In the middle of the week we had family over for dinner. Just hours before our guests were to arrive I realized we didn't have a dessert on hand. Instead of running out for a quick store bought carrot cake with Owen (which can be a real pain in the ass - if you have you have small children you know what I mean) I decided to check my trusty Everyday Food book Great Food Fast. I always wanted to try these Molten Chocolate Cakes and since all the ingredients are household staples (honestly, anyone would have these ingredients on-hand) I quickly made these instead.
In just a few minutes the batter was complete, divided into ramekins and covered in the fridge on a baking sheet. Then in the middle of dinner I preheated the oven and popped them in. In merely 20 minutes there were ready to serve.
And then we didn't eat them. The evening grew late too fast and with 2 one and a half year olds who were done dinner, we just moved onto a bit of pajama playtime and dessert just didn't seem to fit into the evening. And, to be honest, I was relieved because who serves a first time recipe to guests? Crazy people! I got nervous and figured it was for the best that we just let the night progress and not eat chocolate after 8pm *wired*.
So what happened to 6 molten chocolate cakes? I brought them to work today.
20 seconds in the microwave and
OH
MY
GOD!
Intense, dark, rich chocolate heaven. They don't taste like cake - they really taste like truffles. I immediately regret not forcing everyone to enjoy them warm from the oven the previous night. But the office got a treat and everyone agreed these were divine. Then we all ran for the water cooler - they are super rich. But I think I will keep this recipe around for future dinner parties because it really is a quick, versatile crowd pleaser.
