Chocolate Cakes with Liquid Centers

SUBMITTED BY: Russ Smith PHOTO BY: CookingMama

"Warm, soft and gooey chocolate cakes. Perfect for that ubiquitous chocolate fix. A good-quality bittersweet chocolate is necessary for the succes of these cakes."

SERVINGS & SCALING

Original recipe yield: 4 servings

USMETRIC

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INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup butter
4 (1 ounce) squares bittersweet chocolate
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
1/4 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour

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DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Butter and flour four 4 ounce ramekins or custard cups.
In the top half of a double boiler set over simmering water, heat the butter and the chocolate until chocolate is almost completely melted.
Beat the eggs, egg yolks and sugar together until light colored and thick.
Beat together the melted chocolate and butter. While beating, slowly pour the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture, then quickly beat in the flour and mix until just combined.
Divide the batter between the four molds and bake at 450 degrees F (230 degrees C) for 6 to 7 minutes. The centers of the cakes will still be quite soft. Invert cakes on serving plates and let sit for about 15 seconds, then unmold. Serve immediately with fresh whipped cream, if desired.

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REVIEWS

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Reviewed on Oct. 22, 2006 by chellebelle

Oh my goodness!! These are rich, delicious and sinful! And EASY! I followed the recipe ingredients exactly, using Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate. I saw a similar recipe that said it is ok to set aside and refrigerate the prepared batter for a few hours, just remove and allow to come to room temperature before baking. I made the batter before dinner and took it out of the fridge just as we sat down to eat. I put them in the oven as we finished the meal. The cakes still looked a bit wet after 6 minutes, so I left them 2 minutes longer. I'm not sure if this was because the batter was still a bit cold when I put them in. I used pyrex custard cups and they didn't unmold too well, the one I tried to umold split and oozed all over the plate, but they tasted just as good eaten from the dish rather than unmolded. Another thing I discovered is that if you heat a leftover cake in the microwave for 30 seconds it bubbles up like a volcano and tastes nearly as good as fresh out of the oven!

10 users found this review helpful

Reviewed on Sep. 8, 2006 by CookingMama

To me there is such thing as too much chocolate and this is exactly it. I dusted them with confectioner's sugar but I couldn't even finish half of one. I baked mine for 10 minutes. I give it 4 stars because they looked gorgeous and the consistency was perfect. I'm posting some pictures that show the liquid centers. I think it needs a blend of semi-sweet and milk chocolate to make it taste better./ Update: I just tried them again BUT with semi sweet chocolate and they are awesome. Great with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a caramel drizzle!

10 users found this review helpful

Reviewed on Feb. 1, 2004 by DIVAMAC

I made this last night for a perfect end to Valentine's dinner, and it was a tremendous hit! I make a lot of chocolate desserts, and this is by far the best one I have made yet - as good as or better than I've had in restaurants. I cooked mine for 7 minutes only in glass custard dishes and they were perfect. However, I used Baker's Secret spray rather than buttering and flouring the cups, and they did not fall right out of the cups as I think they should have. Will butter and flour next time. Also, used Ghiardelli bittersweet. I think semi-sweet would make the dish too sweet. Too bad this is not health food -- I could eat it every day!

7 users found this review helpful

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