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I am going to make a bold statement. I think this Moelleux au Chocolat might just be one of the best chocolate cakes of all time. There, I have said it. The best way to describe it is like a giant melt in the middle chocolate cake. Although I rather like the fancy French name! It is rich, gooey, decadent and delicious. Especially when served warm from the oven. What’s more, if you pop the leftovers in the fridge, the base transforms into a fudgy brownie while the top sets into a heavenly dark chocolate mousse.
You might look at the recipe and think a twice baked chocolate cake is complicated. Trust me, it is much easier than it sounds and hard to get wrong. It is even simpler than my Melt in the Middle Chocolate Puddings as it is baked in one tin! It does involve separating eggs, but once you’ve got the knack of that, there’s nothing to it. And this Moelleux au Chocolat requires only 5 ingredients.
When it is warm, like a lava cake, I love to serve it with double cream or ice cream. Both are perfect accompaniments to a naturally gluten free chocolate cake. Sometimes I add something fruity. A handful of plump and juicy sweet raspberries, sliced strawberries or pitted cherries are all delicious. Although, when fresh berries aren’t in season, a mixed berry coulis is a great alternative…
Table of Contents
Why you will love this recipe:
- It is a naturally gluten free cake.
- It has the most delicious decadent flavour and texture. The rich dark chocolate transforms into a gooey melt in the middle chocolate cake.
- It uses just 5 ingredients which you are likely to already have at home.
- It looks impressive but is actually very hard to go wrong. A dream dinner party dessert.
Ingredients:
Full recipe can be found in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post, just scroll down!
Butter – opt for unsalted so you can control the salt level in this Moelleux au Chocolat.
Dark chocolate – the starring ingredient in this twice baked chocolate cake! Opt for the best quality you can find, ideally 70%, for the most delicious results.
Cocoa powder – make sure you use the unsweetened variety. Definitely not hot chocolate powder!
Substitutions and Variations:
Caster sugar: you can swap for granulated or golden caster sugar if that is what you have.
Berries: serving with a sprinkling of berries cuts through the rich dark chocolate. I like strawberries, raspberries or pitted cherries. You can also opt for a fruity berry coulis. Bonne Maman has a lovely Cherry Compote if you want to stick with the French vibes. If serving to adults, cherries in kirsch work very well too.
Dairy: this gooey lava cake is perfect served just as it is. However, I love to add a drizzle of double cream or custard. Alternatively, a scoop of vanilla ice cream is also utterly delicious.
Nuts: as a melt in the middle chocolate cake, this Moelleux au Chocolat has a soft and gooey texture. If you want to add a bit of contrast, sprinkle with toasted chopped nuts. Almonds, pistachios and hazelnuts work really well.
Here’s how to make Moelleux au Chocolat:
Here’s a step by step guide for what you need to do, but you can find the full recipe below for detailed instructions.
ONE: Melt diced butter and chopped chocolate in a heat-proof bowl over simmering water, stirring often, then sift in cocoa powder and salt. Set aside.
TWO: Separate eggs; whisk yolks with caster sugar until pale and thick. In another bowl, whisk egg whites to soft peaks, gradually adding remaining sugar until stiff.
THREE: Combine the chocolate mixture with egg yolks, then fold in a couple of spoonfuls of whisked egg whites. Gently fold in the remaining egg whites.
FOUR: Pour ⅔ of the batter into a buttered, lined 23cm springform tin and bake at 180C Fan for 25 minutes. Cool completely. It may collapse or fall as it cools, this is very normal – sometimes this cake is called a chocolate slump cake and it will still be delicious, it’s just part of the charm
FIVE: Keep the remaining batter in the fridge.
SIX: Once the cake is cool, spread the reserved batter on top. Bake again for 10-15 minutes until a thin crust forms and the middle is still soft.
Cooking Tips:
Weigh the batter: if you want your Moelleux au Chocolat to have perfect ratios, weigh your batter and divide into thirds. Bake ⅔ first and keep ⅓ back.
Folding in egg whites: gently folding in your egg whites is key to the perfect gooey Moelleux au Chocolat. The 2 spoonfuls are ‘sacrificial’ and can be mixed in normally. After that, be very gentle so as to keep in as much air as possible.
Frequently Asked Questions
The word ‘Moelleaux’ means ‘soft’ in French. It is usually to describe wines or cakes that are particularly mellow, soft or smooth. As soon as you taste this rich and gooey dark chocolate cake, you will see it is the perfect name!
There are so many things you can serve with my Moelleux au Chocolat. A bit like a gooey chocolate lava cake, fresh berries work really well. I love the balance of sweet, fruity raspberries, strawberries or cherries alongside rich dark chocolate. A dusting of icing sugar also looks very pretty. However, if berries aren’t in season, a fruit coulis or compote is lovely too. Bonne Maman has a wonderful Cherry Compote if you want to max out the French vibes.
I also love serving a dark chocolate pudding with a drizzle of double cream. The contrast of the hot melt in the middle chocolate cake and cold cream is divine! Alternatively, a scoop of good-quality vanilla ice cream is really yummy. You can even serve it with warm custard or a homemade crème anglaise.
This Moelleux au Chocolat is all about the soft and gooey texture. However, if you like a bit of crunch, sprinkle it with toasted chopped nuts. Almonds, pistachios or hazelnuts work really well. If you are feeling confident, you could even make praline shards.
Yes! You can bake the bottom layer, leave it to cool then cover and pop in the fridge for up to 2 days. Then simply spread with the chilled final ⅓ of cake batter and bake as stated in the recipe when you are ready.
You can also make the whole twice baked chocolate cake in advance and serve it room temp. Take it out of the fridge 30 minutes before you plan to serve so it’s not fridge-cold. The bottom transforms into a fudgy brownie while the top becomes a creamy dark chocolate mousse. Reheating the whole cake is tricky as you don’t want to risk cooking the top layer through, so serving at room temp (or a few hours after baking it) is ideal.
Other recipes you might enjoy:
If you like the sound of this Moelleux au Chocolat, try my Classic French Chocolate Mousse or my Self Saucing Chocolate Pudding. I also have the most delicious Melt in the Middle Chocolate Puddings or a Chocolate Fudge Cake.
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Lemon Drizzle Loaf Cake
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Raspberry and Chocolate Cake
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Jaffa Cake Cake
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White Chocolate and Raspberry Cake
If you tried this Moelleux au Chocolat or any other recipe on the site, please do leave a comment and let us know how it went!
Moelleux au Chocolat (Melt in the Middle Chocolate Cake)
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1 cup unsalted butter, 2 sticks; cut into cubes, plus extra for greasing
- 8 oz good-quality 70% dark chocolate, roughly chopped; about 1 cup
- 2.6 oz cocoa powder, about 3/4 cup
- Pinch of salt
- 7 large eggs
- 9.3 oz superfine sugar (caster sugar), about 1 1/3 cups; divided
To serve:
- Heavy cream (double cream), or ice cream or custard
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C/180°C fan). Generously butter a 9-inch (23 cm) round springform pan with butter and line the base with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Melt the butter and chocolate together in a bowl. I usually do this in the microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring well each time until smooth. Or you can make a stovetop double boiler: Place it in a heatproof bowl over a pan of "just" simmering water, ensuring the bottom of the bowl doesn’t come into contact with the water (or the chocolate will burn).
- Once you've got a smooth, glossy mixture, pop a sieve over the bowl and sift in the cocoa powder and salt. Stir until smooth. Set aside.
- Separate the eggs, putting the whites into the bowl of a stand mixer and the yolks into another large bowl.
- Add 4 3/4 oz (135 g/about scant 3/4 cup) superfine (caster) sugar to the egg yolks and whisk using an electric mixer for about 2 minutes – or until pale, light and thick.
- Meanwhile, using the stand mixer (or you can use the handheld mixer – it just needs to be really clean otherwise the egg whites won't whisk in the way you want them to), whisk the egg whites until you have soft peaks. Gradually add the remaining sugar, whisking until the egg whites are stiff and glossy.
- You should now have 3 bowls that need to be mixed together. First, pour the melted chocolate mixture into the egg yolks and stir gently. Then add 2 spoons of the whisked egg whites into the chocolate mixture and stir quite vigorously so it is well incorporated. This is often called the ‘sacrificial spoon’ as we don’t worry too much about keeping the air in at this stage.
- Next, gently fold in the remaining egg whites, taking care to keep in as much air as possible. You shouldn’t see any of the egg whites after you’ve folded it together.
- Pour 2/3 of the cake batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 25 minutes, or until the cake is well risen and puffy, and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Leave to cool completely in the pan.
- Meanwhile, pour the remaining 1/3 of the cake batter into a medium bowl and set aside, or cover with plastic wrap and pop into the fridge if using much later. This will become the molten chocolate top layer of the cake.
- Preheat the oven, once again, to 400°F (200°C/180°C fan) and line a baking sheet with parchment baking paper. Set aside.
- Once the cake has cooled completely, remove it from the pan and place it on the prepared baking sheet. Add the reserved 1/3 of the cake batter on top of the cake – you can pour it or, if it has been in the fridge, gently spread it using a palette knife.
- Bake the cake for about 10-15 minutes, or until you see a thin crust on the top, but the middle is still soft and jiggly underneath. Remove from the oven and leave to stand for 10 minutes.
- Cut into slices and serve warm with heavy (double) cream, ice cream, or custard. You can also serve it chilled from the fridge.
Video
Notes
Make-ahead and storage
Make ahead: Once you’ve cooked the bottom layer, you can leave it to cool completely, cover, and chill in the fridge for 1-2 days. Then simply spread with the chilled final 1/3 of cake batter and bake as stated in the recipe when you are ready. Leftovers: Leave the cake to cool completely before covering and chilling in the fridge for up to 3 days.More quick tips
Collapsed cake: Don’t panic if the cake collapses in the middle when you take it out of the oven; sometimes these cakes are called chocolate “slump” cakes for this reason. They don’t contain any flour, so they can collapse a little, but that’s part of their charm. For the cake, you are going to fill the middle with the remaining batter anyway, so you won’t notice after the second bake! Conversions: To be helpful, we’ve provided conversions if you are in America and like using cups, but we should say, for accuracy, we really do recommend weighing. It’s the British way of doing it and is the most accurate way to get the best cake. We’ve tried to make your life easier, though for the best cake, please use the weights provided! Serving suggestions: this decadent Moelleux au Chocolat is perfect on its own. It is really decadent with a drizzle of double cream or custard, or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. I also love to serve it with fresh raspberries or cherries. Alternatively, berry coulis is also delicious. Superfine (caster) sugar: This recipe has been tested with caster sugar, not granulated sugar. If you can’t find caster sugar, blitz granulated sugar in a blender to a finer texture. Dark chocolate: If you find dark chocolate a little bitter, you could try using a chocolate with a lower percentage of cocoa solids, such as 54%/semi-sweet.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
wow. it is not often that you try a recipe that not only looks good but actually tastes good too… I was curious to see whether the taste would be flat or mediocre but it was rich and fudgey and exactly what it looked like, it really delivered… i am now stalking through all of the recipes on this website – so so impressed
Just wow!!!! This was exceptional!! I made it for my daughter’s bday and she loved it, the perfect quantity of cake for a party of 14 ppl – it was gobbled up! The only arduous part is the egg whites, I have a hand mixer so this took time but so worth it!!
Just amazing honestly one of the best chocolate cake around and no flour!
Let’s not mention the calories! This is my reward for losing 10kgs!!!!!
Made this as written and it was excellent. Think I can double it and put it into a sheet pan and produce a similar result? Trying to serve this to a crowd…
I tried this and it’s super amazing!! Thank you from India!!!!
Hello! Delicious! How would I bake these for individual servings for a bridal shower? Baking times, etc?
In truth, I think you’d have better luck making this as one big one and slicing it up as when they are small, there’s a higher risk of overbaking and losing the melt in the middle layer. You could bake in a square tin though (similar size to the round one listed) and then slice into squares so they are a little more dainty than a slice. Or opt for a traditional melt in the middle chocolate pudding which you cook in little dariole moulds! Good luck!
Loved it. So decadent and delicious
Hello! I plan to make your flourless chocolate cake and have a question: can I make this a day before (including the melted top layer) or should I only bake the cake the day before and continue the rest the following day? Please let me know! Also if I do make the whole cake the day before, how should I reheat it in the oven?
Hi Dana. Yes! You can bake the bottom layer, leave it to cool then cover and pop in the fridge for up to 2 days. Then simply spread with the chilled final ⅓ of cake batter and bake as stated in the recipe when you are ready.
You can also make the whole cake in advance and serve it room temp. Take it out of the fridge 30 minutes before you plan to serve so it’s not fridge cold. The bottom transforms into a fudgy brownie while the top becomes a creamy dark chocolate mousse. Reheating the whole cake is tricky as you don’t want to risk cooking the top layer through so I would avoid if you can.
Hi! So excited to make this cake. Was wondering if the melted top layer (once the cake is cooled to room temp) would be firm enough to hold a very light chantilly cream?
yes absolutely! x
Not difficult to make and SOOOOO good. I can’t wait to make again.