Warm Chocolate Melting Cake

The very name "warm chocolate melting cake" fulfills my inner yearnings. My entire extended family went a cruise a few years ago, and this dessert was on the menu every night. I cannot tell you how many of these amazing mounds of molten chocolatey goodness my family ate that week. We ordered two per person, or got one in addition to other desserts. It kind of became an addiction, and we would sheepishly try to find ways to hide the fact that we were eating so many.

"But I don't want dessert!" "Order a warm, chocolate melting cake anyway, and then sneak it to me. I've already had two tonight!"

Somewhere in my mind, I had labeled this as one of those "too good to be humanly possible to make at home" recipes, and I'll be honest, there are some very complex recipes out there.
I found this very simple one from a fellow food blogger, twisted it around just a little bit, and here it is, presented for your enjoyment. These are quite rich, so don't make them too big. I like to tone them down a little by serving them with fresh fruit and a big scoop of homemade ice cream.


Warm Chocolate Melting Cake

Ingredients

• 4 1/2 ounces dark / semisweet chocolate
• 1/4 cup whipping cream
• 2 whole eggs
• 1 egg yolk
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• pinch salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 tablespoons flour

Out of the ordinary equipment

• Individual ramekins, or little souffle dishes

Melt the chocolate and cream together in a double boiler until very smooth, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and let cool somewhat.

In another bowl, beat the eggs, egg yolk, sugar, salt, and vanilla until very frothy and light. Gently stir in the chocolate mixture, and mix until even and smooth. Don't overwork the batter: you need to keep it light and fluffy.

Gently sift the flour over the top of the mixture (you really don't want it to be clumpy at all), and stir in. Pour the batter into 6 well-greased and floured ramekins (if you're going to get them out at the end, it's crucial that they don't stick, so grease well).

Place the ramekins on a cookie sheet and bake at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes. This is tricky stuff: you want the outsides to be cooked and cake-like, but the insides still molten and gooey. Watch carefully. A finished cake shouldn't jiggle much in the center.

You can either serve them in the ramekins, or without the ramekins. If you're going to get them out, let them sit for a minute or two, then (carefully) place serving dishes upside-down on top of the ramekins and invert. This is why they must be greased well: sticking = dessert disaster.

Serve with fresh fruit, whipped cream, or ice cream.