These were the perfect Valentine’s Day treat last February, and I found myself craving them once again the other day. I used the recipe from JoyofBaking.com with great success.
Molten Chocolate Cakes
Ingredients (I doubled the recipe):
- 1 cup butter
- 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
- 6 eggs, separated
- 2/3 cup white granulated sugar, plus 2 tablespoons
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter the inside of 8 ramekins and dust with white sugar. We don’t have any ramekins or custard cups, so I used ceramic coffee mugs – they worked perfectly with no damage to the cups, cakes or oven.
Prepared mugs.
Set those aside while you make the batter. Start by melting the butter and chocolate chips together in a saucepan over the stove.
Pre-melt on the stove.
It may take some time for everything to melt. I suggest stirring constantly, and also employing someone else (such as a younger sister – thanks Domi) to oversee this task.
Beat 2/3 cup sugar with the egg yolks until thick and pale yellow in color. Add the vanilla extract, and then fold in the melted chocolate.
Stirring in the melted chocolate.
Whip the egg whites in another bowl until frothy. Continue whipping after adding the cream of tartar (I’ve found this ingredient isn’t crucial, but use it if you have it. The taste isn’t changed, only the texture of the final product). Slowly add the 2 tablespoons of sugar while whipping, and continue until stiff peaks form.
Light and fluffy egg whites.
Scoop the whipped egg whites into the bowl of chocolate and stir gently. Don’t over-stir the mixture – the egg whites can deflate. Pour the batter into the mugs, leaving an inch or two for the batter to expand in the oven. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes, or until the top is crusty while the inside still remains loose. Let the cakes cool slightly before serving. They can be accompanied by whipped cream, ice cream or berries – anything that sounds good!
Dani Dubois 