CHOCOLATE MOLTEN CAKES

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 425. Grease 6 (6 oz.) custard cups, dust with cocoa powder; place on baking sheet.
• 2. Melt chocolate and butter (either in the microwave, or on the stove) until butter is melted.
• 3. Stir until chocolate is melted. (If doing this in the microwave, do not overheat the chocolate.) Add the vanilla.
• 4. Pour chocolate into a mixing bowl. Add powdered sugar and mix.
• 5. Add flour and espresso powder; mix well.
• 6. Add whole eggs and egg yolks; beat until well blended.
• 7. Divide batter evenly into custard cups.
• 8. Bake 12-14 minutes or until cakes are firm around the edges but soft in the center.
• 9. Let stand 1 minute.
• 10. Run a knife around cakes to loosen.
• 11. Carefully invert cakes onto dessert dish. Sprinkle lightly with powdered sugar and garnish with whipped cream or ice cream and raspberries or bananas!
• 12. NOTE: Batter can be prepared up to a day in advance. Pour batter into custard cups, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate. When ready to serve, uncover and bake as directed. Serve immediately. ESPRESSO POWDER: Espresso powder is used quite frequently in many cooking recipes especially those containing chocolate. Instant espresso powder is available from Italian food stores and of course, many supermarkets are now starting to stock this product also. If you are unable to get instant espresso powder and a recipe you are contemplating calls for this ingredient, it is worth noting that you can substitute espresso powder with 1 to 1 ½ teaspoon of regular instant coffee, preferably dark roasted. The regular instant coffee that is used as a substitute for espresso powder will give the same cooking results as the espresso powder and the only difference that you will find is that the coffee won't give off the deep roasted flavor that the espresso does. When using instant coffee as a substitute for espresso powder you should try to use coffee powder. This is mainly because many instant espresso powders are quite fine and mix very easily whereas many of the instant brands of coffee are quite chunky and granular and much harder to mix. One way to avoid this is to mix the coffee with boiling water first. You can also omit the Espresso Powder as well. These cakes will still turn out FANTASTIC.