Click on this link & play while you read. When I took this pic I couldn't help thinking this tiny little treasure of pure chocolate bliss would be perfect for Valentine's Day. Then again, I rarely have had a Valentine. Some think I'm defective and like to dish out advice on how to find love. Recently a family member declared I'd never marry but if I do, pricey champagne will be bought in my honor. Cheers!
Funny thing is, I've had a lot of admirers. I love a good love story and over the years I've met some wonderful stories. Some I've loved and some, yea not so much. Maybe I should tell you about the boyfriend who posed this hypothetical one rainy Friday evening, "If we were on the Titanic, would you jump in the water to drown with me?". Obviously I decided taking the leap of love with him was out of the question. But our relationship would be a fun story to tell someday. Hmm, to be continued...
Back to this molten beauty though. You can be single, married, an exhausted mom or dad, a pet parent...whatever. This cake is perfect and when you pick it apart with your fork like I did, you'll merrily chirp "At last, my love has come home. My lonely days are over."
You're probably bored at this point or stopped reading long ago, but if you're still with me let me say this truly takes less than 10 minutes to prepare and tastes just like the restaurant. I can't take the credit for creating the recipe because I'm not that genius. To my credit, I did make a few short-cuts because I'm just that way. Why use a double boiler when microwave owners can just melt chocolate in there? I mean, even Barefoot Contessa (an idol of mine) tempers her chocolate that way. Note - we're not tempering chocolate here so don't get scared. This is a super easy recipe!
TIPS:
Funny thing is, I've had a lot of admirers. I love a good love story and over the years I've met some wonderful stories. Some I've loved and some, yea not so much. Maybe I should tell you about the boyfriend who posed this hypothetical one rainy Friday evening, "If we were on the Titanic, would you jump in the water to drown with me?". Obviously I decided taking the leap of love with him was out of the question. But our relationship would be a fun story to tell someday. Hmm, to be continued...
Back to this molten beauty though. You can be single, married, an exhausted mom or dad, a pet parent...whatever. This cake is perfect and when you pick it apart with your fork like I did, you'll merrily chirp "At last, my love has come home. My lonely days are over."
You're probably bored at this point or stopped reading long ago, but if you're still with me let me say this truly takes less than 10 minutes to prepare and tastes just like the restaurant. I can't take the credit for creating the recipe because I'm not that genius. To my credit, I did make a few short-cuts because I'm just that way. Why use a double boiler when microwave owners can just melt chocolate in there? I mean, even Barefoot Contessa (an idol of mine) tempers her chocolate that way. Note - we're not tempering chocolate here so don't get scared. This is a super easy recipe!
TIPS:
- You can melt the chocolate using a double boiler or microwave. Either works!
- Check this little guy at the 10 minute mark to see how it's cooked.
- How do I know when a molten cake is cooked? -> When 1/4 inch of the center of the cake is still looking uncooked but the sides are pulling away.
- You'll need a 4 ounce ramekin or custard cup. I think you could use a cupcake tin but this might make 2 and cooking time should be adjusted.
- You can't over mix this batter so whisk away!
- This is easily doubled.
- To avoid your tiny ramekin toppling over in the oven, place it on a pie plate first.
RECIPE:
1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 teaspoons granulated white sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract (I used vanilla bean paste)
pinch of salt
1 room temperate egg, beaten (I used 1/4 cup Egg Beaters)
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
For garnish: some whipped cream (isn't Reddi Whip awesome?), powdered sugar, some raspberries or strawberries (whatever you have that's red)
In a small microwave safe bowl (big enough to hold several cups), add your chocolate chips and butter. Microwave at 50% power for 1 min, 10 seconds or just until 80% of the chocolate is melted. The butter will be melted at this point but the chips will be pooling down but still have some shape. Whisk in the sugar, vanilla and salt until completely smooth. Let sit for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally (this is to cool the mixture down). Then whisk in 1 teaspoon of the beaten egg at a time. Whisk each teaspoon in completely after each addition. Be patient...this process is to prevent scrambling the egg. Then spray a 4 ounce ramekin with nonstick cooking spray. Add your batter and bake for approx. 14-17 minutes (I suggest checking at the 10 min. mark and checking every 2 mins. or so thereafter). See tips re: when this is done. Let cool for 1 min. Invert on a plate and garnish to your heart's desire.
Here's the original recipe. Double boiler instructions are in the middle. That just seemed like too much work for little ole me.
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