Look what my daughter Abby made for us for Valentine’s Day! She printed off three recipes, tried two of them and here’s the best.

The cakes are easier to make than they look, and they can be mixed up a day or two ahead, just don’t bake them until you’re ready to serve! How convenient is that? Thirty minutes before dessert, pop the desired number of cakes in a preheated oven, and they’ll be ready for afters! Yum!

The hardest part of making these, is getting the baking time just right. One minute too few, and the cake won’t unmold properly, one minute too many and the center firms up. But if you follow the baking tip in the recipe, all should be okay.

Oh, the other hardest part, finding the right sized ramekins! But having baked a dozen or more of these, I’ve decided it really doesn’t matter. Use any size you think works for a single serving or a shared serving, and just adjust the baking time by watching for the small dome top.

Hot Chocolate Lava Cakes

INGREDIENTS

• 6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, chopped—the better the chocolate, the better the cake!
• 2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
• 6 oz. butter
• 4½ tsp. cornstarch
• 1¼ cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 4 egg yolks
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

DIRECTIONS

1. Generously grease 5 oz. ramekins with softened butter, and set aside.
2. In the top of a double boiler combine both chopped chocolates and the butter.
3. Over simmering water, stir frequently until melted and combined.
4. In another bowl stir together the cornstarch and sugar, then whisk in the melted chocolate mixture.
5. Add in the whole eggs, the egg yolks, and the vanilla and whisk until smooth.
6. Divide the batter between the prepared ramekins, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least six hours—or up to three days.
7. Preheat oven to 375°.
8. As the cakes bake, the edges will rise. As soon as the dimple in the center of each cake puffs up and sets, they’re ready—leave the cakes in the oven any longer, and the centers will bake through and no longer be molten.
9. Bake the cakes for 24-26 minutes, or until the center top domes and middle is just set.
10. Remove ramekins from oven and let sit undisturbed for 5 minutes.
11. To unmold, place a dessert plate on top of the ramekin and another plate under the ramekin. Using hot pads, invert the ramekin onto the dessert plate.
12. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, and serve with or without a dollop of whipped cream or ice-cream, or fresh raspberries.

This recipe was found at Hungry Cravings, a website no longer updated.

Thanks for stopping by! Here’s hoping your day is overflowing with chocolate!