Chocolate molten lava cakes for 2

Can you believe that Valentine's Day has come and gone?  My husband and I used to go out for dinner when we were first dating, but because it was insanely expensive, we decided that it would actually be more fun (and romantic) to make dinner at home. Every year we try to make something special that we would normally order at a fancy restaurant.

This year, we decided to go casual and made lobster rolls, Hawaiian ahi tuna poke and these chocolate molten lava cakes. There are a gazillion recipes for lava cakes, and I've tried a few that either didn't turn out well or failed due to user error (baking fail on my part). This one seemed promising since it only made two cakes, and it didn't involve a separate step to make the gooey centers. In our childless days many years ago, I would have happily made the truffle centers separately, but we simply don't have the time with a rambunctious toddler.

These cakes can be made and baked in less than twenty minutes, which is a huge plus in my book. We both were impressed with these Valentine's desserts. The exterior of the cakes were nicely baked, and the insides were chocolately and gooey as we expected. And to top things off, these were portion-controlled treats that yielded no leftovers.

If you need a chocolate fix or want to impress a special someone, bake these. The twenty minutes it takes to make and bake these cakes is worth it.

Chocolate molten lava cakes for two

• 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 2 TBSP butter
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar, plus extra for garnish
• 1 egg
• 3 TBSP all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 TBSP Nutella (optional)

Directions

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Generously grease 2 ramekins with non-stick cooking spray. Place the ramekins on a baking sheet and set aside.

In a medium, microwave-safe bowl, melt the chocolate chips and butter in the microwave for about 1 and 1/2 minutes. Stir every 30 seconds until smooth.

Add the powdered sugar and mix until incorporated.  Then add the egg and whisk until smooth.

Stir in flour and vanilla extract and mix until no lumps remain.

Evenly distribute the batter into the two prepared ramekins and put the baking pan into oven.

Bake the cakes for 12 minutes.

Remove the cakes from the oven and let them rest for 1 minute before inverting onto a plate.

Dust with powdered sugar and a dollop of Nutella if desired. You can also garnish with berries, ice cream or chocolate sauce for a super indulgent treat!

Yield: Two servings

Source: swEEts by e; originally adapted from the Food Network