Recipe: Molten Chocolate Cake with Bay Leaf Sauce

CHOCOLATE MOLTEN CAKES

Clarified butter
Unsweetened cocoa powder
7 oz valrhona extra-bitter chocolate
7 tbsp soft butter
6 eggs; separated
1/2 cup almond flour
1/2 cup cake flour
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
10 10 12 oz valrhona semi-sweet chocolate
FOR SERVING:
Whipped cream
Bay Leaf Sauce (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Gather together 10 to 12 2-inch-high cake rings. Cut strips of parchment paper 1-inch wider than the rings. Brush both sides of parchment strips
with clarified butter. Fit inside of cake rings. Coat inside of rings with cocoa powder and set aside on a sheet pan.

Melt extra-bitter chocolate over double boiler. Whisk softened butter into melted chocolate. Remove chocolate mixture from heat and whisk in egg yolks, 1 at a time; set aside.

Sift flours together and fold into chocolate mixture; set aside

Beat egg whites to soft peaks and add confectioners' sugar. Whisk 1/3 of egg mixture into chocolate mixture. Fold in remaining whites in 2 additions.

Pipe a 1/2-inch layer of cake batter into the bottom of each cocoa-coated cake ring. Freeze until cake batter becomes stiff. Approximately 3 to 5 minutes.

Put a 1-inch piece semi-sweet chocolate in each cake ring atop the stiffened cake batter. Pipe in enough cake batter to cover the chocolate piece.

Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 20 minutes. Afterwards, allow cake to rest for one minute.

Serve with whipped cream and Bay leaf sauce.

BAY LEAF SAUCE

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 vanilla bean
4 fresh bay leaves

Boil sugar and 1/2 cup water together. Remove from heat.

Put in vanilla bean, cut in half lengthwise and scraped, and bay leaves into boiling mixture. Allow to infuse for at least on hour, (off of heat) and then, remove bean and leaves. Keep sauce refrigerated.

Makes 10-12 cakes