You Have to Make Melted Chocolate Tarts in an Instant Pot
Melted chocolate cake may have had its heyday in the 90s, but I’ll be damned if I stop making and eating them. Maybe it’s because they were the first “trendy” dessert I’ve ever made while trying to impress another person, but I have a pretty strong association with cliché romance, which makes them perfect for Valentine’s Day.
I’ve been making these ridiculously fat and chocolate babies from Queen Nigella for years now and have never complained. However, I sometimes find it difficult to get the cake out of the mold, but the Instant Pot changed everything. These pressure cooked cakes not only came out moist and tender with the perfect amount of melted chocolate in the center, but they slid out of the mold like in a dream .
Taking your creation out of the mold without incident may not seem like the most important game changer, but it works wonders for your presentation (and, to be fair, my stress level). In fact, you can make almost any melted pie this way, but Nigella’s recipe is my favorite. It makes six cakes, but you can always make a dough, put it in the refrigerator and make one or two cakes as needed; simply lengthen the cooking time by two minutes if you are using chilled batter. (I did two last night, and I’m planning on doing a couple more tonight.) To make these melting, sticky babies, you’ll need:
- 120 oz very good bittersweet chocolate
- 3 tablespoons butter, plus more for lubrication
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 4 whole eggs, beaten with a pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 cup flour
- 6.4 Ounces
- Parchment
Cut the chocolate into chunks and melt using your preferred melting method. (For me, this is a 30 second microwave discharge.) While the chocolate is cooling, beat the sugar and butter together in a bowl. Slowly add eggs, extract and flour. Once everything is well mixed, add the cooled chocolate.
Using the bottom of the mold, draw six circles on parchment paper. Liberally lubricate six molds, cut out parchment circles and press them into the molds. Divide the dough into molds and cover each with foil. Place the stand in the instant pot and pour two cups of water into the insert. Place as many cakes as you like on the rack, close the instant pot and press Manual. Adjust the time to six minutes with the “+” and “-” buttons, and when the time is up and you hear the Instant Pot melodic screech “I’M DONE”, manually release the pressure.
Allow the tortillas to cool slightly for a minute or two and gently turn them onto plates. Wait a minute or two, gently lift the pan, and oh and oh, how easy the cake will slide out. Serve with ice cream, strawberry chunks and flavor.