Winter-Spiced Molten Chocolate Cakes

I just had to have something chocolatey and dense today. What else is new, right? I was getting kind of sick of making hot chocolate. It just didn't taste the same anymore. So I decided to search for lava or molten chocolate cakes on epicurious and found a recipe I had made a few years ago: Winter-Spiced Molten Chocolate Cakes with Rum-Ginger Ice Cream. The title itself is enough to make your mouth water. Mmhmm. 

I didn't make the ice cream because that really would have been pushing it just to satisfy the craving of one person, namely myself, and I also decided to make just a half recipe (so 4 instead of 8 portions) to ensure no over-eating. I also left out the white pepper since I usually don't like pepper in my sweets. Although there are lots of ingredients in the cakes the recipe is really simple to make and the result is so delicious that any amount of work would have been worth it. 

Here's the recipe.

Makes 8

Ice Cream

1 pint vanilla ice cream, softened

2 tablesp. chopped crystallized ginger

1 tablesp. dark rum

Cakes

14 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped

1 1/4 c. ( 2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter

2 tsp. ground coriander

2 tsp. ground cardamom

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

1/2 tsp. ground white pepper

6 large eggs

6 large egg yolks

2 tsp. vanilla extract

3 c. powdered sugar

1 c. flour

Additional powdered sugar

Crystallized ginger strips

For ice cream:

Placed 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. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep frozen.)

For cakes:

Generously butter eight 3/4-c. soufflé dishes. Stir chocolate, butter and all spices 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 3 c. powdered sugar, then chocolate mixture, then flour. Transfer batter to prepared dishes, filling to top and dividing equally. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Preheat oven to 425°F. Bake cakes until batter has risen above dish, top edges are dark brown, and centers are still soft and runny, about 15 min, or about 18 min. for refrigerated batter. Run small knife around cakes to loosen. Allow cakes to rest in dishes 5 min. Using hot pad and holding dish very firmly, place plate gently atop 1 cake and invert onto plate. Repeat with remaining cakes. Dust with powdered sugar. Top with crystallized ginger. Serve cakes with rum-ginger ice cream. 

Spiced Hot Chocolate

For a while now I have been craving a really good hot chocolate. And what I mean by a "really good hot chocolate" is a thick, smooth, velvety, chocolatey drink that leaves you intensely satisfied and happy. 

The last time I had a really good hot chocolate was this summer at Ginger Elizabeth's in Sacramento (see previous blog post). You must be thinking "Who is crazy enough to drink a hot chocolate in the summer in Sacramento?!" But I had heard so many good things about the Oaxacan Spicy Hot Chocolate that I had to try it. And it did live up to the hype!

The last time I had had a really good hot chocolate before this summer was in the winter of 2006 when I was in Salzburg. It was at the famous café Demel. Not only was the hot chocolate delicious but so was the whipped cream (Austrian: Schlagobers, one of my favorite Austrian words) that topped it. Mmmm. Good memories. 

Seeing that it is so hard to find a good hot chocolate, I was very glad when I came across a recipe for Spiced Hot Chocolate in the Bon Appétit of December 2005 a couple of days ago. So today, when the craving for something I couldn't specify came over me, I remembered the recipe and went straight to work. The recipe is simple and the outcome is more than satisfying. The hint of cinnamon is just perfect. Believe me, this hot chocolate will make you happy. 

But one word of advice: do not drink it in the evening. I made my hot chocolate after dinner (which was a few hours ago) and I still feel like I could bounce off the walls! One last note: I made half the recipe, so technically enough for three people, and basically just filled up one mug with it, which used up 3/4 of the recipe I made. Next time I would just fill a mug halfway (since I don't have any demitasse cups) and then add whipped cream. That way you won't get quite the chocolate shock!

Here's the recipe:

Whisk:

2 c. whole milk

1/2 c. (packed) golden brown sugar

1/2 c. whipping cream

in a heavy large saucepan over medium heat until mixture begins to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and add

1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder

4 oz. (115 g) chopped bittersweet or semisweet chocolate

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Whisk until chocolate is melted and smooth. Pour hot chocolate into 6 demitasse cups. Garnish each with whipped cream and a cinnamon stick. 

Serves 6.