Cakes In Salzburg

Salzburg has made two great contributions to the sum of human happiness: Mozart's music and desserts. You can spend an entire trip to Salzburg visiting places where Mozart lived and performed. And between those visits, you must have a slice of cake. Or several. Preferably chocolate. In fact, the ideal visit to Salzburg should start and end with a slice of cake! There are so many great desserts to try, that it is possible that you will exhaust the list of Mozart sites before you run out of different pastries.

During my recent visit to Salzburg, I had so many cakes that I felt like I was floating through the city on a cloud of whipped cream! And, oh the desserts I had! You can set their names to music and sing : Sachertorte, Linzertorte, Dobostorte, Esterhazy..... Leave all thoughts of diet and healthy eating at home, for you must also try the Salzburger Nockerl, Kaiser Schmarrn and Apfelstrudel - desserts that are specialties of the region - slice upon slice of pure sugary heaven.

And for the grand finale you can combine Mozart and chocolate in the form of Mozart Kugeln: little round chocolates with a pistachio marzipan center.

There is lots of chocolate and cream in my recipe for chocolate cardamom lava cakes too. It brings back memories of all the decadent chocolates and cakes that we had in Salzburg. The subtle haunting aroma of cardamom that infuses every bite reminds me of all the delicious desserts my mother makes in India. Don't skimp on the cream, it helps cut through the richness of the chocolate and balances out the flavours.

Chocolate Cardamom Lava Cakes

If you find it difficult to get the cakes out of their liners, serve them as is, without upturning them. Top with some whipped cream. It will melt slightly and blend into the chocolate lava as you eat the cake. It's all good.

4 squares Baker's premium dark chocolate

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

2 egg yolks

2 tsp ground cardamom, divided

6 tbsp all purpose flour

1 cup whipped cream

Preheat oven to 425F. Line a muffin tray with 8 paper liners. Spray insides lightly.

Melt chocolate and butter together in microwave, 1 min. Stir until smooth. Add sugar, mix well. Add eggs, mix in until combined. Add 1 tsp ground cardamom and flour, fold in until completely blended.

Pour batter into prepared muffin cups. Bake for 13-14 min until sides of cakes are set but centers are still a bit wobbly. Let rest 2 min.

Meanwhile, combine whipped cream with remaining ground cardamom.

Upturn cakes onto dessert plates and carefully peel away paper liners. Serve with a dollop of cardamom whipped cream.

Makes 8 cakes