Servings: —
There’s something about having your own individual chocolate cake-and getting to devour it all in one sitting-especially this one, which I dare say verges on perfection. Everyone deserves to feel like royalty once in a while, even if the experience is fleeting. (But then you can always make these again.)
Ingredients
A little butter for the ramekins
4 lg eggs
1/3 cup butter
6 oz semisweet chocolate (1¼ cup chocolate chips)
¼ cup sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 drop almond extract
Directions
Separate the eggs well ahead of time, while they’re still cold; cover and let come to room temperature.
Melt the chocolate and butter about 20 minutes ahead of time, so they have time to cool, but won’t harden.
If you don’t have ramekins, you can use custard cups.
Preheat the oven to 350°. Lightly butter the bottoms of six 4-ounce ramekins, and place them on a baking tray.
Separate the eggs, placing the yolks in a small bowl and the whites in a medium-large one. Cover tightly and let come to room temperature.
Gently melt the butter and chocolate together in a double boiler or a microwave at low power. Transfer to a medium-large mixing bowl, and allow to cool for 20 minutes or so. Meanwhile, beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks, gradually sprinkling in the sugar. (You don’t need to clean the beaters before proceeding to the next step.)
When the chocolate has cooled down beat in the egg yolks. Continue to beat for a few minutes, gradually adding the extracts.
Spoon 1/3 of the beaten egg whites into the chocolate, and fold briefly. Then slide in the remaining egg whites, and fold together deftly and gracefully with a rubber spatula, bringing the chocolate up from the bottom, until the batter is well blended. (It doesn’t have to be perfect.)
Spoon the batter into the prepared ramekins, and place the whole tray on the center rack of the oven. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until puffed up nicely (for big ramekins, bake 20 minutes). The centers of the cakes should still be a little soft.
Remove the tray from the oven, and let the ramekins rest for about 10 minutes. You may serve the souffles in the ramekins, or loosen the sides with a dinner knife, and transfer the cakes to individual serving plates. Spoon some whipped cream on the side, and decorate with fruit and small sprigs of mint, if desired. Serve soon, as this tastes best fresh and warm.
Optional Garnishes: Whipped cream Rasperries, or slices of kiwifruit or mango Sprigs of fresh mint
Yield.- 6 small cakes time: 50 minutes (15 minutes of work)