If you like chocolate, you will love these chocolate bombs. They use the same batter as the flourless chocolate cake I posted ages ago, but they bake more quickly and there is no need to glaze them. The secret ingredient is instant espresso powder: a little will boost the chocolate flavor without making the muffins taste like coffee.

If you like you can serve these warm as a dessert as ‘lava’ muffins. In that case, bake them only until the outside is cooked and the inside is still fluid, about 15 minutes.

Ingredients

For 12 muffins

350 grams (12 oz) dark chocolate (between 70% and 80% cacao solids)

175 grams (1 1/2 sticks or 6 oz) butter

130 grams (2/3 cup) sugar

6 eggs, separated, or 100 grams egg yolks and 200 grams egg whites

1/2 Tbsp instant espresso powder

Preparation

Break the chocolate into pieces, cut the butter into similar pieces and melt in a saucepan over low heat while stirring. (You can also do this au bain marie, but on induction on a low setting it works just as well without.)

Keep heating very gently and stirring until the mixture is completely smooth. Let it cool to lukewarm, stirring now and then.

Pre-heat the oven at 180ºC/350ºF (fan forced).

Whisk the egg whites in a very clean dry bowl with a very clean dry whisk or very clean dry beaters until soft peaks form. Add half the sugar (65 grams or 1/3 cup) and whisk until firmer peaks form.

Whisk the egg yolks with the remaining sugar (65 grams or 1/3 cup) for about 3 minutes until creamy and pale yellow.

Mix in the chocolate mixture that should not be hot anymore (otherwise the egg yolks will be cooked!).

Carefully fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture in three additions using a spatula, working from the bottom to the top and trying to keep as much air in as possible.

Line a muffin pan with 12 paper liners and divide the batter among them.

Bake for 25 minutes at 180ºC/350ºF (fan forced), and make sure by inserting a skewer into the center that they are cooked.

Allow to cool to room temperature before serving.

Wine pairing

If you want to serve these for dessert, the only wine that can match up to all this chocolate is a thick sweet syrupy sherry called Pedro Ximénez (or PX).

Flashback

The secret to a good homemade pizza with mushrooms is to sauté the mushrooms first so they will release their access water and won’t make your pizza soggy.