Molten Chocolate Cakes with Sugar-Coated Raspberries

Molten Chocolate Cakes
with Sugar-Coated Raspberries

Serves 8

These decadent, oozy chocolate cakes are even easier than brownies. This is a drop-dead-terrific dessert.

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter
1-1/3 cups chocolate chips or semisweet chocolate, cut into small chunks
5 large eggs
1/2 cup sugar, plus a little more for coating raspberries
Pinch of salt
4 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1 half pint (about 6 ounces) raspberries

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Line 8 cups of a muffin tin (1/2-cup-capacity cups) with extra-large paper liners (they should extend above cups to facilitate removal; if papers are foil-lined, remove foil paper). Coat papers with vegetable cooking spray.

Melt butter and chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth; remove from heat.

With an electric mixer, beat eggs, sugar, and salt in another medium bowl until sugar dissolves. Beat egg mixture, then flour, into chocolate.

Divide batter among muffin cups. Bake until batter puffs but centers are not set, 8 to 10 minutes. Let stand in tin for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, flick raspberries with a little water and roll in sugar to coat.

Carefully lift cakes from tin and transfer to dessert plates, removing paper liners. Top each cake with sugared berries and serve.

When should I serve it?
For an intimate dinner or when you want an impressive dessert that preps and bakes really fast.

How far ahead can I make it?
The batter can be made 1 week ahead and refrigerated; return to room temperature 1 hour before baking.

How can I vary it?
For Passover, substitute unsalted margarine for the butter and ground matzo for the flour.

Buy the Book!

from:
Perfect Recipes for Having People Over
by Pamela Anderson
Houghton Mifflin Company
Hardcover; 432 pages, $35.00
ISBN: 0618329722
Recipe reprinted by permission.