Time For Some Chocolate!

Every girls needs her share of princess-like treatment. Ladies, I see you nodding your head in agreement (and the men can roll their eyes all they want). Between office-cooking-cleaning-entertaining-cleaning some more-cooking again, it is only fair that we crave the occasional pampering. It can be something as simple as shutting the kitchen and going out for dinner or as fancy as a day at the spa. Whatever your choice of activity, kick off your shoes and enjoy some 'you' time once in a while.

I was in a 'happy zone', as I call it, after an awesome spa treatment yesterday. It was just what I needed after a grueling week at work. As I was sitting there, getting pampered, I could think of nothing but some chocolate! A decadent chocolaty treat and maybe a glass of wine following the spa treatment would've been the epitome of self-indulgence. Maybe a chocolate dessert with alcohol - what a great idea =D.

After a few minutes of browsing my favorite bloggers' pages and some others, I settled on this recipe. It seemed like the perfect five-ingredient-fix, with my addition of the sixth to make it a little naughty ;). A rich chocolate cake with a warm, ooey-gooey chocolaty surprise in the center is pure bliss! I've always been a sucker for molten chocolate cakes. How can one resist a decadent personalized chocolate cake with some berries on the side or a big scoop of ice-cream melting on top. Then you take a bite, and there it is - a pool of pure deliciousness. Rich molten chocolate oozes out of the cake - that molten chocolate muddled cake is the best surprise package ever! If I knew this cake was so easy to make, it would've made frequent rounds of my dining table. Molten chocolate cake it was, spiked with equally delicious Baileys Irish Cream. Talk about pampering!

The original recipe made 6 individual cakes. I cut the proportions in thirds to make enough for the two of us.

Molten Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:
2 oz. Semi-sweet chocolate (2 Baker's chocolate squares)
3 1/3 Tablespoons butter
1/2 Cup powdered sugar
1/6 Cup all purpose flour
1 Whole egg
1 Egg yolk
2-3 Teaspoons Baileys Irish Cream (based on how spiked you want it)

Pre-prep:

• Preheat oven at 425F.
• Butter two ramekins or custard cups and keep aside (use plenty of butter so the cakes come out clean). You can also use a parchment paper to line the cups. 

Method:

• Melt chocolate and butter in a bowl in the microwave for about 2 mins. Stir to mix well. 
• Add sugar, all purpose flour, one whole egg, one egg yolk and Baileys and whisk together until you have a smooth batter. No hand mixie required! 
• Pour half-and-half batter in the greased ramekins and bake for 14-15 minutes. Make sure the top of the cake is baked so it doesn't break while taking out. 
• Let it sit for 3-4 minutes. Run a knife around the edges of the cake to remove it easily. Place the dessert plate on top of the ramekin and turn it upside down quickly. This way, your cake will come out in one piece. 

Sprinkle some powdered sugar. I had nothing to garnish the cake with, but you can serve it with some strawberries or raspberries, walnuts, chocolate sauce, caramel, berry sauce or your favorite ice-cream. The serving options are endless and the result is thoroughly satisfying.

Have a great weekend!