Recipe: Winter-Spiced Molten Chocolate Cakes with Rum-Ginger Ice Cream

the appetizer:

Bon Appétit Desserts: The Cookbook For All Things Sweet and Wonderful by Barbara Fairchild, includes recipes like Honey-Roasted Peach Croustade with Almonds and Honey-Sweetened Greek Yogurt; Winter-Spiced Molten Chocolate Cakes with Rum-Ginger Ice Cream; and Pumpkin Cheesecake with Marshmallow-Sour Cream Topping and Gingersnap Crust.

Winter-Spiced Molten Chocolate Cakes
with Rum-Ginger Ice Cream

Makes 8

These cakes can be completely assembled the day before, then quickly baked before serving. Even though it goes against all the traditional rules of baking cakes, be sure to remove these from the oven while the centers are still soft and gooey—or "molten." Once the tops of the cakes are broken with a spoon, the soft centers become the sauce.

Ice Cream

1 pint vanilla ice cream, softened
2 tablespoons chopped crystallized ginger
1 tablespoon dark rum

Cakes

14 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate
(do not exceed 61% cacao), chopped
1-1/4 cups (2-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cardamom
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
6 large eggs
6 large egg yolks
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups powdered sugar
1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
Additional powdered sugar
Crystallized ginger strips

Ice Cream: Place softened ice cream in medium bowl. Using plastic spatula, fold ginger and rum into ice cream. Transfer to airtight container. Freeze ice cream mixture until firm, about 4 hours.

Do Ahead: Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep frozen.

Cakes: Generously butter eight 3/4-cup soufflé dishes. Stir chocolate, butter, coriander, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, and white pepper in heavy medium saucepan over low heat until melted and smooth. Cool slightly. Whisk eggs, egg yolks, and vanilla in large bowl to blend. Whisk in powdered sugar, then chocolate mixture, then flour. Transfer batter to prepared dishes, filling to top.

Do Ahead: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Bake cakes until batter has risen above sides of dish, top edges are dark brown, and center is still soft and runny, about 15 minutes (or about 18 minutes for refrigerated batter). Run small knife around cakes to loosen. Allow cakes to stand in dishes 5 minutes. Place small plate atop 1 dish with cake. Using oven mitts or pot holders, hold plate and dish firmly together and invert, allowing cake to settle onto plate. Repeat with remaining cakes. Sift additional powdered sugar over cakes. Top with crystallized ginger strips. Serve cakes with rum-ginger ice cream.