Individual Chocolate Lava Cakes

I think I have a good relationship with food.  Normally my diet is healthy, and includes whole grains, vegetables, and lean meats.  I plan meals that keep calories in check and fat/carb/protein in balance.  Last night, however, I had a one night stand with a Chocolate Lava Cake.  It was everything a dessert should be – dark, decadent, delicious, and definitely an indulgence.

Something this good should not be as easy to make as this is.  The ingredients are simple, and the cooking time is short.  The only thing that you need to make sure you have is custard cups.  There are all sorts of cute ones available at thrift stores, but mine are standard pyrex 6 oz cups:

Also in the picture you can see my thin off-set spatula.  It has a curve which I think helps in the removal of these cakes (and also muffins and breakfast quiches from muffin tins when you don’t use a liner).

I didn’t take pictures along the way – but you know what chocolate batter looks like, right?

You start by gently melting butter and chocolate.  Microwave or stove top is your choice, just make sure you do it in a vessel you can comfortably hold when portioning the batter.

Once the butter and chocolate is melted and mixed, you stir in  powdered sugar, eggs, egg yolks, and a little bit of flour.  This could be done in advance and just left on the counter if you’re entertaining.  (The entire recipe is here.) 

Put the cups on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Yep, that’s it!  BUT, while they’re baking you need to get the dishes set out, and the whipped cream ready.  Residual heat will cook the inside of the cake past the lava stage, so no time to waste fumbling around.

Once the cakes are done, cover your hand with a thickish towel, hold the cup, loosen the cake with a spatula, and invert it onto a plate.

That doesn’t look exciting at all…but the treasure lies within…

The whipped cream needs to hit the cake just before people dig in – because these are hot and the whipped cream starts to melt.  Which, IMHO, is not an entirely bad thing…

The recipe for Chocolate Lava Cakes makes 4 little cakes – which means you either have to invite 3 friends or buy bigger pants.  Add them to your plan at least once this year!