Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes For Two

this recipe from : livewellbakeoften.com

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These Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes for Two are the perfect small batch dessert! These lava cakes are incredibly easy to make and ready in less than 30 minutes.

You’ll start out by melting some butter and chocolate together in the microwave.  I like to buy a 4-ounce bar of semi-sweet chocolate and save it for whenever I want to make these lava cakes.  You’ll only need 2-ounces, so I just cut it in half and save the other half for later.  I really love Baker’s semi-sweet chocolate bars for this recipe and I use them all of the time in other recipes as well.

Once the chocolate is melted and smooth, you’ll whisk in some powdered sugar, an egg, one egg yolk, and a little vanilla extract.  Then, you’ll mix in some flour and a little instant espresso powder.  The espresso powder just enhances the chocolate flavor in these cakes, it won’t make them taste like coffee.  I love to add a little espresso powder to chocolate desserts to make them even more chocolatey.  If you don’t have any espresso powder, you can feel free to leave it out of the recipe.

I also used two 6-ounce ramekins to bake these and they worked perfectly for this recipe.  I have ramekins in a few different sizes and use them all of the time, they’re inexpensive and great to have on hand!

The cakes won’t take very long in the oven, I typically bake mine for right at 13 minutes.  The edges should be firm, but the center will be just a little soft.  That’s when you want to remove them from the oven, so the center flows out like the picture above!

You can really top these with anything you like as well.  A few of my personal favorite toppings are ice cream, chocolate sauce, and even homemade salted caramel sauce.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/4 cup (60 grams) unsalted butter
• 2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chopped
• 1/2 cup (60 grams) powdered sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup (32 grams) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
• 1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder optional

INSTRUCTIONS

• Preheat oven to 425°F. Spray two 6-ounce ramekins well with nonstick cooking spray and place on a baking sheet. Set aside.
• Add the butter and semi-sweet chocolate to a large microwave safe bowl and microwave in 20-30 second increments, making sure to stir well after each increment, until melted and smooth. Remove from the microwave and whisk in the powdered sugar until well combined, then add in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and mix until fully combined.
• Add in the flour and espresso powder and mix until just combined, making sure not to over mix the batter. Evenly divide the batter between the two prepared ramekins.
• Bake at 425° for 12-14 minutes or until the edges are firm and the center is slightly soft. Remove from the oven and allow to stand for 1 minute. Carefully invert each ramekin onto a small plate, serve, and enjoy!