Warm Molten Chocolate Cakes

From: Williams-Sonoma Dessert

A fairly new addition to my dessert repertoire. I had my first molten chocolate cake at Roy's in NYC. These are pretty darn close. There's something utterly wonderful about eating warm, gooey chocolate. They're pretty work intensive - so plan on having a messy kitchen by the time you are done, but they're worth it.

8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
¼ cup unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
4 large egg yolks
6 tablespoons white sugar
2 tablespoons Dutch-process cocoa powder, sifted, plus extra for dusting
1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest (optional)
3 large egg whites, at room temperature

Preheat the oven to 400°. Lightly grease six ¾ cup (6-fl oz/180ml) ramekins and dust with cocoa. Set the ramekins on a small baking sheet.

In the top of a double boiler, combine the chocolate and butter. Set over barely simmering water and melt, then whisk until the mixture is glossy and smooth. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla and salt, then set aside to cool slightly.

In a large bowl, using a mixer on medium-high speed, beat together the egg yolks, half of the sugar, the 2 tablespoons cocoa, and the zest, if using, until thick. Spoon the chocolate mixture into the yolk mixture and beat until well blended. The mixture will be very thick.

In a bowl, using clean beaters, beat the egg whites on medium–high speed until very foamy and thick. Sprinkle in the remaining sugar and increase the speed to high. Continue beating until firm, glossy peaks form. Spoon half of the beaten whites onto the chocolate mixture and whisk until just blended. Add the remaining whites and stir gently until just blended. Spoon into the prepared ramekins, dividing evenly.

Bake the cakes until they are puffed and the tops are cracked, about 13 minutes. The inside of the cracks will look very wet. Remove from the oven and serve immediately in the ramekins. Or, run a small knife around the inside of each ramekin to loosen the cake and invert the cakes onto individual plates. Serve with a drizzle of raspberry coulis and/or vanilla ice cream.