Happy Pi day!

And how does one celebrate pi day? With pie, of course!


It's been a busy week, so I wanted a quick and easy recipe, and it really doesn't get much easier than this simple chocolate truffle pie from Paula Deen. I wanted to decorate the pie with nerdy goodness in whipped cream on top, but since I was taking the pie somewhere, and the chocolate filling already mounded pretty high, the whipped cream didn't happen. But that's ok, the pie was ridiculously rich as it was. I was afraid bittersweet chocolate would be too much for me, so I used semisweet instead.

I didn't feel like cranking up the stove, so I heated everything in the microwave. Nuke 2/3 cup cream until it's boiling, add to 6 oz chocolate, let sit 1 minute, then stir, stir, stir. For the whipped chocolate filling, I added the chocolate and cream in a bowl, and microwaved for just 30 seconds. Stir well, then microwaved in 15 second increments. Be careful heating chocolate, so it doesn't scorch.

Next time I make this pie, I'd probably skip the chocolate ganache on the bottom, and just do the whipped chocolate filling and whipped cream. Blasphemy, I know. But seriously, this pie is that rich. The whipped filling is also just heavy cream and chocolate, but since it's whipped, it's deceptively "light."

Truffle Pie
Source: Paula Deen

Ingredients
Truffle Filling:
* 2/3 cup heavy cream
* 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips
* 1 (9-inch) prepared graham cracker crust

Whipped Chocolate Filling:
* 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips
* 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
* 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Whipped Cream Topping:
* 1 cup heavy cream
* 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

Garnish:
* 1 1/2 ounces milk chocolate
* 1 1/2 ounces white chocolate
* 1 1/2 ounces semisweet or dark chocolate

Directions
For the truffle filling, in a saucepan, bring 2/3 cup cream to a simmer. Place the 6 ounces chocolate chips in a bowl and pour the hot cream over the chocolate. Let stand for 1 minute, then gently whisk until smooth. Spread truffle filling over the bottom of the prepared piecrust. Freeze for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, for the whipped chocolate filling, in a double boiler or a microwave set on low power, heat the 6 ounces chocolate chips with 1/2 cup of the cream until the chocolate is just melted, stirring often. Let cool to room temperature. In a chilled bowl, beat the chocolate mixture, remaining 1 cup of cream and the vanilla until soft peaks form (tips curl). Spread the whipped chocolate mixture over the truffle filling in the crust. Refrigerate overnight.

For the topping, just before serving, beat 1 cup cream on medium speed of an electric mixer until it begins to thicken. Add confectioners' sugar and whip until stiff peaks form (tips stand straight). Spread the whipped cream over the top of the pie. Using a grater or vegetable peeler, make pieces or shavings of milk chocolate, white chocolate, and semisweet or dark chocolate. Garnish pie with chocolate pieces. Serve immediately.

Homemade Samoas Bars

Girl Scout cookies. Gotta love them. Until you realize you just paid $4 for 5 cookies.

I made these for a potlock, and was told they were better than GS cookies. I used unsweetened coconut, so it was not supersweet like GS cookies, but definitely sweet enough. The original recipe also said to toast the coconut for 20 minutes, turning every 5 minutes. Yeah. Don't do that. At 5 minutes, the coconut wasn't really toasted. At 10 minutes, the coconut was extra crispy. Extra crispy coconut is not good coconut. Just hang out close to the oven while toasting, I think I toasted 7 or 8 minutes total, tossing every couple minutes.

Homemade Samoas Bars
Source: bakingbites.com
Cookie Base:
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt

First, make the crust.
Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking pan, or line with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, cream together sugar and butter, until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla extract. Working at a low speed, gradually beat in flour and salt until mixture is crumbly, like wet sand. The dough does not need to come together. Pour crumbly dough into prepared pan and press into an even layer.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, until base is set and edges are lightly browned. Cool completely on a wire rack before topping.

Topping:
3 cups shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
12-oz good-quality chewy caramels
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp milk
10 oz. dark or semisweet chocolate (chocolate chips are ok)

Preheat oven to 300. Spread coconut evenly on a parchment-lined baking sheet (preferably one with sides) and toast 8 minutes, stirring every 3 minutes, until coconut is golden. Cool on baking sheet, stirring occasionally. Set aside.

Unwrap the caramels and place in a large microwave-safe bowl with milk and salt. Cook on high for 3-4 minutes, stopping to stir a few times to help the caramel melt. When smooth, fold in toasted coconut with a spatula.
Put dollops of the topping all over the shortbread base. Using the spatula, spread topping into an even layer. Let topping set until cooled.
When cooled, cut into 30 bars with a large knife or a pizza cutter (it’s easy to get it through the topping).

Once bars are cut, melt chocolate in a small bowl. Heat on high in the microwave in 45 second intervals, stirring thoroughly to prevent scorching. Dip the base of each bar into the chocolate and place on a clean piece of parchment or wax paper. Transfer all remaining chocolate (or melt a bit of additional chocolate, if necessary) into a piping bag or a ziploc bag with the corner snipped off and drizzle bars with chocolate to finish.
Let chocolate set completely before storing in an airtight container.

Makes 30 bar cookies.

Note: You can simply drizzle chocolate on top of the bars before slicing them up if you’re looking for yet an easier way to finish these off. You won’t need quite as much chocolate as noted above, and you won’t quite get the Samoas look, but the results will still be tasty.

Almost-Fudge Gateau

This Christmas, buy the undying love of your friendly neighborhood chocolaholic with this rich chocolate cake. Simple to make, with ingredients that I always have on hand (though, I will say egg whites do not fold into melted chocolate very easily). The ganache was a bit too much for me, but the cake alone was incredible.

This particular Dorie Greenspan book is now on the short list of books I want. I've now made 3 recipes from it, and I've loved all 3. I can't say I'm 3 for 3 for any other cookbook I've tried. I didn't blog about the Coconut Thins, but I did about the French Pear Tart


Almost-Fudge Gateau
Source: Baking: From my home to yours by Dorie Greenspan

Ingredients:
For the cake:
5 large eggs
9 oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup sugar
5 tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into chunks
2 tbsp. coffee or water
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
pinch of salt

For the glaze:
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tsp. light corn syrup

Directions:
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-inch springform pan, line the bottom with parchment paper, butter the paper, dust the inside of the pan with flour and tap out the excess. Place the pan on a baking sheet.

Separate the eggs, putting the whites in a mixer bowl or other large bowl and the yolks in a small bowl.

Set a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and add the chocolate, sugar, butter and coffee. Stir occasionally until the chocolate and butter are melted; the sugar may still be grainy - that is fine. Transfer the bowl to the counter and let the mixture sit for 3 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the yolks one by one, then fold in the flour. Working with the whisk attachment of the mixer, beat the egg whites with the pinch of salt until they hold firm but glossy peaks. Using the spatula, stir about one quarter of the beaten whites in to the batter, then gently fold in the rest. Scrape the batter into the pan and jiggle the pan from side to side a couple of times to even the batter.

Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until the cake has risen evenly (it might rise around the edges and you’ll think it’s done, but give it a few minutes more, and the center will puff too) and the top has firmed (it will probably be cracked) and doesn’t shimmy when tapped; a thin knife inserted into the center should come out just slightly streaked with chocolate. Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and let the cake rest for 5 to 10 minutes.

Run a blunt knife gently around the edges of the cake and remove the sides of the pan. Carefully turn the cake over onto a rack and remove the pan bottom and the parchment paper. Invert the cake onto another rack and cool to room temperature right side up. As the cake cools, it may sink.

To make the glaze, turn the cooled cake onto another rack so you’ll be glazing the flat bottom, and place the rack over a baking sheet lined with parchment or wax paper to catch any drips.

Put the chocolate in a small heatproof bowl. Melt the chocolate over a pan of simmering water or in a microwave oven - the chocolate should be just melted and only warm, not hot. Meanwhile, bring the cream to a boil in a small saucepan. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and stir very gently with a rubber spatula until the mixture is smooth and shiny. Stir in the corn syrup.

Pour the glaze over the cake and smooth the top with a long metal icing spatula. Don’t worry if the glaze drips unevenly down the sides of the cake, it will add to its charm. Allow the glaze to set at room temperature, or slip the cake into the refrigerator for about 20 minutes.

Is there nothing that Oreos can't improve?

These guys don't need an introduction. If the name alone doesn't make you run out to buy marshmallows, oreos, and rice crispies, then you might want to check your pulse. Nom, nom!

Cookies and Cream Rice Crispy Treats
Source: Picky Palate

4 Tablespoons Butter
4 Cups mini marshmallows
8 Cups rice crispy cereal
8 oz bag mini Oreo cookies

1/2 Cup chocolate chips, melted

1. Place butter and marshmallows into a large microwavable bowl. Microwave for a few minutes until marshmallows puff up nice and large. Remove and stir in cereal and Oreos. Pour into a large 9×13 inch baking dish. With the back of a large spoon that’s sprayed with cooking spray press and smooth treats. Drizzle melted chocolate over top and let cool. Cut into squares.

Black and White Angel Food Cake

Black and white speckley goodness.

After wandering through Central Market the other day and sampling their angel food cake, I was starting to crave the stuff. When I came home that day, Ina Garten was making a black and white angel food cake, which was obviously a sign that I needed to make it.

I had a birthday coming up, but was told that I was not allowed to make my own birthday cake. Fortunately, we celebrated my birthday with some family friends, one of whom also happened to turn 29 again on the same day, so I made this cake for him. :) This cake might very well be my new favorite. In fact, I might run out to the store tomorrow to get more chocolate to make another. The ganache topping was a bit much for me, it was very in-your-face chocolately. However, the cake itself is incredibly light and just subtly chocolately. I found myself wandering back to the cake to nibble throughout the day.




Black and White Angel Food Cake
Source: Barefoot Contessa

Ingredients
* 2 cups sifted superfine sugar (about 1 pound)
* 1 1/3 cups sifted cake flour (not self-rising)
* 1 1/2 cups egg whites at room temperature (10 to 12 eggs)
* 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
* 1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
* 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
* 1/2 cup coarsely grated semisweet chocolate

For the glaze:
* 1/2 pound semisweet chocolate chips
* 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine 1/2 cup of the sugar with the flour and sift them together 4 times. Set aside.

Place the egg whites, salt, and cream of tartar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat on high speed until the eggs form medium-firm peaks, about 1 minute. With the mixer on medium speed, add the remaining 1 1/2 cups of sugar by sprinkling it over the beaten egg whites. Beat on high speed for a few minutes until thick and shiny. Add the vanilla and continue to whisk until very thick, about 1 more minute. Scrape the beaten egg whites into a large bowl. Sift 1/4 of the flour mixture over the egg whites and fold it very carefully into the batter with a rubber spatula. Continue adding the flour in 3 equal additions, sifting and folding until it's all incorporated. Fold in the grated chocolate.

Pour the batter into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan, smooth the top, and bake it for 35 to 45 minutes, until it springs back to the touch. Remove the cake from the oven and invert the pan on a cooling rack. When cool, run a thin, flexible knife around the cake to remove it from the pan.

For the chocolate glaze, place the chocolate chips and the heavy cream in a heat-proof bowl over a pan of simmering water and stir until the chocolate melts. Pour the chocolate over the top of the cooled cake to cover the top completely and allow it to drizzle down the sides. If you have chocolate glaze left over, you can serve it on the side with the cake.

6800 calories

and worth every last calorie. I would advise you not to calculate the calorie content of baked goods, especially cheesecakes. Especially chocolate cheesecakes with Oreo crusts and chocolate truffles. This is not the cheesecake for the fainthearted.

I was lazy and made normal truffle-size truffles. That doesn't quite work that well for this recipe. The cheesecake cracked, and I suspect it was because the melted truffles couldn't support the weight of the cheesecake and it collapsed. Think small truffles. OR, swirl the ganache through the cheesecake filling. I bet that would be yummy and pretty. You should do that, and send me a piece.

Chocolate Truffle Cheesecake
Source: The Cheesecake Bible by George Geary, p 66.

Crust:
1 1/2 cups cookie sandwich crumbs
1/4 cup melted unsalted butter

Filling:
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
8 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

24 oz cream cheese (softened)
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa
2 eggs
1 tbsp all purpose flour
1 tsp vanilla extract


Crust:
Combine cookie crumbs and melted butter. Press into springform pan and freeze.

Truffles:
In a small saucepan, bring heavy cream to a boil. Pour over chocolate and stir until smooth. Place in freezer to harden.

Filling:
In a mixer bowl fitted with a paddle attachment, beat cream cheese and sugar on medium-high speed until very smooth, for 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Stir in cocoa powder, flour, sour cream and vanilla. Using a spoon, scrape firm ganache into small pieces and fold into batter by hand. Pour over frozen crust.

Bake in preheated oven (350) until top is light brown and center has a slight jiggle to it, 40-50 minutes. Let cool in pan on wire rack for 2 hours. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 6 hours before decorating and serving.

Intense Chocolate Shock Cookies

If you're going to bake chocolate cookies, you may as well bake CHOCOLATE cookies. How can you go wrong with a recipe that's primarily chocolate with just enough other stuff to call it a cookie? This cookies will buy you the undying love of any true chocolaholic.

Intense Chocolate Shock Cookies
Original source unknown, but revived by baking blonde

4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped
4 oz. semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped
4 TBS butter, cut into chunks
1 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups chocolate chips (I used milk chocolate)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a microwave save bowl combine the chopped chocolate and butter. Heat in microwave stirring every 20 seconds. Heat until almost melted, stirring until smooth and melted. Do NOT overheat chocolate mixture.
In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs, brown sugar, and vanilla on high speed until light and fluffy (about 2-4 minutes).
Reduce speed to low and slowly add the melted chocolate mixture. Beat to combine. Add the flour mixture until and mix until just combined.
Gently fold in chocolate chips.
Allow dough to firm up for 10 minutes before baking.
Drop dough by tablespoons onto prepared baking sheet. Bake 10-13 minutes or until tops are shiny, center is soft but edges are set. Do NOT overbake. Allow to cool on sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to rack to cool completely.

Chocolate Lava BROWNIES

What could be better than a warm, soft molten lava cake? A warm molten lava BROWNIE! I had a couple leftover truffle centers from the lava cake last month, and I needed to bake brownies for my brownie mosaic cheesecake tomorrow. The brownie recipe makes way more than necessary for the cheesecake, so I figured I'd use some of the batter and the truffle centers for a ridiculously rich and decadent dessert tonight. Mix up the batter, pour into the ramekins, pop in a truffle center, and pop in the oven. I ended up baking the ramekins about 40-45 minutes before inverting them on a plate and dusting with powdered sugar. I poured the remainder of the brownie batter into an 8 by 8 inch pan and baked as per the recipe below.

The verdict? Amazingly good, but I used 7 oz ramekins, and neither Tim or I could finish our brownie. And we both agreed that ice cream would go wonderfully with the brownie. One 7 oz ramekin + 1 scoop ice cream = more than enough for two people.

Brownies
Adapted by smitten kitchen

4 oz. unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
¾ cup butter
1 ¾ cups sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
½ tsp. salt
1 cup flour

Directions:
To make the brownies, preheat the oven to 350°. Line a 9×13” baking pan with foil, leaving the ends of the foil overhanging the sides of the pan. Grease the foil and set aside.
Microwave chocolate and butter in a large microwave-safe bowl on high for 30-second intervals, stirring in between, until the butter is melted. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Stir in sugar. Blend in eggs and vanilla. Add salt and flour; mix well. Spread into prepared pan.

Caramel is evil

I was flipping through The Essence of Chocolate, and I see what appears to be a fairly simple recipe using ingredients I already have. There's only 5 ingredients, nothing seems overly complicated, what could go wrong? Nothing. On my third batch of caramel. On the bright side, sugar is cheap and plentiful. In one batch, i just dumped the sugar and water in the pot and put it on the burner. With so little water, I figured the sugar wouldn't dissolve, and I'd mix it in as it heated. I ended up with some dark caramel, with some completely undissolved sugar floating on top. Fail. On another batch, I did the unthinkable...I swirled too much, lots of sugar crystals formed on the sides, and I tried to scrape them off and mix them in. Fail. I ended up with an insane number of sugar crystals in the pot. Fortunately, the stars aligned for me on the third batch. Add water to sugar, mix thoroughly, put on burner, and ever so gently swirl occasionally. Exactly what the recipe said to do.

After finally getting the caramel made properly, I added the cocoa, and then the warm cream. Warm, not hot. Which immediately resulted in the caramel completely seizing. As the recipe states though, it did redissolve easily after heating it again.

The end result, a rich, chocolately, mousse-like dessert. Nom, nom! The caramel flavor wasn't very pronounced, but I probably could have cooked it a little longer. I probably pulled it off the burner a little earlier than necessary, in my desire to not screw it up a third time.

Cocoa Caramel Panna Cotta
by John Scharffenberger and Robert Steinberg
contributed by Michael Chiarello
from The Essence of Chocolate

Serves 8

Ingredients
2 1/2 teaspoons gelatin
1/4 cup cold water
1/2 cup superfine sugar
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
3 cups heavy cream, warmed

1. Arrange eight 4-ounce molds in a baking dish, for easy transfer in and out of the refrigerator.

2. Combine the gelatin and 2 tablespoons of the cold water in a small bowl. Set aside to soften.

3. Combine the sugar and the remaining 2 tablespoons water in a medium saucepan, bring to a simmer over medium heat, and cook, without stirring, for 5 to 6 minutes, swirling the saucepan occasionally to cook the caramel evenly. Test the color of the caramel by drizzling a few drops onto a white plate. If sugar crystals form on the sides of the pan, brush with a wet pastry brush. When the color is medium to dark amber, remove the pan from the heat.

4. Stir the cocoa into the caramel until it has dissolved. Carefully pour in the cream. Some of the caramel may seize, but it will dissolve again as it is heated. Stir, being sure to incorporate any bits of caramel that may be clinging to the bottom of the pan, until all of the caramel has dissolved. Remove from the heat, and stir in the gelatin until dissolved. Set a fine-mesh strainer over a large liquid measuring cup or a bowl with a spout, and strain the caramel mixture.

5. Divide the mixture evenly among the molds. Refrigerate until completely chilled and set, at least 4 hours or, preferably, overnight.

6. To unmold the panna cotta, fill a bowl with very hot tap water. Dip a mold into the water, then lift from the water, dry the bottom with a towel, and invert onto a serving plate. If it does not slide out, re-dip in the water. Continue with the remaining panna cotta. Be sure to replace the hot water in the bowl as it cools.

7. Serve plain, or with custard sauce or a bowl of cherries or figs.

Chocolate Epiphany

As soon as I saw this book on the shelf, I knew it was coming home with me. Fortunately, I was at the library, so it didn't set me back $35, but it also means I have to give it up in two weeks. :( This book is the stuff chocolate covered dreams are made of. With recipes like Triple Chocolate Financiers, Ganache-Meringue Kisses, Chocolate Churros, Trio of Chocolate Mousse Cake, Gateau de Crepes with Green Tea Cream, how could you not love this book? In his Dark and White Chocolate Napoleon, he uses chocolate covered phyllo dough between layers of chocolate mousse.

While many of the recipes are complicated and read like novels, there are a handful of recipes for the novice baker such as myself. And really, the pictures are so yummy I would still attempt the more complicated recipes.

I made pastry cream earlier today for a Galette des Rois for tomorrow which required just egg yolks, so I decided to make a quick and easy cookie recipe from Chocolate Epiphany to use the egg whites. The cookies have a shiny, crisp exterior, and a soft, warm, chewy center. They do spread, so I could only bake a handful of cookies at a time. And even with a silicon baking mat, they do stick.

Unfortunately, Tim left the camera at work, so no pictures for you. You'll just have to make them yourself if you want to see.

Flourless Chocolate-Walnut Cookies
Source: François Payard

2 3/4 cups walnut halves
3 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 large egg whites, at room temperature
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350. Spread the walnut halves on a large-rimmed baking sheet and toast in the oven for about 9 minutes, until they are golden and fragrant. (1) Let cool slightly, then transfer the walnut halves to a work surface and coarsely chop them. Position two racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and lower temperature to 320. Line two large-rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. (2) In a large bowl, whisk (or combine in an electric mixer on low speed) the confectioners’ sugar with the cocoa powder and salt followed by the chopped walnuts. While whisking (or once you change the speed to medium), add the egg whites and vanilla extract and beat just until the batter is moistened (do not overbeat or it will stiffen). (3) Spoon the batter onto the baking sheets in 12 evenly spaced mounds, and bake for 14 to 16 minutes, until the tops are glossy and lightly cracked; shift the pans from front to back and top to bottom halfway through to ensure even baking. Slide the parchment paper (with the cookies) onto 2 wire racks. Let cookies cool completely, and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Chocolate Lava Cakes

Ooey, gooey, chocolately heaven on a plate, I tell you. When we went on a Carnival cruise last year, their chocolate melting cake was one of the most popular desserts on the ship. So of course, I had to come home and look up the recipe. Most recipes for chocolate lava cakes basically just say to underbake cake batter. But I have issues with undercooked flour and raw eggs, so I went in search of a recipe with a ganache center, and found this beautiful creation. I was actually planning on making this on Christmas Eve, but got sidetracked, so my little ganache centers languished in the freezer for two months, until people on one of my message boards started making lava cakes for V-day, reminding me that I really should revive the little frozen truffles.

Things I learned while making these cakes.
1. Whipping egg whites by hand...not fun.
2. The recipe makes enough batter to fill four 7 ounce ramekins.
3. If you make round ganache centers, you will have to pile the batter on top of the ganache in a mound in the middle to cover the ganache completely. I'm thinking a disc shape might work better instead of round golf balls.
4. Four 7 ounce ramekins need to bake for about 20-22 minutes.
5. If you butter the ramekins and coat them with cocoa powder before adding the batter, the cocoa powder darkens and looks burnt, but still tastes mighty fine.
6. Make sure you have milk with this dessert. It's yummy and rich, and everyone wanted a glass of milk with it.
7. A dusting of powdered sugar or whipped cream would have made for a much prettier presentation, but I was at someone else's house, and it smelled so good I didn't care what it looked like, I just wanted to eat the chocolately goodness.

Chocolate Lava Cake
Source: teamsugar

Ingredients:
Cake batter:
200 g dark semi-sweet chocolate
8 tbsp butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs
1/3 cup flour
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cream of tartar
1/4 cup sugar

Chocolate Lava filling:
50 g dark semi-sweet chocolate
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 tsp butter

Directions:
Chocolate Lava filling:
1. Chop dark semi-sweet chocolate into pieces. Place into a metal bowl. Heat heavy cream, pour over chocolate and whisk until smooth. Add butter and whisk until incorporated.
2. Place mixture into the refrigerator to cool. Every few minutes whisk the mixture until a frosting like consistency is reached. If the mixture becomes firm slightly rewarm.
3. Fill a pastry bag with the ganache. Pipe-out 6 golf ball sized balls. Place these babys into the freezer until ready to use.

Batter
1. Chop the dark semi-sweet chocolate into pieces. Place into a metal bowl, add butter. Melt over a simmering waterbath. Remove from heat.
2. Add vanilla extract and (3) egg yolks. Whisk together until chocolate mixture is smooth.
3. Add well sifted cake flour, and gently incorporated into the above chocolate mixture.
4. Place the (3) egg whites into a clean metal bowl, add salt and cream of tartar. Using a whisk, whip egg whites until soft peaks form. Continue to whisk while slowly sprinkling in the sugar.
5. Using a rubber spatula, carefully fold 1/3rd of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture. Then fold-in another 1/3rd of the egg whites. Then fold-in the last 1/3rd of the egg whites.
6. Deposit the batter into 6 large "non-stick" muffin tins - fill 3/4 full. Ramekins can also be used simply butter insides and dust with cocoa powder.
7. Push a Chocolate Lava Center into the center of each cake batter. This creates the molten lava center!


8. Bake at 375F degrees for 15 minutes. Do not over bake!
9. Remove from oven, wait 5 minutes, then unmold onto a wire rack to cool.