Mint chocolate lava cakes

Instructions

• Make the ganache
• The day before or the morning of, prepare the ganache by heating 2 Tbsp of heavy cream in a small pot or in the microwave for about 10-15 seconds until steaming. Pour in the white chocolate and stir until fully melted. If not melted, place in the microwave for short 5-8-second intervals, stirring in between until the mixture is smooth and the chocolate in melted. Stir in 1/2 tsp peppermint extract. Taste and adjust the amount of peppermint extract if you’d like it to taste more minty. Place in the refrigerator until hard enough to hold its shape (about 1-2 hours). Then scoop and shape into four balls that are slightly smaller than a tablespoon and store in the freezer wrapped in plastic wrap. If you have a square silicone ice cube tray, you can pour the warm ganache directly in there to make 4 cubes and place in the freezer.
• Make the cake
• Preheat the oven to 375F. Grease the inside of four 6-oz. ramekins very well with butter, being sure to thoroughly coat the entire surface. Then, place one tablespoon of very finely chopped mint in a small bowl along with 4 Tbsp of sugar. Rub the mint into the sugar to help release the oil–you’ll see the sugar change color slightly and moisten. Then pour the sugar into a ramekin and rotate and tap the the outside until fully coated–then pour the excess into the next ramekin and continue until all are coated. If you’re finding the mint sugar isn’t sticking evenly, you can mix in a little bit more granulated sugar. You can also leave out mint here and just coat with plain sugar.
• In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Once melted, stir in the instant espresso to dissolve. Remove from the heat and stir in the finely chopped dark chocolate. Stir until the chocolate is fully melted and smooth. If all of the chocolate is not melted after a few minutes, you can return to very low heat, stirring constantly until the mixture is smooth.
• In a mixing bowl, add the eggs, granulated sugar, and salt. Using a whisk or electric mixer, beat vigorously until the mixture has lightened in color, is foamy, and has a slightly thicker texture. This should take 3-5 minutes by hand and may take slightly less time with an electric mixer. Then, fold in the melted chocolate, touching the mixture with your fingertip first to ensure it isn’t scalding hot–if so transfer into another bowl to cool for a moment before pouring in.
• Add the flour, and gently fold until incorporated. Pour a layer of batter onto the bottom of the ramekin filling it about 1/3 of the way. Gently place the frozen ganache in the center, and spoon some additional batter on top to cover–the batter will rise up so it’s okay if it’s not perfect along the edges. Divide the batter evenly between the ramekins.
• Bake for 14-16 minutes, until almost entirely set but a little fingernail-sized spot in the center still appears slightly wobbly and darker in color. You want to avoid having a very large area that looks wobbly for this cake, so as to avoid having too much molten center with both the ganache and the cake. Let sit for about 1-2 minutes and run a knife along the edges. Place a plate on top of each ramekin and with an oven mitt, invert the cakes onto the plates. Garnish with fresh mint leaves and a sprinkle of powdered sugar. Let cool for about 5 minutes and then serve.