Equipment
Ingredients
Caramel Sauce
- 280 g sugar
- 60 ml water
- 80 ml cream
- 20 g butter
- 60 ml milk
Coulant Batter
- 60 g butter
- salt, pinch
- 70 g sugar
- 160 g cake flour
- 2 egg
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 592 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbohydrates
- 96 g
- Fat
- 21 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sugar
- 71 g
- Sodium
- 119 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 13 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 6 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 1 g
- Cholesterol
- 128 mg
- Potassium
- 98 mg
- Calcium
- 45 mg
- Iron
- 1.9 mg
- Magnesium
- 12 mg
- Phosphorus
- 97 mg
- Zinc
- 0.6 mg
- Vitamin A
- 213 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 0 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.8 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 0.8 mg
- Vitamin K
- 2 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.1 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.3 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.27 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.32 mg
- Niacin
- 1.9 mg
- Folate
- 70 mcg
- Water
- 53 g
Sources: USDA FoodData Central
Method
Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F).
Combine 280g sugar and 60ml water in a pot over medium-high heat. Cook without stirring until the mixture reaches a dark amber color, swirling the pot occasionally for even browning.
Reduce heat to low and carefully pour in 80ml cream to deglaze the pot.
Whisk in 20g butter and 60ml milk until the sauce is smooth and fully incorporated.
Remove the caramel sauce from the heat and allow it to cool to room temperature.
Coat five 120ml (4-ounce) ramekins with cooking spray, then dust the interiors with sugar. Tap out any excess and place them on a sheet pan.
In a saucepan, gently warm 80ml of the prepared caramel sauce.
Whisk 60g butter and a pinch of salt into the warm caramel until melted.
Stir in 70g sugar until combined.
Add 160g cake flour and stir until no dry spots remain.
Incorporate 2 eggs one at a time, whisking thoroughly after each addition until the batter is glossy.
Divide the batter between the prepared ramekins, filling each approximately two-thirds full.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes at 200°C (400°F). Rotate the pan halfway through. The edges should be set while the center remains soft.
Let the cakes rest for 1-2 minutes, then invert each ramekin onto a plate and serve immediately.
Chef's Notes
- Use room temperature eggs to prevent the warm caramel and butter mixture from seizing.
- For the best results, use a kitchen scale for the cake flour, as it is highly compressible.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Store in ramekins covered with plastic wrap.
Freezer: 1 month — Freeze unbaked; add 2-3 minutes to baking time.
Reheating: Warm in the oven at 175°C (350°F) for 5 minutes.
Troubleshooting
Cake center is solid rather than molten.
Cause: Overbaking or oven temperature running too high.
Fix: Cannot be fixed; serve as a standard caramel sponge cake.
Prevention: Begin checking doneness at 8 minutes; the center must still jiggle.
Cake sticks to the ramekin during inversion.
Cause: Insufficient greasing or sugaring of the mold.
Fix: Run a thin knife carefully around the inner edge before inverting.
Prevention: Ensure the cooking spray and sugar coating reach the very top edge of the ramekin.
Cultural Context
The 'coulant' (flowing) style of cake was popularized by French chef Michel Bras in the 1980s.
