Chocolate Lava Cakes

I hope you're wearing your decadent pants!  I'm sure that would involve some purple velvet, fringe, and perhaps some silver sequins.  No matter what they look like, you'll need them for this recipe.  Talk about rich and chocolaty!  The chocolate center was not as lava-like as I would have liked, so I would suggest baking them for a minute or two less so the chocolate come oozing out.  Oh, dear.  I think I just shed a little tear of joy.  Either way, these were wonderful... decadent pants or not. 

 Molten Chocolate Cakes
source: Baker's Desserts for Chocolate Lovers (that's me!)

1 pkg (6 squares) Bittersweet baking chocolate (semi-sweet should be fine)
10 T butter
1 1/2 c powdered sugar
1/2 c flour
3 whole eggs
3 egg yolks
The following are optional but make it that much better:
powdered sugar
Ice Cream or whipped cream
strawberries

6 ramekins or custard cups

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Place the butter and chocolate in a bowl and microwave on high heat for two minutes, stirring about every 30 seconds until the chocolate is melted.

 Glorious. 

 Prepare the ramekins by doing one of the following:
1. Cut out littlecircles of parchment that will fit into the bottom of your dish.  Spray that with cooking spray, just in case. 
2. Spray the bottom of the ramekin with cooking spray. 

I know number two sounds infinitely easier, but I'm always paranoid that the cake won't come out, and I'll be stuck with gloopy mess of chocolate on a plate.

 To the melted chocolate mixture, add the powdered sugar and the flour.

 Stir until it is incorporated.

 Add the eggs and the egg yolks.  Stir it up.

 Here's the finished product.  Mmmm..

 Pour the chocolate into the prepared ramekins.  This recipe will make 6 cakes, so I halved the recipe so I wouldn't eat four cakes in one sitting.

 Bake for 14-15 minutes.  I think mine were a tad bit overdone.  Try cooking them for 12-13 minutes.  The edges should be firm and the center should be soft. 

Let the cakes sit for one minute.  Run a knife around the outside of the cakes to loosen them. 

 Invert the cakes onto a plate.  Please use a hot pad so you don't burn your hand.

 When you cut it open, the inside will be undercooked and gooey.

 For presentation, sprinkle some powdered sugar on the top.  If you'd like, squeeze a little chocolate syrup to make dots around the plate.  Serve whipped cream or ice cream on the side.  If you use a strawberry, slice it a few times toward the stem while the stem is still on but don't slice it all the way through.  Spread the strawberry out to look like a fan and place it on top.  Sweet nectar of the Gods...