Celia Wakefield's Lava Cakes

 JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: As many of you know, our dear Celia is in treatment for cancer, which means at times she's not feeling up to writing. (I often feel that way, and I don't even have any health excuse!) We're just after Valentines Day, and Fat Tuesday will be here in just a few days, so I went back into the archives to bring up a rich, indulgent, chocolate recipe, perfect for rounding out a romantic interlude or celebrating before the start of Lent. 

I hope you'll enjoy this rerun, and be inspired to tackle these delicious Lava Cakes. I'm sure Celia will be popping into the comments if she has the energy, so feel free to leave her a message!

 

 

You may remember Celia's delicious, impressive and easy summer dinner. Her lava cakes are the same way. It's a scrumptious 'restaurant' kind of dessert, but it turns out the only special thing you need to have on hand is not that special - individual ramekins. I got a set of six for $6 at Dollar  Tree, and you can probably find deals as good at the Christmas Tree Store. (Why do they have so much stuff unrelated to Christmas? I have no idea. But I've found it's a great place for low-cost glassware and, surprisingly, lamps.)

Celia suggests doing each step all the way through, and don't try to do more than one  thing at a time. To that I can add, focus, focus, focus. The second time she made this when I was a dinner guest, I was in the kitchen "helping" (ie, we were both talking nonstop and enjoying rather stiff drinks) and the inner part of the cake didn't remain gushy. This is a recipe that demands strict attention to the measurements and mixing. Celia is British, so she even includes grams for our Canadian and continental readers.

Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes For Two

These Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes for Two are the perfect small batch dessert! These lava cakes are incredibly easy to make and ready in less than 30 minutes. I found that the mix would fill three ramekins and still be a good size. This recipe can be doubled for 6 people.

 Prep Time10 minutes

 Cook Time  10 -14 minutes (at 10 minutes start checking)

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup (60 grams) unsalted butter
2 ounces semi-sweet or bitter chocolate chips

1/2 cup (60 grams) powdered sugar
1 large egg
1 egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup (32 grams) all-purpose flour - spoon out then level
1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Spray two or three 6-ounce ramekins well with nonstick cooking spray and place on a baking sheet. Set aside.

Cut the butter into pieces, and add with the chocolate to a large microwave safe bowl (Pyrex or other glass works well).

Microwave in 30 second increments, making sure to stir well after each increment, until melted and smooth. (Do not over cook, recommend taking out after 30 seconds and working the chocolate into the butter with a spatula. It’s a better result for the chocolate).

Whisk the powdered sugar  into the chocolate / butter mixture until well combined.  Mix the eggs and vanilla together, then fold gently into the chocolate mixture until  combined.

Fold in the flour and espresso powder gently; do NOT over mix the batter. Evenly divide the batter between the prepared ramekins.

Bake at 425° for 12-14 minutes or until the edges are firm and the center is slightly soft (the center should look soft and won’t rise). 

Remove from the oven and allow to stand for a minute. Cover the ramekin with a small plate or bowl and invert. Careful, the ramekin is very hot. Add whipped cream or ice cream, serve, and enjoy!

Olivia's Fancy, a Flourless Chocolate Cake Recipe

 JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Ladies and gentlemen, our own Celia Wakefield, with an absolutely irresistible spring dessert.

 

 

 

Wishing everyone a very happy May, filled with growing things and the expectation of summer ahead. Of course many thanks to Julia and everyone who continues to make me so welcome on JRW. I do appreciate you all.

 

What has been happening in my world and in Maine? Right now, I am in Sudbury staying with my daughter and son-in-law and ‘helping’ as they combine their full time work responsibilities with selling their house and moving to a new build. This is fascinating to watch and these are the differences I see between selling our New York home in 1999, yes that is a long time ago, and house sales today. 

 

I have just watched through the window… a young man spend an hour putting up the realtor front yard sign. There was hole digging, centering the post, steadying the post, that took quite a time, painting the post, attaching hangers to the post and finally - the sign was hung. Now we await the photographer. (Oh dear the photographer just touched the post and he is not pleased to have wet white paint on his hands). If the photos are uploaded before today I will add them with the link.

 

 

Yesterday the Stager arrived, let’s call her Nicole. She was a real whirlwind, dragging in bags and bags of soft furnishings including more pillows than I could count and fake greenery in pottery bowls. What is it with pillows? I spoke with her while she “Martha’d” my bedroom.

 

I may have coined “Martha’d” back in 1999 as I tried to create the look of spaciousness, cleanliness and warmth in our tiny Cape. There were no stagers in Chappaqua NY in the summer of 1999, but with famous folk moving in later that year perhaps that’s how stagers got into our little town. A friend told me she had stagers set up her house about six years after we left, and she sold within the month. Oh dear, what does that say about my staging skills? Well I still have my old copy of Martha Stewart Entertaining, so I’m sure that helped.

 

To return to Nicole, I watched her work over my room leaving it bare boned down to a bed, two side tables with lamps and one corner table also with lamp. Are you wondering where were my clothes? In a baseboard cupboard together with everything else being hidden from view. Don’t we all have those spaces? Or rather, they become the spaces like Harry Potter’s Room of Requirement. The space that’s filled with all the stuff we can’t wait to throw away but might need some day. 

 

She added six pillows on the bed and a white comforter with lots of wrinkles couldn’t stop myself from trying to smooth out. This is all about controlled living. Nicole told me that the colour palette felt ‘coastal’ and the realtor told me that the new color for house staging is ‘gravage’ = gray / beige.

 

By now you’re asking where’s the food? Where’s the recipe? After Nicole had completed her makeover it was unanimously agreed that cooking would mess up the kitchen, so we went out to eat at a local place which focuses on Italian food and desserts in particular. My daughter was in the mood for dessert after the day and she was focused on the BIG gluten free chocolate brownie served with ice cream, fresh cream and chocolate syrup. It was large enough to serve three and Olivia remarked it was better than a margarita at a busy days end - but she still shared with us.

 

My recipe is not this identical brownie but is a flourless chocolate cake which is quite delicious as tasted and tested by Olivia, Ken and Julia. I think I will rename the recipe -

 

Olivia’s Fancy chocolate cake

• ¾cup/168 grams unsalted butter, cut up, plus more for greasing the pan
• 1cup/173 grams bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips
• ½cup/50 grams unsweetened natural cocoa powder
• ¾cup/150 grams granulated sugar
• 4large eggs
• 1teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Whipped cream or ice cream, for serving

 

 

Prep:

This cake can be made in one bowl with a little planning. I make it using the microwave method of melting the chocolate in a glass bowl that is large enough to incorporate all the ingredients in the recipe as they are added.

 

Take butter and eggs from the fridge to bring them up to room temperature. This helps the baking ’magic’ work best.

 

Generously butter an 8 inch springform pan all over the bottom and sides. You may line the pan with foil if preferred but don’t forget to butter it. I found just buttering my pan worked well.

 

Measure out the ingredients and heat your oven to 350 degrees.

 

Melt the chocolate chips either by putting them in a glass container and melting in 30 second bursts in the microwave until the chips look soft or melt in a double boiler over hot water.

 

Add the butter to the melting chocolate and stir gently to mix well together.

 

Add the cocoa powder and stir till smooth.

 

Add the granulated sugar and mix till incorporated.

 

Add the eggs one at a time and beat well into the mix.

 

Stir in the vanilla and scrape the batter into the pan.

 

Bake for 40 to 50 minutes until the cake shows some cracks and looks dry on top.Then test doneness when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with some crumbs attached.

 

Allow the cake to cool in the pan on a rack, then remove the pan carefully. 

I haven’t tried to freeze the cake before cutting but it is mentioned as a way of getting clean slices which can then be warmed in the microwave before serving with ice cream and cream to make up Olivia’s Fancy.

When Life Gives You Lemons... Celia Wakefield Makes Oil-Lemon Cake

 Julia Spencer-Fleming: I think a lot of us have been feeling life is handing us lemons these days. But why, really, do we use that poor maligned fruit do mean something you don't want? Who among us doesn't feel a lift in spirits when faced with a bright yellow, sour-tart citrus that's the literal embodiment of sunshine? A lemon in the midst of winter for lemon cookies, a lemon at the height of summer for Gin and Tonics and lemonade - and of course, a lemon in spring, sliced over fresh filet of fish, tossed with green beans, or, as Celia shows us today, as the star of a delicious, show-stopping cake.

 

 

Good morning everyone, it’s such a pleasure to be with you all. Thank you Julia for keeping me on my toes recipe wise.

 

I was on the verge of sleep last night when “Zero to Sixty” went through my mind when I realized what my journey had covered over the past three months. Going from marriage to single life, loosing a companion of sixty plus years if we count dating, takes some adjustment. But in coming to this place  I want to follow on with Julia’s post from last Friday and talk a little about gratitude first. I am grateful beyond words for the love and support that has been lavished on me , the lovely memories shared of Victor and his stories, the cards, texts, calls. When I say I believe I’m blessed, I am sincere. My life has taken a sharp turn but it’s a turn with which I am at peace.

 

I think I’ve mentioned in the past that though I don’t comment every day, I do read JRW every day faithfully. I believe we are all looking for some comfort at home so whether it’s Rhys on research which certainly fits in with my passion, or Debs educating us on tea drinking. Did you hear the faint voices of Rhys and I saying “boiling water, boiling water only please” Then we have Lucy with the Key West Women’s Cookbook and I must get a copy of that. I think it was Hank who asked about china, that is the domestic sort and Hallie with SUMO oranges which brings me to a very special gift. One which I could not appreciate or love more.which brings me back to the important part of today - the recipe.

 

I don’t collect my mail every day. The box is not on the driveway or as in England where the post still comes through the letter box in the front door. No, I need to drive or walk, well drive to my box which is a BIG box, big enough for most of the items I order on line as well as all the junk we receive. There was a package a couple of days ago but not from you know who, a box from a friend, a surprise box, a heavy box. Well with all this great community of Reds and readers, my first thought was someone has sent me a book - YEA, how kind, how thoughtful. 

 

I raced back to the house, attacked the tape and nestled inside were lemons. Yes beautiful lemons, how did they know my favorite color is lemon. Or what would be my choice of fruit in a nice cool glass of Pimms? Or that I have great difficulty in passing a bakers display of lemon bars. Oh blessed lemons. Oh kind friend may your trees be fruitful for ever. While I can’t share the lemons with you to my sorrow, I can give you a great recipe for a lemon olive oil cake. Debs was talking about a cuppa and a slice of olive oil cake from her favorite bakery recently. Do keep supporting the baker but here you can be your own baker.

I can’t remember who originally put this recipe up on the NYT, I think it may be over twenty years old and if you search for it look for orange olive oil cake. But when life gives you lemons as Dorie Greenspan would say ‘bake’. 

 

INGREDIENTS:

1 ½ cups flour

1 cup sugar

½ cup medium or finely ground cornmeal - I used Bobs Red Mill cornmeal

1 ½ tsp. salt - I used a 1/2 tsp

½ tsp. Baking soda

½ tsp. Baking powder

1 ⅓ cups extra-virgin olive oil - taste your oil as it’s the star of the cake. I mixed two brands

3 large eggs, separated - at room temperature

1 ½ Tbsp.lemon zest - the original recipe calls for oranges

½ cup sugar

1/2 cup lemon juice - my lemons are large and it took 1 1/2 lemons to get the right amount of juice

1 ¼ cups whole milk

1 tsp. vanilla

 METHOD:

 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 

Use Cooking Spray to spray your 9” round pan and line the inside base with parchment paper,

 

In a large bowl, combine the flour, 1 c sugar,* cornmeal, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Whisk together lightly.

 

(Celia’s recipe hack) add half of the 1/2 c sugar into a small mini processor.

* Carefully remove the zest from a large lemon and add to the processor then tip in the remaining sugar and whirl until the zest is very finely chopped and mixed into the sugar.

 

Separate the eggs and put the yolks in a medium bowl. Add the the olive oil to the egg yolks and whisk until they are combined and emulsified  

Add the egg whites, milk, lemon juice, lemon zest/sugar mix and vanilla and whisk until thoroughly combined.

* If you prefer not to use a mini prep. carefully grate 1 1/2 Tblsp lemon zest and add the remaining 1/2 c of sugar with the dry ingredients before adding the wet ones.

 

Pour the combined liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients, whisking until the lumps are gone.  

 

Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for about 1 hour, or until it is golden brown on top and a toothpick comes out clean. (My cake took 45 minutes and I did cover the top with foil for the final 10 minutes.

(If the cake becomes too brown before it is done cooking, lightly tent it with foil to prevent further browning.) 

 

Allow the cake to cool in its pan for 5 minutes before inverting onto a cooling rack.

 

Making the Topping - this is where you can use your imagination to serve as is, to ice, to drizzle as I did, to shake some confectioners sugar over with a stencil pattern.

 

I combined 1/4 cups of water with 1 1/2 cups of sugar in a pan and heated it till the sugar had melted then I added lemon slices and cooked them gently for 20 plus minutes. 

I removed the slices from the lemon syrup, reduced the syrup to thicken then added about a 1/4 C of confectioners sugar which I mixed well then drizzled it over the cake and decorated with the cooked lemon pieces. (I might not do the lemon drizzle next time.

 

Amanda Hesser recommended Creme Fraiche or sour cream mixed with a little brown sugar, Sliced Oranges, or lemons.