Molten Chocolate Cakes for Two (or More)

Any store, commercial, or restaurant will tell you that Valentine's Day and its whole season is about pink and red, hearts and kisses, flowers and sappy cards, chocolate and chocolate. I support one and only one of those sets of things. A box of chocolates is never a bad thing, but home-baked chocolate decadence, that's in a category of love all of its own. 

Last year to share the love of chocolate, I spent hours laboring over a layer cake; it was tasty but definitely not worth the effort. This year I spent about 30 minutes, start to finish, and yes that means they're easy to make, on melt-in-your mouth chocolate cakes seeping with hot chocolate lava. Rich and chocolatey they were, but not so uber-chocolate-dense that you get sick of it like many a restaurant dessert.

Be not mistaken; these are not muffins. They are molten cakes in a portion you can enjoy without over-stuffing after a big meal, and with easy cleanup and no need for fancy ramekins like the first Chocolate Java Cakes I tried. If you do really want the bigger portion, just eat two.

I included recipe portions for two but also adjustments for more, be they for more dinner guests or a quick nuking for treats later in the week.

Please do make these for you and your loved one, be it your significant other, a friend, or your mom (my mother and I had special bonding time eating them!), just not your dog because chocolate is cruelty to animals.


Molten Chocolate Cakes
Measurements in parentheses are for larger yield.

¼ cup (½ cup) butter
1/3 cup (2/3 cup) semisweet chocolate chips
1 egg (2 eggs)
2 Tbsp. (¼ cup) sugar
¼ tsp. (½ tsp.) vanilla extract
2 Tbsp. (¼ cup) flour

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Place butter and chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds at a time, stirring between each pulse, until melted.

Place eggs, sugar, and vanilla in a mixing bowl and beat with a mixer about 3 minutes. Fold in flour and the chocolate mixture.

Line a muffin tin with 5 (10) wrappers and coat with cooking spray. Fill about ¾ full. Bake 7-12 minutes or until cakes have puffed but not set. Be careful not to overcook them, or else there will be no "lava." Let stand 1 minute. Remove from tin and place each muffin on a dessert plate upside down. Remove paper. Serve immediately with ice cream or whipped cream.

Yield: About 5 cakes (10 cakes)