Countdown to Valentine's Day: Day Four

You can't have Valentine's Day without chocolate, so here is a delicious and decadent recipe from Nigella Lawson's book How to Be a Domestic Goddess.

Molten Chocolate Babycakes

scant 1/4cup soft unsalted butter, plus more for greasing
12 ounces best bittersweet chocolate
1/2 cup sugar
4 large eggs, beaten with a pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup all-purpose flour

6 individual 6-ounce custard cups, buttered
baking parchment

Unless you are making these up in advance, preheat the oven to 400 degrees, putting in baking sheet at the same time. Lay 3 of the custard cups on a sheet of doubled baking parchment. Draw round them, remove and then cut out the discs as marked. Press them all into the base of the cups.

Melt the chocolate and let it cool slightly. Cream together the butter and sugar, and gradually beat in the eggs and salt, then the vanilla. Now add the flour, and when all is smoothly combined scrape in the cooled chocolate, blending it to a smooth batter.

Divide the batter between the 6 custard cups, quickly whip the baking sheet out of the oven, arrange the little cups on it and replace in the oven. Cook for 10 - 12 minutes (the extra 2 minutes will be needed if the puddings are refrigerator-cold when you start) and as soon as you take them out of the oven, tip out these luscious babycakes onto small plates or shallow bowls.

Or............hop in the car and drive over to Trader Joe's. Check the freezer section for Chocolate Lava Cakes. Purchase. Bake as directed on the package.

In either case, serve with whipped cream, custard or ice cream. YUM!!