molten chocolate babycakes.

After savoring a few restaurants' variations on the molten chocolate cake over the past few months, I thought to myself, "Hmm. I could probably make something like this. Then no one would see me if I decided to actually lick the plate." I then remembered Nigella Lawson's molten chocolate babycakes. I'd made them once before a few years ago with so-so results (I was too cautious and overcooked them) and burnt fingers (you have to flip the cakes out of their oven-hot ramekins). But I had chocolate-loving friends who volunteered to bring along their grippy silicone potholders, so it seemed worth another try.

And was it ever. I forgot how easy these are to make; even better, you can make them ahead of time and then pop them in the oven just before you're ready to eat them.

You might lick the plate. I would understand.


Molten Chocolate Babycakes
from How to Be a Domestic Goddess

1/4 c. unsalted butter, softened
12 oz. bittersweet chocolate
1/2 c. sugar
4 large eggs, beaten lightly with a pinch of salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1/3 c. flour
6 oven-safe ramekins

1. Lightly butter each ramekin. Fold a sheet of parchment paper in half and trace the bottoms of 3 ramekins in pencil. Cut out the discs (*slightly smaller, so that they'll fit inside the ramekin) and press one into the base of each ramekin.


2. Melt chocolate and let it cool slightly.

3. Cream together butter and sugar, then gradually beat in eggs and salt, then vanilla. Add the flour and combine until smooth. Scrape in the cooled chocolate and mix until smooth.

4. Divide the batter between the ramekins. (*It's quite thick, like chocolate mousse, so I just scooped up spoonfuls and plunked them down. It will all smooth out in the oven.)


5. Place the ramekins in the fridge and cover lightly with a large sheet of waxed paper. (*If you're baking the cakes right away, skip this, of course.)

6. Preheat oven to 400F with an empty baking sheet. When oven is ready, quickly place the ramekins on the hot baking sheet and bake for 10-12 mins. - 12 if they've been in the fridge, otherwise 10 should do it. (*Don't overbake! They'll look barely done, but that's the whole point.)

7. As soon as you take them out of the oven, tip each cake out of its ramekin onto a plate and pry off the parchment on top. (*This was where I needed the silicone potholders, and even then there was some decidedly clumsy wrestling with the hot ramekins. Luckily, the cakes come out easily.) Serve with whipped cream or ice cream - you'll need something to cut the richness. I also made a quick raspberry sauce by heating frozen raspberries with a dash of water and a tbsp. of sugar in a saucepan until the berries broke down and then forcing it through a fine sieve to strain out the seeds.