Sunday, February 17, 2008

Molten Lava Chocolate Cakes

Here's a Paula Deen recipe that is great for special occasions! I made them for Jay and I for Valentine's Day. It's similar to the Chili's molten cake, with a liquid inside! I have no idea how the chemistry works; you don't inject anything, it just turns out firm on the outside and "molten" on the inside. As Paula would say, it will make you want to slap your mama! I made them in a muffin tin, and those are smaller than the called-for 6oz custard cups. Take a couple minutes off the bake time if you do this; mine could have stood to be a bit more molten. I also did not use the orange liquer--not something I have around the house, or really want to make a special trip to the liquor store for!

Molten Lava Cakes

6 (1-ounce) squares bittersweet chocolate
2 (1-ounce) squares semisweet chocolate
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 stick) butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
3 large eggs
3 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons orange liqueur

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Grease 6 (6-ounce) custard cups. Melt the chocolates and butter in the microwave, or in a double boiler. Add the flour and sugar to chocolate mixture. Stir in the eggs and yolks until smooth. Stir in the vanilla and orange liqueur. Divide the batter evenly among the custard cups. Place in the oven and bake for 14 minutes. The edges should be firm but the center will be runny. Run a knife around the edges to loosen and invert onto dessert plates.