Recipe: Chocolate Java Cakes

I find it impossible to pass up on dessert when a restaurant has some sort of chocolate lava cake-- a warm chocolate cake with a rich, gooey center. Oh, chocolate decadence. So last weekend I set out to make this restaurant goodness to fancify and chocolify a weekend dinner at home with this Southern Living rendition I found over a year ago. The batter impressively forms a cakey outside and a lava-like center. On second thought, the power of the chocolate batter to transform into something so wonderfully complex makes sense given the extremity of indulgence, whose nutritional stats I tried not think about while mixing it up.

The richness of the cake necessitates each bite be taken with a lighter, creamier substance, like some vanilla ice cream. The original recipe called for coffee to make it a mocha java cake, but I wanted it pure chocolate. I also halved the ingredients to make 3 servings, which is really lik six servings because it's too much to eat a whole one alone (unless you're my dad). Chocolate Lava Cakes

1 tablespoon butter

1 cup butter

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate morsels (I used Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Chips.)

4 egg yolks

4 large eggs

2 cups powdered sugar

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

Pinch of salt

Garnish: powdered sugar

1. Preheat oven to 425°. Grease 6 (6-oz.) ramekins or individual soufflé dishes with 1 Tbsp. butter.

2. Microwave 1 cup butter and chocolate morsels in a microwave-safe bowl at HIGH 2 minutes or until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth, whisking at 1-minute intervals.

3. Beat egg yolks and eggs at medium speed with an electric mixer 1 minute. Gradually add chocolate mixture, beating at low speed until well blended.

4. Sift together sugar and next 3 ingredients. Gradually whisk sugar mixture into chocolate mixture until well blended. Divide batter among prepared ramekins. Place ramekins on a jelly-roll pan.

5. Bake at 425° for 16 minutes or until a thermometer inserted into cakes registers 165°. Remove from oven, and let stand 10 minutes. Run a knife around outer edge of each cake to loosen. Carefully invert cakes onto dessert plates. Garnish, if desired.