Chocolate Truffle Cakes

Good lands, these are amazing!

They're part of the spread of tiny and delicious desserts I'll be making for our friends' wedding this weekend.  I wanted to play with the recipe one last time, and I thought I'd share it here.  Because not sharing this recipe would be like not waving hello to you - it simply would be bad manners to keep it all to myself.

What you need to know is that their taste and texture is a lot closer to brownie than cake.  In fact, with only one measly tablespoon of flour, they're almost entirely chocolate (and easily converted to gluten free).  I thought I was in love with my brownie recipe until I made these.  They have the crackly tops of a brownie, but the insides are almost gooey, and the whole thing is what I imagine Chocolate Heaven to be like.

Also?  I'm currently on a self-imposed sugar strike, and I have to say that the smell of these little cakes baking was absolute torture.  And then having them on my kitchen counter was another eight kinds of evil.  I managed to eat only one before foisting them on a neighbor.  Phew, close one.

Enjoy!

• Chocolate Truffle Cakes
• adapted from Martha Stewart
• 5 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 7 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped *
• 7 oz. dark chocolate, chopped *
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 
  
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Generously grease cupcake pan or line with papers.
•  
• Put chocolate, butter, and 1 tablespoon of sugar in a medium heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water; whisk occasionally until smooth. Remove from heat, and let stand until cool and thickened, about 5 minutes. Beat eggs and remaining tablespoon of sugar in a mixer until pale and doubled in volume, about 2 minutes. Add flour and salt into egg mixture; mix to combine. Add chocolate mixture 1/2 at a time; mixing until combined (batter will be thick).
• 
  
• Spoon mixture into the prepared muffin tin, filling cups 2/3 full; swirl tops with back of spoon. Bake until tops are springy to the touch, 18 to 20 minutes. Immediately run a butter knife along the edges of each cup to loosen and then turn out onto wire racks and let cool.  Store in an airtight container, and will keep for 2-3 days.  Best eaten at room temperature.  And with a tiny scoop of your best vanilla ice cream nestled into their concave tops.  Makes 10 individual cakes.
• 
  

* Note:  Feel free to play around with the chocolate ratios.  I've made these with 9oz of semi-sweet and 5oz of dark, and they were just as delicious.  The dark chocolate I use is sweeter than most, so it's just a matter of preference.

Ingredient Lineup:

Melt chocolate, butter, and some of the sugar in a shallow bowl

over a pot of water at a low boil.

The batter will be thick and shiny (and tasty).

Either fill a muffin pan, each cup 2/3 full...

 Or use pretty papers.  I highly recommend the papers.

The cake edges won't brown too dark, and it makes cleanup much quicker.

And they bake up so pretty, like this!

And this!

Click to zoom.  If you dare.