Have you ever wanted to bake something awesome for someone and you don’t have a lot of time but you want the person to think you slaved over the stove all day? This recipe is for you!
These are a cinch to make and they’re really tasty. I mean, who doesn’t love liquid chocolate? And after you add some whipped cream or ice cream to the top, it’s like serving heaven on a plate, sure to pulverize any chocolate craving.
What you will need
- 1 bowl
- 4 Ramekins (or something similar)
- Microwave
Ingredients
- 4 Squares of semi-sweet Baker’s chocolate (4 ounces)
- 1/2 cup of butter
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 egg yolks
- 1/2 teaspoon coffee extract
- 6 tablespoons flour
Mom it Down!
This recipe is shockingly easy especially when you factor in taste. I grabbed this recipe from All Recipes many moons ago and tweaked it ever so slightly. I remember reading how easy these were and not fully believing it until I made them myself. Now, it’s something I can pull off in less than a half an hour. (That includes clean time, cook time and eat time!)
Preheat oven to 425. Generously grease your ramekins.
Take four squares of Baker’s chocolate and put them in a microwave safe bowl. Add half a cup (1 stick) of butter and microwave that for 1 minute. If it’s not yet melted, don’t worry! It’s not supposed to be. Whisk it together until it all melts.
Add the powdered sugar. Stir that.
Add your eggs. (Please let me know if you need instructions on how to easily separate egg whites from egg yolks.)
Add coffee extract and flour. Mix that. Distribute evenly into four ramekins. You’re done!
Bake for 13 to 14 minutes.
Remove the ramekins from the oven. Take a knife and gently go around the edges freeing them from the side. Using an oven mitt, flip them over as gently as possible onto a plate. (I usually take the plate, add it to the top of each ramekin and then flip the entire thing over.) The cake should drop out. You want to be careful not to break open the chocolate cake so the inside spills out. (Like an over-easy egg.) If you feel like it, you can leave it upside down or you can gently flip it back over. (I flipped mine over again. However, sometimes given varying oven temperatures, climate, etc this may not be an option as the cake may be too delicate and moist.) Usually, you can tell by looking at them how delicate they may be.
Sprinkle with cocoa or powdered sugar and serve with ice cream (below) or a dollop of whipped cream (shown above). Serve right away.
Overcoming obstacles
If you’re nervous about the cakes sticking to the inside of the ramekins, feel free to add some cocoa powder, powdered sugar, or a mixture of both to the inside of each buttered ramekin.
Lastly, DO NOT OVER BAKE! You don’t want your lava to dry up creating more of a cake and less of a volcano. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with cake, but you really want your interior to be dippy hot chocolate. I have over-baked before and they’re fine but not as amazing as when they’re molten.
As mentioned above, you want to serve these puppies right away. So if you don’t want to eat all four at once, no worries! Just cover each one with saran wrap and refrigerate. They should last up to a day or two in the refrigerator.
Variations
I haven’t yet messed with this feller too much. I added the coffee extract to give it a little more of a mocha flavor, but I haven’t done much beyond that. I reckon a taste of mint might be a wonderful addition to this recipe, whether you bake it in or add a scoop of mint ice cream.
I think some shaved chocolate, some fresh berries, or some salt would pair really well with this.
That’s it! Happy baking, busy people! As usual, I love questions or suggestions!
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first off, yum, that looks freakin awesome! second, have you ever made your own crackers for Emory? My daughter loves the goldfish crackers, but these are essentially just a fish shaped chip so I have been looking for a good whole wheat cracker recipe for her, and have not found one yet. Would love to see one here:)
Amy: I haven’t made crackers, but I have made homemade pitas for him. (Soy and regular!) I would love to put them on here, but they are more involved and I am trying to figure out a way to simplify them just right so I can add them to Mom It Down.
Perhaps I’ll tweak that recipe a bit and do crackers instead. The time-consuming part about pitas is the fact that they need to obviously fill with air so you can turn them into pockets. So… this might solve it!
That dessert looks so good it should be criminal. The torture of looking at it without having it in front of me to eat is too much to bear. And if I did ever manage to make it, I bet I wouldn’t get a bite because my choco-obsessed son would knock me unconscious to get to it.
This will go on my to-bake list! I’ve seen (and devoured) these from restaurants and figured they must be the most difficult thing to make – just how do they get the molten lava in the middle? Now I feel foolish if they are truly so easy!
One follow-up question – where does one find coffee extract and can I substitute some amount of coffee for it?
You definitely don’t need the coffee extract. I meant to write that it’s optional. Oops!! I would leave it out. However, I think I got mine at Whole Foods. Or a local place (health food joint) called The Garden. I will get back to you.
But honestly, leave it out. :)
I’ve never heard of this coffee extract stuff! So interesting!
In stuff like this, I usually just put in a pinch or two of instant coffee. It’s really good for baking, and you don’t have to alter your recipes like you do with toddy concentrate.
This looks so good I want to make it right now – shame I’m at work
Looks delish! I’ve been trying to learn to cook healthier for my son (instead of processed foods/ takout all the time); I can’t wait to try some of your recipes. I love allrecipes.com and recently bought the book “cook yourself thin” both have great easyish recipes for busy moms but I love your tweaks and ideas :) PS: I also love how you show the stages and not just the finished product! Thanks for all you do.
these look wonderful. i am going to try them soon!
I sooooo want some!
I was wondering, when you make them ahead do you refridgerate them before or after baking? If after, is there a trick to reheating them? Thanks! These look SO good.
Before you bake them! Sorry I did not make that clearer! Yes. When you’re ready, just pop them in the oven and in 13 minutes—heaven!
This line; “You don’t want your lava to dry up creating more of a cake and less of a volcano.” Totally cracked me up. Also, I have made something similar, but I am just going to make these ones. My husband will thank you.
Thank you so much for this recipe. My 8 year-old daughter and I just made it. She was amazed at how quick it was! They were delicious.
P.S. We Heart Murray.
P.P.S. Go Penn State (I’m an alum, too)!
I made this for NYE last night for my husband and I. It was a big hit. Thanks for the recipe!