Valentine’s Day Food: Fallen Chocolate Cakes

Valentine’s Day is upon us, and for many people this means baking something lovely for their sweetheart. But based on my history of baking failures (too long to list) my sweetheart would probably prefer I just brought over some Just Jimmies. Not this time, pal.

I have been working on a few recipes, and this one seems fool-proof, and much more impressive to look at than it is difficult to make. You can even put it together while you are washing the dishes from the last thing you made. (I’m still not quite there with my new year’s resolutions…) Granted, when I popped mine out of the ramekin the bottom fell out immediately and oozed onto the plate, but it was still photo-worthy and delicious. You can use any spices that you want with this – nutmeg, cayenne, clove, etc., but I like cinnamon and all spice. Top the cakes with a pinch of high quality sea salt or a little whipped cream and berries and your Valentine just may swoon.

Fallen Chocolate Cakes (makes enough for 4 small ramekins or 2 large ramekins with a fair amount of batter left over)
1 stick unsalted butter
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon all spice
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar, plus more for dusting
3 large eggs plus 3 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
for finishing: pinch nice sea salt, powdered sugar, whipped cream, raspberries (optional)

Preheat oven to 400. Butter ramekins and sprinkle each with granulated sugar. This is important, do not skip this step.

Combine cinnamon, all spice, butter and chocolate in a saucepan over low heat until melted. Whisk the flour, powdered sugar, eggs and yolks, and vanilla in a bowl until creamy. Whisk in the melted chocolate mixture. Divide among the prepared ramekins.

Bake until the tops are stiff (though centers will still look jiggly), 12 to 14 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool 5 minutes. Loosen the edges of the cakes with a knife and transfer to plates. Top as you desire. Voila.