Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes

I can think of multiple scenarios where a molten chocolate cake might be necessary:

(a) You have no job, you’re bored, and you’re hungry.
(b) You’re caught in a love triangle and attempting to win someone over by showcasing your outstanding baking skills.
(c) You’re on Top Chef and the quickfire is to create a dessert (gasp!) in 20 minutes.

Enter molten chocolate lava cakes.

These intense, gooey cakes could not be simpler to make or more delicious. I normally have all of the ingredients in my pantry (who doesn’t stock up on chocolate baking squares “just in case”?), so the worst part about putting this recipe together is waiting while they’re in the oven.

What you’ll need (for two small cakes):

Directions
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Grab two small ramekins and spray with Pam. Set aside.

You really sprayed ‘em good, right?

In a medium sized bowl, microwave the chocolate and butter on high for 1 minute.

The chocolate won’t look melted, but use a whisk to combine and it should smooth out like this:

Stir in sugar and eggs.

Add flour and salt, and try not to overmix.

Pour batter into your ramekins. There might be some leftover… I’m sure you’ll figure out what to do with it.

Bake for 13 minutes, or until the sides of the cake pull away from the ramekin. Let cool for a few minutes. I know it’s tempting to get them on a plate immediately, but that involves inverting the dishes in a bowl or on a plate, and these things are hot. If you like your fingers, you know, without burn marks, just wait.

If you’re feeling adventurous, try adding other flavor combinations to the batter. I’ve thought about throwing in a tablespoon of creamy peanut butter (yum) or maybe some mint extract. Equally tasty would be hazelnut; add one tablespoon of Nutella. The possibilities are endless!

While you’re waiting, make some whipped cream. Yes, it’s worth the effort. In the bowl of a stand mixer pour in ½ cup of heavy whipping cream.

Whip on medium-high speed until soft peaks form, then add in sugar and vanilla. Continue to whip until stiff peaks form.

Perfecto! (Side note: if you wanted to switch up the flavor of the cream you could add some ground cinnamon – delicious – or any other flavored extract in place of vanilla.)

Carefully place a bowl or plate on top of the cake (but upside down), move the ramekin to the edge of the table so you can get your hand underneath it (with an oven mitt on, of course… still hot!), and turn over. That was the easy part.

At this point, you should be able to see the cake pull away completely from the ramekin. (You sprayed the cup with Pam, right?) Now, you could wait a while for the dish to cool down, or you could just go for it and remove the ramekin. It’ll only hurt for like 10 seconds. Here we go. Still hot still hot still hot.

Hello, beautiful.

Top with fresh whipped cream, grab a fork, and vanish into a world of chocolatey, molten goodness. Pictures do not do this cake justice. Make it today for the guy or gal you love most.