Chocolate and cherry lava cake with cardamom whipped cream

This richa, saucy chocolate pudding is pure indulgence with not much work, and perfect topped off with cardamon-scented cream.

Credit: Donal's Meals in Minutes

• serves

  6

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  25 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 175 g butter
• 200 g dark chocolate, chopped
• 3 large eggs
• 125 g sugar
• ¼ cup flour
• 1 tin cherries, drained and de-stoned
• ¼ cup (60 ml) Kirsch liquor

To serve

• 300 ml cream (you could also do whipped cream, if desired)
• Pinch cardamom
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
• 100 g dark chocolate
• Red currents, for decoration, optional

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease a baking dish with a little butter.
2. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Remove from the heat and gently stir through the chocolate until melted
3. Whisk the eggs and sugar together until they are pale and thick. Pour into the chocolate mixture then sift over the flour. Fold all together with the cherries and kirsch until it is evenly combined
4. Bake for 20 mins or until firm it is around the sides but the centre is still wobbly. Allow to cool for five minutes.
5. Fold the cardamom and vanilla into the cream, then serve the lava cake warm with a dollop of whipped cream and a few shavings of chocolate. 

6. Decorate with red currants if desired.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.