James Baigrie's Chocolate Raspberry Lava Cake stands as a delightful testament to the mouthwatering fusion of chocolate and raspberry. It serves as the perfect climax for a romantic dinner or any other meal meriting an extraordinary finish.

The chocolate molten cake, also known as lava cake, became a culinary sensation in the late 1980s under the helm of esteemed chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten. The cake, essentially a "modified brownie batter" as per baker Claire Saffitz, is a simple assembly of common pantry items: chocolate, butter, sugar, eggs, flour, and a smidgen of salt. To achieve its unique texture of a gooey center enveloped in warm cake, it is baked at high temperatures for a very short period. The raspberry variant of this cake, focuses on maintaining the integrity of the original recipe, replacing the chocolate center with a mix of fresh raspberries and seedless raspberry preserves.

It's crucial to note that these cakes, despite their fluid center, are still fully cooked, reaching an internal temperature of 165°F, making them safe to consume. The raspberry lava cake is ideally meant to be consumed as soon as it's made, but if there are leftovers, you can refrigerate them and they still make for a delicious treat when reheated.

Here's how to prepare one of these delectable desserts. You'll need the following ingredients: a stick of unsalted butter (with additional melted for brushing), cocoa powder, all-purpose flour, dark chocolate (70 percent cacao), fresh raspberries, seedless raspberry preserves, granulated sugar, large eggs at room temperature, a pinch of salt, and confectioners' sugar for sprinkling.

Begin by preheating the oven to 425°F and prepare four 6-ounce ramekins by brushing them with melted butter. Mix cocoa powder with flour in a small bowl and use this mixture to dust the ramekins, transferring them to a sturdy baking sheet afterward. On low heat, melt a stick of butter with the chocolate, stirring occasionally, and let it cool for a while. The raspberries and the seedless raspberry preserves are mashed coarsely and kept ready. Use an electric mixer to beat the sugar with the eggs and salt until you get a thick and pale yellow mixture.

Add the cooled, melted chocolate to this mixture, and fold in the balance flour. Move two-thirds of the resulting batter to the ramekins, top it with raspberry filling, and cover it with the leftover batter. Bake this for 16 minutes until the top shows cracks but the center remains slightly shaky. Allow the cakes to cool down for a few minutes before loosening them with a small knife, inverting them onto a plate and dusting with powdered sugar. Serve your delicious chocolate raspberry lava cake warm!