Valentine's Post, Part Two

I was going to delay this post to write about the glorious victory of the Jazz over the Lakers, but you need only see Megan’s awesome post to get my feelings on that subject.

So instead let me continue my discourse on Valentine’s Day. If my earlier post did not convince you of the loveliness of this holiday, let me just mention one word: chocolate. I think one of the reasons I love Valentine’s so much is because this is a holiday in which Chocolate Is King. And not just your run-of-the-mill kitkats and Hershey bars that the true candy junkies favor, but decadent, quality chocolate that makes my soul sing. Some may prefer heart-shaped sugar cookies or cupcakes, but for me this is the time of year that I drool over chocolate-covered strawberries on display in the window of Godiva and ponder the mystery of why Dove promises taste so much better when they are shaped like hearts.

So, in honor of the season, I have posted a recipe for what I think is the quintessential Valentine’s Day dessert. It’s not cutesy or overly sweet, just filled with an intense, warm chocolate flavor. Downright sexy, really.

This recipe comes from the cookbook How to be a Domestic Goddess: Baking and the Art of Comfort Cooking by Nigella Lawson, and, as the name implies, produces individually portioned chocolate cakes that are runny in the middle. Ice cream on the side is an absolute necessity.

Molten Chocolate Babycakes

Ingredients:
scant 1/4 cup soft unsalted butter, plus more for greasing
12 ounces best bittersweet chocolate (I stock up when ghirardelli is on sale)
1/2 cup sugar
4 large eggs, beaten with a pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup all-purpose flour

6 individual 6-ounce custard cups
baking parchment

1) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Put in a baking sheet at the same time.
2) Lay 3 of the custard cups on a sheet of doubled baking parchment. Trace around them, then cut out the discs as marked and press into the base of the greased cups.
3) Melt the chocolate and let it cool slightly.
4) Cream together the butter and sugar, then gradually beat in the eggs and salt, then the vanilla.
5) Add the flour, and when it is all blended add the melted chocolate and blend to a smooth batter.
6) Divide the batter among the 6 cups and place them on the baking sheet in the oven.
7) Bake for 10-12 minutes (12 minutes if you make the batter up ahead of time and refrigerate it in the cups).
8) Tip each babycake out onto a small plate or shallow bowl. Add a big scoop of vanilla ice cream. Serve immediately.

Note: You can make this batter up ahead of time and refrigerate it in the custard cups. I have even made them up a day or so in advance and they came out just fine. Also, if you don’t need to make all six, the recipe works just fine when halved.