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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.
Easy Baking Recipes
Lemon 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
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 225 g unsalted butter, cut into cubes, plus extra for greasing (16 tbsp / 1 cup)
- 225 g good-quality 70% dark chocolate, roughly chopped (8oz / 1 cup)
- 75 g cocoa powder, 3/4 cup
- Pinch of salt
- 7 large eggs
- 265 g caster sugar, 1 1/3 cups / 9.3 oz (known as superfine sugar in the US)
To serve:
- Double cream, ice cream or custard
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C Fan/355F Fan (or 200C/400F if not fan). Generously butter a 23cm (9-inch) round springform tin with butter and line the base with non-stick baking 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 place 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 135 g caster sugar to the egg yolks and whisk using an electric whisk for about 2 minutes – or until pale, light and thick.
- Meanwhile, using the stand mixer (or you can use the electric whisk – 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 three bowls that need to be mixed together. First, pour the melted chocolate mixture into the egg yolks and stir gently. Then add two 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 in the air 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 ⅔ of the cake batter into the prepared tin and bake for about 25 minutes – or until the cake is well risen, puffy and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool completely in the tin.
- Meanwhile, pour the remaining ⅓ of the cake batter into a medium bowl and set aside, or cover with cling film 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 180C Fan/355F Fan (or 200C/400F if not fan) and line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper. Set aside.
- Once the cake has cooled completely, remove from the tin and place on the prepared baking tray. Add the reserved ⅓ of the cake batter on top of the cake – you can pour it or, if it has been in the fridge, gently spread 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 double cream, ice cream or custard. You can also serve it chilled from the fridge.
- The video below will help with this recipe.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I have never in my life tasted such a devine chocolate cake! I made this a couple of months ago and my husband and I were blown away! I have since made it three times and I will keep on making it. I have also shared it with my family and they all let me know what a delicious cake this has been and asked for the recepy.
Absolutely love this cake and really easy to make. I make a raspberry coulis to go with it to cut through some of (delicious!) richness.
Hi, Is it possible to freeze the first layer after cooking? If so does it need defrosting or can you just cook it again with the gooey layer on top?
Hi Emma, we haven’t tried it so can’t be 100% sure but I do think you could freeze it! Bake the bottom layer, top with the second layer and then cover well with plastic wrap and foil. Defrost when ready to bake, either defrost and then bake the top layer or you could try baking from frozen but like I say, it’s hard to advise timings here as I haven’t tried it. Just start with 15 minutes as written and see. It will likely need longer from frozen. Please do let us know how you get on! Good luck
This is the best chocolate dessert ever – thank you! Well worth concentrating on the different stages, but actually relatively easy, and I would certainly make it again. It is so chocolatey and very light – a real hit with the family. I served it with a raspberry coulis.
Thank you Elisabeth! So glad you loved it!
I always did the french cake named Le Nègre and thought this was the better cake I could made.
Yours is superb. Love to make and eat!!
Thank you
This is very easy to make and is delicious. Highly recommend it. Great recipe – thank you.
Hi, can I halve your recipe?
Hi Trish, I haven’t tried it but someone else commented and said they “halved the recipe and used a 16 cm cake tin” which worked well, so you might like to try that? But as I say, I haven’t tried it and would always advise to do it as written for the most perfect bake! Let us know how you get on 🙂
Gorgeous light chocolate cake. Recipe worked perfectly. Huge hit with the whole gang. This will be on repeat .
Hi, if I only have an 8-inch round springform tin, do you have any advise on the baking time?
It will probably just take a few minutes longer, but won’t be far off what is written above. So just use the visual cues ie. the bottom layer should be well risen, puffy and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. The top layer should have a thin crust on the top but the middle is still soft and jiggly underneath. 🙂
Knowing that there are different types of cocoa powder, is there a recommendation for one that works best for this specific cake?
I often bake with Green & Black’s Organic Cocoa Powder which is Dutch processed but in this recipe, natural cocoa powder will work too.
Will Hersheys unsweetened cocoa powder work?
Yes it will do!