So, I’ve taken a few week hiatus from blogging.  I’m sure you all have been waiting with baited breath for my next post, am I right?.  Anyway, I have a decent excuse – we just bought/moved into our first home, and have been doing a lot of exciting work- painting, putting up shelves, assembling furniture, re-caulking granite…oh the joys of being homeowners!  But actually, it’s sort of fun. Most importantly, our new kitchen is about four times larger with a lot of natural light – a food blogger’s dream come true!

To be honest, I’m usually pretty ambivalent about chocolate.  It’s great every once in a while, sure, but it’s not on the top of my list for dessert options. Cheesecake? Yes please. Crème brûlée? Definitely. Chocolate cake?  Mm..ok.

However, a molten chocolate cake topped with a cognac berry coulis is an entirely different story.  I fully believe chocolate cakes should always be molten – that warm, gooey interior is heavenly. 

This is a super easy recipe that can be made the night before, then popped into the oven during dinner and, voila, your dessert is ready in less than a half hour to totally wow your company! Just make sure you leave a lot of room for dessert, because this is one decadent indulgence.

Molten Chocolate Cake

Yield: 4 servings //  Prep: 25 minutes // Total time: 45 minutes

For the fruit coulis:

• 1 16-ounce bag frozen mixed berries (including cherries) or bag of frozen pitted dark sweet cherries
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup high quality brandy (cognac, preferably)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• few grates of fresh nutmeg (or pinch of ground)

For the chocolate cake:

• 4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 4 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped (or chocolate chips)
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 4 large egg yolks
• 2 large eggs
• 4 teaspoons all purpose flour

For garnish:

• Powdered sugar
• Fresh mint

Combine frozen berries, 1 cup sugar, cognac, cinnamon and nutmeg in small nonstick saucepan. Stir over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Bring to a low simmer for 15 minutes until sauce thickens. Turn off the heat and set aside the berry sauce in a warm place.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Gratuitously butter four small ramekins. In a small bowl, combine cocoa and the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar.  Combine the chocolate and butter in a small saucepan over low heat and stir frequently until the chocolate melts, about 3 minutes. Remove chocolate from heat, and stir in the cocoa mixture. Stir in egg yolks, then the whole eggs and flour. Divide the chocolate batter between the four buttered ramekins.

Place the cakes on a baking sheet and bake for about 23 minutes, or until the edges of the cakes are firm, but the center is slightly shiny. Carefully flip cakes onto plates. Top with berry sauce and garnish with powdered sugar and mint.