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Author:
Tracy Nawara
The perfect date-night dessert is obvious; something hot and something with chocolate is everyone’s go-to. You need a succulent dessert that you can share with someone special. Melty chocolate inside of a warm cake is sensual in itself.
Instead of a predictable chocolate lava cake, try an updated version with these Mini Molten Mocha Cakes for your next date night. The batter is an espresso-flavored chocolate cake batter using high-quality chocolate. The mini cakes are served with vanilla bean ice cream and some whole strawberries to dip in the molten mocha.
To start, you will want some individual baking pans for these mini cakes. 6-ounce ramekins work very well, but you could also use silicone cake molds. Many stores carry molds in a variety of shapes, including hearts for your date night. Use whatever cake molds or ramekins you have in individual cake sizes.
The cake batter is super decadent thanks to some high-quality chocolate. It is melted with some unsalted butter as a base before adding eggs, sea salt, flour, and instant espresso powder. The instant espresso powder gives an intense coffee flavor which only highlights the chocolate.
When baking these mini cakes, you will want to insert the toothpick or cake tester about ½-inch from the side. You want the middle to be gooey, so testing in the middle is not reliable enough. If the tester comes out clean close to the sides of the cake pan, move on to testing the middle. The middle should leave the toothpick wet, which is exactly what you want.
When serving these mini cakes, it is nice to have a creamy element also on the plate. Espresso and dark chocolate are rich flavors, so having some vanilla bean ice cream next to the cake rounds out the richness. It’s also nice to serve this cake and ice cream with whole strawberries for a fresh element against the decadent cake.
If you would like less coffee flavor, feel free to use instant coffee granules instead. You could omit the coffee from this recipe altogether, but chocolate and coffee are a great match. They both enhance each other’s flavor without overpowering either. This dessert is perfect for chocolate and coffee lovers.
Serve this dessert for your next big date night or Valentine’s Day. It is a rich dessert that is perfect for showing someone how much you care. Make these Mini Molten Mocha Cakes for your loved one and they will never leave your side!
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Butter two individual ramekins, about 6 ounces each. Dust the buttered ramekins with powdered sugar to keep the cakes from sticking.
Place chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 20-second bursts, stirring in between until the chocolate is melted with the butter. Allow it to cool slightly.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, egg yolk, sugar, espresso powder, and salt until combined. Also, add the chocolate mixture and whisk to combine. Fold in the flour carefully with a spatula, allow all of the flour to moisten, but do not overmix.
Divide the batter equally among the ramekins. Bake in a preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted ½-inch from the side comes out clean. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out wet at the same time.
Allow the cakes to cool slightly before inverting them onto a plate. Sprinkle the tops with optional powdered sugar. Serve with optional ice cream and strawberries for a fun date-night dessert.
