Chocolate Decadence

We had just finished an fun evening with friends, enjoying some adult beverages at the Kettle House and then great food at the Mandolin in the Union Club, when we came home and I had a hankering for something sweet.  I had planned to make this desert for Valentine's Day but we went to DQ instead.  So knowing that I had all the ingredients in hand, I began creating Chocolate Decadence which is a Cooking Light recipe from their December, 2003 issue.  I have made this desert before and it is a relatively simple dish with some great chocolate flavor.  The recipe says that it is best served warm and they are correct.   It is like a warm chocolate cake with a molten chocolate lava inside.

Here is the ingredient list:

1/2 cup sugar plus 3 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup 2% low-fat milk
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa plus 2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1/2 ounce unsweetened chocolate, chopped
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 large egg white
8 teaspoons semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  I find when I cook a desert where there are a lot of steps and ingredients, I like to prep all the ingredients.  This means chopping the chocolate ahead of time, separate the egg and measure the other ingredients.  By doing all this prep, making this desert will be easier and much less stressful.  

Now get out 4 ramekins or oven proof custard dishes and spray the bottom and sides with a cooking spray.  I do NOT use Pam, there are too many chemicals that I don't recognize in the ingredient list.  Instead I use a canola oil spray where the ingredients are pretty much canola oil.  I then take the 3 tablespoons of sugar and dump into one custard dish and then turn it over until the all the sides are covered in sugar.  Any excess sugar I then dump into the next dish.  I generally find that I need more than the 3 tablespoons sugar that is suggested.  Finally I take the dishes and put them into a rimmed jelly roll pan so it will be easier to put into and out of the oven.

For the batter, get a small saucepan and combine the 1/2 cup of sugar, the milk and the cocoa and stir together with a whisk.  Over medium heat, stir the ingredients until they come to a boil, stir another 30 seconds or until the sugar has dissolved.  Remove the pan from the heat and add the butter and chopped chocolate to the mixture.  Stir until the butter and chocolate have melted.  Set aside for 10 minutes to cool.  This is important, the next ingredient you will add will be some egg whites and if the mixture is too hot, you will basically be making scramble eggs.

After the mixture has cooled, add the flour, vanilla, salt and egg whites.  Stir until just combined.  Put 2 tablespoons of the mixture into each of the prepared dishes.  Add about 2 teaspoons of chocolate chips onto the top of the batter.  Top each dish with about a tablespoon of batter.  Place in the preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes.  The desert will be barely set.  Let cool for 10 minutes and then invert onto a desert dish and serve.  I like to top with a little chocolate syrup and whip cream.  Powdered sugar is a nice option as well and of course a little ice cream would be heavenly!  Enjoy!