Chocolate Lava Muffins

Method

1. 01

   Step 1: Prepare the moulds

   Butter them thoroughly and dust with cocoa rather than flour — flour leaves white marks on a chocolate cake. Tap out the excess.

2. 02

   Step 2: Melt chocolate and butter

   Over a water bath or in the microwave in 20-second bursts, stirring. Overheated chocolate goes grainy and never recovers.

3. 03

   Step 3: Whip eggs and sugar

   Beat the eggs, yolks and sugar for 5 minutes to a pale, thick foam that falls from the whisk in a ribbon. That air is the only raising agent here.

4. 04

   Step 4: Combine

   Fold the warm (not hot) chocolate into the eggs, then sift in the flour with the salt and fold until even.

5. 05

   Step 5: Chill the batter

   Divide it between the moulds and refrigerate at least an hour. Cold batter widens the gap between set edges and liquid centre — which is the whole effect.

6. 06

   Step 6: Bake 12 minutes

   At 200 °C for exactly 12 minutes: the edges should be set and the centre should still wobble. Every extra minute costs you the molten middle.

7. 07

   Step 7: Turn out at once

   Rest one minute, run a knife round the edge and invert onto a plate. Within five minutes the centre begins to set, so serve immediately.