Molten Chocolate Babycakes are another recipe via the wonderful Nigella Lawson, from her book How to Be A Domestic Goddess. This has to be one of my most used cookbooks, and it is has the flour marks and batter splotches on it to prove it! If you do not have it in your cookbook collection, I urge you to get hold of a copy as soon as you can. Aside from the delicious recipes, Nigella’s writing style is a delight, and for me this book is as much a treasured reading companion as a recipe tome. But on to the Babycakes.
I made these in honour of Valentine’s Day, and so I chose to use my heart shaped Le Creuset custard dishes. I can’t think of any dessert more appropriate for Valentine’s Day than something soft, voluptuous and chocolatey like this. You can, however, use any 6 ounce oven safe custard dish.
You need to line the dishes with bits of baking parchment, so as instructed in the recipe, I traced round the bottom of the dishes and cut out little heart shapes. I also brushed the dishes themselves with melted butter before I inserted the parchment.
Like all of Nigella’s recipes, this one is easy to follow and if you do as she says, it will turn out beautifully. Do not, as I did with my first attempt, decide to cook these just a little longer than she says or you will end up with lots of cake and very little molten chocolate. Luckily, I baked half of the recipe the first time round, and stored the rest in the fridge overnight. My second attempt was much more successful than the first. I brought the dishes to room temperature so they were not going into the oven fridge cold, and baked them for exactly 11 minutes to molten gorgeousness.
I made a couple of changes to the Molten Chocolate Babycakes recipe, substitute almond extract for vanilla, and using a bit less sugar. I was really pleased with the results. As the dark chocolate makes these intense in an almost ‘death by chocolate’ way, I served them with good vanilla ice cream.
Here are the measurements and ingredients I used.
¼ cup soft unsalted butter, plus more for greasing
12 ounces best dark chocolate (I used Lindt 70% cocoa bars)
½ cup caster sugar (superfine sugar)
4 large eggs, beaten with a pinch of salt
(be sure to use free range, organic or pastured eggs)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I used an equal amount of almond extract)
⅓ cup all purpose (plain) or Italian 00 flour (I used the 00 flour)
For the method, please click here to go to Nigella.com.
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