Molten chocolate cakes

Last weekend, we had great friends over for dinner (shout out to Mary Ann, Armando and Amelia!). I was behind on dinner and dessert prep due to events that took place earlier that day, so when it came time to make an awesome dessert, I had to think fast and act even faster. I grabbed my copy of Great Food Fast from the folks at Martha's Everyday Food division and found a divine dessert.





(Seriously, that cookbook lives up to its name.)

I made the chocolatiest creation in the book: molten chocolate cakes. And yes, in TMI-land, chocolatiest is a word. You'd be surprised how often it appears in my vocabulary.


The prep work is very easy for this. Just preheat the oven, mix a few things, and bam! Chocolatey goodness is yours. Chocolatey--another word that gets a lot of use in my house.




Greasing the muffin cups with butter and coating with white sugar is brilliant. It makes a slightly crisp outside, and the cakes popped right out of the muffin tin. I'm going to start using this trick for other dessert recipes.




From start to finish, it took less than 30 minutes to make the molten chocolate cakes.

TMI note: do not over bake these cakes, or you'll lose the liquid chocolate magma deliciousness in the middle.

Another TMI note: these hold beautifully in the fridge for a few days. Just put your cake in the microwave for 30 seconds, and you are back in business. Which makes these cakes perfect for a quick and easy breakfast. If you're into chocolatey goodness first thing in the morning. Which I am.

I served these with ice cream and fresh whipped cream. Mmmmmmmmmmm.

I'm giving this recipe five gold stars--it's easy to make, impressive on the table and so so so delicious. And bonus: it requires no fancy ingredients or equipment. Try it tonight. And save one for breakfast in the morning!