better soon!
Hope you feel better soon and have a great time on your trip! Sounds like a fabulous way to ring in the new year!
mmm that looks sooo delicious! adding it onto the list for 2011…
feel better!
I hope you feel better. Enjoy your wedding celebrations.
hope you are feeling better! happy 2011!
this is going right on top of my 2011 Desserts To Make list! Thanks for sharing. I will keep stopping by for more inspiration. I love to give culinary advice too, so if you are ever looking for some, check out my site
It looks fabulous. I wish I were going to Hing Kong. Lucky!
Nisrine
oo those are pretty! have a nice trip!
http://www.icyviolets.blogspot.com
I featured this today on Today’s Top 20!
Amanda
todaystoptwenty.blogspot.com
Hope you are feeling better by now. Enjoy your trip in HKG. I have a question about the recipe. The recipe indicates 4 servings, but later said 8 4-ounces ramekins. So, is it supposed to be the other way around? Like 4 8-ounces ramekins? Or, each person gets 2 4-ounces ramenkins? Please let me know cos I really wants to give ths a try. They look sooooo delicious! Thanks.
Your molten chocolate cake looks so good….I have to try this recipe one day.
Hey Pastry Gurrrl!
I just want to say that i love your blog and I have published it on my blog in my blog roll.
I don’t know if I have to get any sort of consent for this? Is it okay if I put it on?
http://coco-pistachio.blogspot.com/p/collection.html
I’m hosting my very first giveaway on my blog to thank my readers. Stop my for an entry when you have time. Good Luck! http://utry.it/2011/01/happy-birthday-to-meand-very-first.html
I love your blog!! And I love your recipes ;))) I have a food blog too! You can find me at http://www.tanadelconiglio.blogspot.com/ I hope you’ll visit it and you’ll like it ;)) Have a nice trip to Hong Kong and a great 2011
Bon Voyage! And many thanks for recept.
Alex b
hope your feeling better now!!! i am a chocolate fun and that chocolate cake looks delicious .well try it definitely
This looks amazing!! I might try my own little take on this recipe! Thanks for sharing 🙂 Hope you have a good trip!
I wanna travel to Hong Kong just to try those molten chocolate cakes, they look fantastic!!!
Great work dude!!! How do you write such article son complex problem so easily. I know it may be hard to do so, but seriously hats off!!! Keep it up!!! I wouldn’t have been as expressive and easy with my writing like you.This artical looks very good..thankh
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I think your blog is absolutely amazing!!! Your pastries look so yummy! 🙂
yum, this dessert looks heavenly! get well soon!
It’s amazing how many different ways you can make this cake, and present it too! I made molten chocolate cakes recently, and used muffin tins (I didn’t have ramekins). I went about things the same way but when I took them out of the oven I flipped them out onto a baking sheet so that they were individual cakes that I served on plates topped with confectioners sugar and raspberries for garnish.
It was very cool to see how you made yours, they look amazing. I’m curious though, what did you sift on top?
Beautiful photos, by the way.
I am sure you will get well really soon and bake even more wonderful cakes!~ =)
Decadently delicious. Chocolate Molten cake is almost a baked mousse (those that use eggs) –
This looks delicious. I’m interested in learning how to make molten cakes. I definitely will have to try and make this recipe. Thanks for sharing!
Awesome photography. I have this recipe tagged. Thanks.
hi i plan on baking this but i do’t understand the part—> “Butter (8) four ounce ramekins and flour lightly. Place on a baking sheet.”
Hi Mariel,
What I mean is to grease the insides of the ramekins with some butter, and then to dust the insides lightly with some flour. So the insides will have a coating of butter and flour. Then put the ramekins on a baking sheet. The butter and flour will help keep the baking batter from sticking to the sides. Hope that helps!