CHOCOLATE LAVA CAKE FOR TWO

Warm, rich, indulgent lava cake is the perfect dessert to complete any romantic dinner. Easy to make and comes together in just 30 minutes. Top with vanilla ice cream and fresh raspberries for a dessert that’s sure to impress!

I am a chocolate lover through and through! And I absolutely love chocolate lava cake. I remember having my first lava cake at a nice restaurant my husband and I went to on one of our date nights. I thought about making lava cakes myself at home, but I assumed they must be tricky to make. Boy, was I wrong!! These are easier to make than most desserts. So if you have some basic baking ingredients and 30 minutes to spare, you could make these amazing chocolate lava cakes yourself! And trust me, you’ll be glad you did.

Chocolate Lava Cakes Are Easy…

There are no tricks or secrets here, just a simple recipe with delicious results. But I’ll go through the steps.

This recipe is written using 8-ounce ramekin dishes. You could use different-sized baking dishes, but you will need to adjust the baking time. I recommend using something comparable to this 8-ounce size.
- Begin by greasing the ramekin dishes with butter or shortening, then lightly dust them with cocoa powder. This allows the baked cakes to release cleanly from the dish when you flip them over to serve.

Next, melt the butter and chocolate in a double boiler over medium heat. Cut the butter and chocolate into smaller pieces to speed up the melting time. Stir occasionally until the butter and chocolate are completely melted, smooth, and creamy. You could also melt the butter and chocolate in the microwave. Place the cut-up butter into a medium heat-proof bowl, then add the chopped chocolate on top. Microwave on high for 20 seconds, then in 10-second increments, stirring after each until completely smooth. Set aside.
- A note on the chocolate – Do not use chocolate chips. They have an ingredient in them that prevents them from melting smoothly. That is why they hold their shape when used in chocolate chip cookies. When you are melting chocolate, you want to use chocolate baking bars because they are made to be melted and will yield smoother melted chocolate.
Sift together the flour, powdered sugar, and instant coffee. **Instant coffee enhances the chocolate flavor, and I highly recommend using it to get that rich, decadent chocolate flavor.
Whisk the eggs until they are pale and foamy.
Add the chocolate mixture, eggs, vanilla, and salt to the flour mixture. Stir with a whisk until combined.
Pour equal amounts into the prepared ramekin dishes and bake for 10 to 12 minutes. **They will look under-baked. The sides should look done, but the center should still be soft. If you bake these too long, the center won’t be runny like you want it to be.

Allow it to cool for two minutes. Then place an inverted plate on top of the cake, and using a kitchen towel or oven mitts, flip the cake and the plate over. It should release easily from the ramekin.

Lava Cake Toppings:

This is where you can get creative! Once you flip the cakes over, you have all kinds of options for toppings. I typically go with vanilla ice cream, chocolate syrup, and strawberries or raspberries. But you could use any flavor of ice cream you like; chocolate, mint chocolate chip, rocky road, etc…Some other great options are salted caramel, whipped cream, raspberry sauce, sprinkles, or chopped nuts…Let your imagination run wild! Whatever you decide, Enjoy!

Chocolate Lava Cake for Two

Warm, rich, indulgent lava cake is the perfect dessert to complete any special or romantic dinner. Easy to make and comes together in just 30 minutes. Top with vanilla ice cream and fresh raspberries for a dessert that's sure to impress!

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 25

Cook Time 10

Course Dessert

Servings cakes

Ingredients

Preparing Ramekins:

butter or shortening for greasing ramekins
cocoa powder for dusting ramekins

For the Cakes:

4 ounces semisweet baking chocolate, (not chocolate chips)
½ cup unsalted butter
3 eggs
⅓ cup powdered sugar
¼ cup flour
½ teaspoon instant coffee
1 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of salt

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425°F.
Prepare your 8-ounce ramekins by greasing the bottoms and sides with butter or shortening. Then dust with powdered cocoa, making sure all surfaces are covered. Set aside.
Cut up the butter and chocolate into smaller pieces for quicker melting. Melt the butter and chocolate in a double boiler over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat when mostly melted and stir until smooth and creamy.
**Microwave Instructions: Place the cut-up butter into a medium heat-proof bowl, then add chopped chocolate on top. Microwave on high for 20 seconds, then continue in 10-second increments, stirring after each, until completely melted and smooth. Set aside.
Sift the flour, powdered sugar, and instant coffee together into a medium bowl. Set aside.
Whisk the eggs in a separate bowl until pale and foamy. Set aside.
Add the chocolate mixture, the eggs, vanilla, and salt to the flour mixture and whisk slowly until just combined and smooth.
Pour the cake batter into the prepared ramekins, filling almost to the top. Place them on a baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes. **Do not overbake! The sides should look done, but the center should still look soft and jiggly. Also, it should look slightly underdone.
Remove the cakes from the oven and let cool for 2 minutes. Then using a kitchen towel or oven mitts, place an inverted plate on top of the ramekin and flip it over. The cake should release easily from the ramekin.
Serve immediately while still warm.
Topping Suggestions: Vanilla ice cream (or other ice cream flavor), chocolate sauce, caramel sauce, raspberries, or strawberries.

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DARK CHOCOLATE MOUSSE

Rich, smooth, fluffy, delicious, dark chocolate mousse…It doesn’t get much dreamier than this! And believe it or not, this decadent dessert comes together in about 10 minutes.

I’ve been thinking about Valentine’s Day and desserts…I think about desserts a lot – but more recently, I’ve been thinking about what desserts would complete a romantic Valentine’s dinner for two. Of course, I always come back to chocolate – chocolate-covered strawberries, chocolate lava cake, chocolate pudding… So I finally decided I wanted to create a chocolate mouse that was as easy as it was delicious. But any day is a good day to eat chocolate, am I right? So if you are craving chocolate, look no further; I’ve got you covered!

You’ll often see mousse made with eggs. Some will even use raw eggs. I wanted to create a version that left the eggs out altogether but still had the rich decadence that mousse is known for. Eggs are used to help thicken the mousse and also add to its richness. I chose instead to use unflavored gelatin to help thicken the mousse. Leaving out the eggs also eliminates the need to cook the mousse, which allows this recipe to come together extremely fast – 10 minutes, to be exact!

For this Recipe:

To start with, you always want to chill your bowl and beaters when you are whipping cream. Cream whips up better when it’s cold, and you don’t want your equipment warming up the cream. You’ll have lighter and fluffier whipped cream if the cream and your equipment are good and cold. The best way to quickly chill your bowl and beaters is to place them in the freezer for about 20 minutes before starting the mousse.
Next, add the unflavored gelatin and cold water to a small bowl. Stir and let stand for 5 minutes to allow the gelatin to soften.
After the 5 minutes, heat it in the microwave for 10 to 15 seconds. It should be melted and translucent. Set aside. I use unflavored gelatin in a lot of my desserts. It’s a great way to thicken or stabilize your desserts (whipping cream, pies, puddings, etc.).
Now, this is where things come together super-quick! Add to your chilled bowl the sugar, dark cocoa powder, heavy cream, and vanilla. Beat at medium speed until stiff peaks form. This will take just a few seconds! **I highly recommend using dark cocoa powder. It gives this mousse a richer flavor that adds to its decadence.
Add in the unflavored gelatin mixture, and beat again at low speed until well blended and smooth.

If the presentation is important, I recommend pipping the mouse into your serving bowls using a large round tip. If it’s not, just spoon it into your serving bowls. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour to allow the mousse to set up.

A NOTE ON SERVING SIZE: This is a rich dessert, so I recommend small serving sizes.

Top with strawberries or raspberries and whipped topping, serve and enjoy!

Chocolate Mousse

Rich, smooth, fluffy, delicious, dark chocolate mousse…It doesn't get much dreamier than this! And believe it or not, this decadent dessert comes together in about 10 minutes.

4.34 from 3 votes

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Prep Time 10

Chill 1

Course Dessert

Servings servings

Ingredients

1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
3 tablespoons water
⅓ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup dark cocoa powder **see notes
1 cup heavy cream or heavy whipping cream
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

Garnish:

Strawberries or raspberries
whipped cream or cool whip

Instructions

Place a mixing bowl and beaters in the freezer 20 minutes ahead of time. Whenever whipping cream, you want your tools cold.
Add the unflavored gelatin and water to a small bowl. Stir and let stand for 5 minutes to allow the gelatin to soften. After the 5 minutes, heat it in the microwave for 10 to 15 seconds. It should be melted and translucent. Set aside.
In the cold mixing bowl, add sugar, cocoa powder, heavy cream, and vanilla.
Beat on medium speed until stiff peaks form, wiping the sides of the bowl with a spatula at least once.
Add the gelatin mixture and beat at low speed until well-blended and smooth.
Pipe or spoon mousse into desired serving dishes. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Garnish with whipped cream and fresh fruit.

Notes

**I highly recommend using dark cocoa powder. It gives this mousse a richer flavor that adds to its decadence.

A NOTE ON SERVING SIZE: This is a rich dessert, so I recommend small serving sizes.

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GRILLED ROSEMARY LAMB CHOPS

If you’re looking for that perfect recipe to make for a romantic dinner for two or just want to WOW your friends and family, look no further. Lamb has a sophisticated flavor that will make any dinner feel special. And the use of fresh herbs in this recipe makes it a real show stopper!

I love lamb, especially lamb chops! Just ask my husband. If we go out to a nice restaurant and there is lamb on the menu, there is no debating; I order the lamb!

But for years cooking lamb at home intimidated me. I don’t know why…I guess I assumed it wasn’t easy. But a few years ago, I found a recipe for lamb that looked amazing. My husband had been away on a business trip, and I wanted to cook him a special meal to welcome him home. So I thought I would try to cook lamb. I grilled the lamb (the only way I cook it), and it turned out amazing!! I don’t even remember the recipe, but it was just the first of many times that I have now cooked lamb. I don’t do it often, lamb can be expensive, and the stores here don’t always have it. But l can say that lamb no longer intimidates me! And my whole family loves eating it, including my kids!

The Recipe:

This recipe is so easy and simple and really lets the lamb shine. The key is fresh herbs. You would not get the same result with dried herbs. Honestly, I’ve never tried it with dried because this recipe is fantastic the way it is. We grow rosemary and thyme in our garden, so getting fresh herbs is not a problem. Before growing them, I just picked up the fresh herbs at the grocery store.

Take all of your marinade ingredients and blend them in a mini blender until everything is thoroughly combined and you have a paste.

Trim the extra fat off of the lamb. Lamb always seems to have quite a bit of fat on it. When I first started grilling lamb, I had a big problem with the fat catching on fire and ending up with a grill fire…charred lamb was not what I was going for! However, I have learned that trimming off most of the fat almost eliminates this problem, and the grilling is much more manageable.

Once your lamb is trimmed, brush the marinade generously onto all sides of the lamb. Next, lightly salt the lamb and let it marinate for at least an hour in the refrigerator.

When you are ready to grill the lamb, take it out of the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature (about 20 minutes). Preheat the grill on medium-high to high heat. Once the grill is heated, place the lamb onto the grill. Grill for about 2 to 3 minutes and flip. Grill for an additional 2 to 3 minutes. You are going for a sear on the outside and medium-rare on the inside. If you want to temperature check your lamb for doneness, medium-rare is 130F to 135F. Lamb shines when cooked to medium-rare, so I recommend not grilling it longer. Trust me; it will be juicy, full of flavor, and tender!!

When the lamb is done, remove it from the grill and let it rest for 10 minutes before you serve it. Enjoy!!

Grilled Rosemary Lamb Chops

If you're looking for that perfect recipe to make for a romantic dinner for two or just want to WOW your family, look no further. Lamb has a sophisticated flavor that will make any dinner feel special. And the use of fresh herbs in this recipe makes it a real show stopper!

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time 15

Cook Time 6

Marinate Time 1

Course Main Course

Servings people

Equipment

Grill

Ingredients

4 teaspoons fresh garlic, or 4 to 5 cloves
4 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves
4 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
2 teaspoons salt
6 Tablespoons olive oil
8-10 lamb chops

Instructions

In a small food processor, blend together the garlic, rosemary, thyme, salt, and olive oil. Pulse until combined and creamy.
Trim excess fat off of lamb chops (see notes).
Lightly salt both sides of the lamb chops and then generously brush marinade on both sides of the chops. Let them marinate in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
When ready to grill, remove the lamb chops from the refrigerator and let them come to room temperature, about 20 minutes.
Heat the grill over medium-high heat, giving it a few minutes to heat up. Add the chops and sear for about 2-3 minutes. Flip the chops over and cook for an additional 3 minutes. You should have a nice brown sear on the outside and still have pink on the inside. Lamb is best-served medium-rare; the internal temperature should be around 125°F. (See below for a more well-done lamb chop).
**If you want a well-done lamb chop, cook 5 minutes per side or until the internal temperature reaches 150°F.
When done, remove from grill and let rest for 10 minutes for serving.

Notes

Lamb often comes with quite a bit of fat still on the meat. I recommend trimming most of it off, not all, because fat does equal flavor and juiciness. The other issue I have run into is the fat catching on fire in the grill and my lamb chops being "fire-roasted," which is not what we are going for. Trimming the fat reduces the chance and size of the grill fire. If the fat does catch on fire, move your lamb chops to an area of the grill where there are no flames; when flames extinguish themselves, move lamb chops back. Do not leave them in the flames, or you will end up with charred chops.

Keyword dinner, grill, lamb, rosemary, thyme

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