chocolate cake recipe

Imagine decadent dark chocolate liquid lusciously oozing from the center of a moist and warm chocolate cake. If the image alone makes you swoon then this is definitely one dessert you should make at home. It is actually pretty easy to make – one story about how it came to be was that a chef accidentally pulled a chocolate cake from the oven before it was done and discovered that the runny center was delicious! Serve this at the end of a lovely dinner party and your guests will surely be impressed.

Serves: 4, or 8 servings of 1/2 cake each

Ingredients:

1 pkg dark chocolate bar (or approx 4 squares)

1/2 cup butter

1 cup powdered sugar

6 tbsp flour

2 whole eggs

2 egg yolks

Preheat oven to 425F. Generously butter 4 ramekins or small custard cups and place on baking tray.

Melt chocolate and butter on double boiler (an easier way would be to microwave on HIGH for about 1 minute, or until butter is melted). Whisk until both ingredients are well incorporated. Add the sugar. Add the whole eggs and the egg yolks, stir and mix well. Carefully incorporate the flour and stir. Spoon the mixture into the ramekins.

Bake for 13 to 14 minutes or just until the sides are firm but the center part remains soft and wiggly. Let stand for 1 minute. You can choose to serve them in the ramekins or invert them into dessert plates by loosening around the cakes with a spatula or a small knife. Serve with whipped cream, powdered sugar or fruits on top.

Photo courtesy of: Marco Barisione

Chocolate Cake Slice

I recently posted about Agave, and how it’s made my life as the wife of a diabetic so much easier. See, with Agave syrup you don’t get the nasty aftertaste that artificial sweeteners leave. And while I cook with Stevia, another natural sweetener, quite frequently, it has a bitterness that doesn’t do well with baked goods and desserts.

As I previously mentioned, though, Agave is a fructose sugar- so it will raise your blood sugar, but slowly. And slow is good.

This Agave chocolate cake has become one of our staples here at home- even if you’re not diabetic, it just tastes great. Try it out, and let me know what you think:

Agave Chocolate Cake Recipe
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cup agave syrup/nectar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and line a sheet pan with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking soda. In a large bowl, whip the butter until light. Beat in eggs, one at a time, followed by agave syrup and vanilla extract. Stir in 1/3 of the flour mixture, followed by the sour cream. Add another 1/3 of the flour mixture, then the milk, before stirring in the remaining flour mixture. Mix only until just combined.

Bake for 22-28 minutes, until a toothpick comes out dry or with some moist crumbs attached. Do not overbake.

Frost with a Ganache made with sugar-free or low-sugar chocolate.