Chocolate Cravings: Hot chocolate cake

Chocolate cravings can only mean one thing; random baking in the middle of the night after a busy work week. I know my chocolate cravings well enough to concoct my own chocolate remedies and this is no different. I do not have a set recipe that I follow through for this hot chocolate cake - I make it with heart, and lots of heart.

All I know is I do not want this chocolate cake to have a lot of flour. I want it to be dense, chocolaty and not too sweet with maybe a slightly gooey center. There are days when my sweet tooth cries out louder than my chocolate cravings but not this time, this is all about the chocolate and the bittersweet smooth after taste. This is one reason why I made this hot chocolate cake in individual ramekins because they are very, very rich.

I had a bar of Lindt Ecuador 75% dark chocolate for my fix in this recipe and I would use all 3.5oz of it + 1/2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips - melted with a bit of cream. Here is my recipe:

1 bar of Lindt Excellence Ecuador 75% dark chocolate
1/2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 eggs, separate the whites and the yolks
1/2 cup of cream (15% or 35%, whichever floats your boat)
1/8 cup of butter
1/4 cup flour
2 heaping tablespoon of icing sugar

Method:
Set the oven to 375 F. Butter 4 ramekins for later.

1. Break the chocolate bar into chunks and add the semi sweet chocolate chips into a bowl. Add your cream and butter with the chocolates and zap it in the microwave for 1 min on high.
2. Whisk your chocolate, cream and butter until you get a satiny thick chocolate sauce.
3. Add your egg yolks, flour and icing sugar into the chocolate and combine well. Run your chocolate mixture through a sieve to ensure a smooth consistency.
4. After that, whisk your egg whites until stiff peaks are form and gently fold them into the chocolate mixture.
5. Fill the chocolate concoction into your buttered up ramekins up to 3/4 full. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, the center of the cake should still be a bit wobbly.

Once a little cool, run a knife through the corners of the ramekins and topple your hot chocolate over. Sprinkle with a bit of icing sugar and decorate with some fruits. Or just pick it up and pop it into your mouth for an instant satisfaction. :)