Recipes with Spirits: Chocolate Puddle Cakes à la mode
Got a sweet tooth? Us too! Our Four Grain Straight Whiskey is a perfect dinner, you know when most people are enjoying dessert, so we thought why not pair it with one of our favorite foods: chocolate. Luckily, whiskey and chocolate have a lot in common making them the ultimate couple.
Chocolate — we’re talking the real stuff — is made with two simple ingredients: cacao and sugar. Like whiskey, not all chocolate is made the same; depending on its origin and the way it’s processed, the chocolate will have different characteristics and nuances of flavor. When picking a bar of chocolate, be sure to flip it over and read the ingredients. Many companies opt for lower-quality fillers to replace the natural cocoa butter in the beans like soy lecithin and sunflower lecithin. For these cakes, we go basic and prefer Whole Food Market’s 57% Dark Chocolate Bar since it also has a hint of vanilla.
When it comes to whiskey, it’s all about the “oak effect”, the vanilla-like flavor that comes from a compound called vanillin that’s produced through the charred oak barrels. Our whiskey gets its depth from aging in 36-month-seasoned, Char 3, barrels from Canton Cooperage. Jake “Whiskey” Norris made note of the honey, spiced vanilla, and notes of cinnamon and clove in our Four Grain Straight Whiskey which lends itself to any chocolate dessert.
We’ve adapted this recipe from Smitten Kitchen and added bourbon vanilla, Maldon salt, and fresh berries to bring out some of the best qualities in our whiskey. Enjoy!
Chocolate Puddle Cakes à la mode
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen
Ingredients:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into chucks plus more for dishes
2 teaspoons cacao powder, plus more for dusting (sub cocoa powder)
3 oz. semi-sweet chocolate (60%), roughly chopped
1 teaspoon bourbon vanilla extract
⅛ teaspoon fine salt
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
⅛ teaspoon Maldon Salt (optional)
1 cup vanilla ice cream
1 cup fresh berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries)
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Meanwhile, butter two 6-ounce ramekins. Add a spoon of cacao powder and coats sides and bottom. Remove excess.
2. In a microwave-safe bowl, add butter and chocolate and melt with 30-second intervals. Let cool slightly then whisk in sugar and salt. Once incorporated, whisk in eggs and beat until smooth and glossy at least 1 minute. Add cacao powder and whisk until combined.
3. Divide batter into two baking dishes. Bake for 7 minutes until molten in the center, transfer to a cooling rack for 1 minute. Using pot holders, place a small plate over one ramekin, hold at the bottom and flip. Wait ten seconds then lift. Repeat with the remaining dish. Dust with cacao powder and a sprinkling of Maldon Salt. Serve with one scoop of vanilla ice cream along with your favorite berries. Serve immediately.