Recipe by Elizabeth Bard

Yield: Serves 6

 

  8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter

  5 ounces dark chocolate 

  A good pinch of coarse sea salt

  2 eggs

  2 egg yolks

  ¼ cup sugar

  1 tablespoon flour

 

1. Preheat the oven to 450 F.

2. Melt butter and chocolate together in the top of a double boiler or in the microwave. Add sea salt. Meanwhile, beat together the eggs, egg yolks, and sugar with a whisk or an electric beater until light and slightly foamy.

3. Add the egg mixture to the warm chocolate; whisk quickly to combine. Add flour and stir just to combine. The batter will be quite thick.

4. The unmolding is the tricky part of these little cakes; the only foolproof solution I’ve found is to use Reynolds foil cupcake holders (paper liners don’t work, they stick.) Use 5 or 6 liners stacked together so they’re rigid enough to make a freestanding mold. Make 6 of these molds. (If you can’t find foil-baking cups, use small ramekins, generously buttered.)

5. Divide the batter evenly among the molds. (You can make the cakes in advance to this point and chill them until you’re ready to bake. But be sure to bring the batter back to room temperature before baking.)

6. Baking time will depend on your oven. Start with 7 minutes for a thin outer shell with a completely molten interior, 8 minutes for a slightly thicker crust and a gooey heart.