Molten Chocolate Lava Cake

I have been scared of from scratch cakes for years. When I was younger, during my first marriage I tried making a carrot cake from scratch using baby carrots because we had no other carrots. After wrecking my fingers and lots of tears it tasted like... well... I would rather not use that sort of language in my blog!

So I was always a box mix person. And for a lot of cakes that is easy, convenient and quick quick quick! But a whole cake is too much for my husband and I. And sometimes you just want a little bit of a sweet snack!

So I pulled myself up by my cooking bootstraps and got myself to make some chocolate molten lava cakes from scratch. And they were amazing!!

I don't have a fear of from scratch cakes anymore, that's for sure! And I hope you brave this recipe too, because you will be really glad you did!

Just gather just a few ingredients...

Oh yeah. Just for ease go ahead and measure the 6 tablespoons of flour ahead of time, because measuring 6 tablespoons of flour when you're in the middle of a recipe is a pain in the butt!

The first thing you are going to want to do is take an extra tablespoon of butter or two and butter your baking dishes.

This is in addition to the 1 stick that will go in the cake batter.

The last thing you want is your cakes to stick!!

Now take two of your eggs and separate the yolks.

I would have taken a picture of me doing so, but you've already seen that!

Set them aside, and go ahead and unwrap your chocolate. I love using the Ghirardelli chocolate, but I really really like the taste. It's just smoother to me than normal bakers chocolate.

God I feel like I've got a golden ticket...

'Cause I've got a golden ticket
I've got a golden chance to make my way
And with a golden ticket, it's a golden day!!

Yeah okay enough of that.

Go ahead and break it up in a microwave safe bowl.

Throw in a stick of butter or margarine...

And microwave for one minute. Or at least until that butter is melted!

And mix that all together until the chocolate is melted and it's all smooth.

Use a wire whisk preferably. Anything else really isn't going to get that chocolate and butter combined quite as well.

Now add the following ingredients in order...

Making sure to mix in the ingredient before moving onto the next one!

You'll need 1 cup of powdered sugar...

2 Eggs and the 2 Egg Yolks you separated earlier...

And 6 Tablespoons of flour.

Mix that all together until it's smooth. You'll find that in between ingredients that the batter is going to start getting thicker and harder to stir. It's supposed to, don't worry.

And with the flour, you're going to want to fold it in the first few times before really mixing. Otherwise it's going to go everywhere! And trust me that's the voice of experience there.

I'm so sick of cleaning flour off the floor...

Anyway, mix that until it's smooth!

Divide the batter between the 4 cups, and put them in an oven preheated to 425 degrees for about 13 to 14 minutes.

The sides should be done while the middle should still be soft. The lava element actually comes from the fact that the cake batter isn't quite cooked all the way in the middle. It will be hot, but it will not be solid.

*catchy jingle* The more you know!

Oh yeah that looks amazing! Now very lightly run a knife around the inside, and turn the Lava cake over on a plate upside down. Serve these warm! Otherwise, there's just not much lavaness to the lava cake.

My husband personally likes 2... I can't say I blame him!

It looks so delicious!

Molten Chocolate Lava Cake

4 ounces semi-sweet baking chocolate

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine

1 cup powdered sugar

2 eggs

2 egg yolks

6 Tbsp. all purpose flour

1 to 2 Tbsp. butter for baking dishes

Preheat oven to 425ºF. Butter four 3/4 cup custard or soufflé dishes. Place on baking sheet.

Microwave chocolate and butter in a large microwaveable bowl on high for 1 minute, or until the butter is melted. Stir with a wire whisk until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is smooth. Stir in powdered sugar until well blended. Blend in eggs and egg yolks with a wire whisk. Stir in flour. Divide batter among prepared custard cups.

Bake 13 to 14 minutes or until sides are firm but centers are soft. Let stand for 1 minute. Carefully run a small knife around the cakes to loosen, invert cakes onto dessert dishes. Serve immediately, top with powdered sugar or whipped cream.