SERVES 8
You can substitute 5 ounces unsweetened chocolate for the semisweet; if you opt to do so, increase the sugar to ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons.
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8 |
tablespoons unsalted butter |
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8 |
ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped coarse |
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4 |
large eggs plus 1 large yolk, room temperature |
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½ |
cup granulated sugar |
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1 |
teaspoon vanilla extract |
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¼ |
teaspoon salt |
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2 |
tablespoons all-purpose flour |
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Confectioners’ sugar or unsweetened cocoa powder (optional) |
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Whipped Cream (optional) |
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease eight 6-ounce ramekins and dust with flour or cocoa. Arrange ramekins on rimmed baking sheet. Melt butter and chocolate in medium heatproof bowl set over saucepan filled with 1 inch of barely simmering water, stirring once or twice, until smooth. Remove from heat.
2. Using stand mixer fitted with whisk, whip eggs and yolk, sugar, vanilla, and salt on high speed until volume nearly triples, color is very light, and mixture drops from beaters in smooth, thick stream, about 5 minutes.
3. Scrape egg mixture over chocolate mixture, then sprinkle flour on top. Gently fold egg mixture and flour into chocolate until mixture is uniformly colored. Ladle or pour batter into prepared ramekins. (Unbaked cakes can be refrigerated for up to 8 hours. Return to room temperature for 30 minutes before baking.)
4. Bake until cakes have puffed about ½ inch above rims of ramekins, have thin crust on top, and jiggle slightly at center when ramekins are shaken very gently, 12 to 13 minutes. Run thin knife around inside edges of ramekins to loosen cakes, invert onto individual serving plates, and let sit until cakes release themselves from ramekins, about 1 minute. Lift off ramekins, dust with confectioners’ sugar, if using, and/or dollop with whipped cream, if using, and serve.