If you are looking for a quick’n'easy last-minute Valentine’s dessert idea, this one is for you! I threw these together yesterday as a bit of a trial run for tonight’s Valetine’s dinner with company, and I thought they were just terrific – goey, chocolatey, a little crispy on the outside, and extremely quick and easy to prepare.
Here’s the printable recipe:
Molten Lava Cakes
- 2 ounces UNSWEETENED chocolate
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter
- 3 whole eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 6 tablespoons flour
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup SEMI-SWEET chocolate chips
- ice-cream for serving, if desired (I like this 5-minute, no-machine recipe, or this blackberry recipe)
1. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees Farenheit.
2. Coat 4 custard cups or 1-cup ramekins with non-stick spray.
3. Melt together the chocolate and the butter by either microwaving them for a minute or two, or in a saucepan over low heat. Stir until smooth (I microwave mine in a large, 8-cup Pyrex measuring cup so I can just add the rest of the ingredients right in).
4. Add the rest of the ingredients except for the chocolate chips and stir well to combine.
5. Stir in the chocolate chips.
6. Divide the batter between the baking dishes and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until all but the very center is set (before you do this, it’s nice to set your baking dishes onto a rimmed cookie sheet so they can be placed into and removed from the oven all at once).
7. Allow the cakes to cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, then slide a butter knife all the way around the side of each ramekin, helping each cake pull away from the dish. Place the ramekins over individual plates upside down, and allow the cakes to slip out on their own (sometimes they stick, but usually they don’t).
Serve immediately with ice-cream and enjoy!
