Hot Chocolate Pudding Cakes

I used small ramekins for this recipe and filled them half full (not 3/4 as the recipe states) and used Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate chips melted with unsalted butter.

Baking time for these pudding will vary based on what you bake it in. If you use a small/medium ramekin, it may take as little as 10 minutes. My cups took exactly 15 minutes. If using a larger bowl, they may need as much as 20 minutes in the oven. Whichever size, just bake them until a crust forms on top that has some deep cracks and a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out with some gooey batter attached.

You can refrigerate the batter before baking. Let sit at room temperature for a bit before baking and note it may take a few minutes longer to bake if the batter is cold. Eating fresh from the oven is best, but if necessary, you can also bake ahead, let cool, cover and keep at room temperature for several hours or cover and refrigerate. Re-heat for a few minutes or microwave to re-warm. Puddings will puff back up a bit when re-heated.

Ingredients

• 4 oz./1 stick (115g) unsalted butter, cubed
• 6 oz. (170g) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped (somewhere around 70% is good)
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 2/3 cup (134g) white sugar
• Pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375° F. (190° C), with rack set in lower third of oven. Set ramekins or baking dishes on a baking sheet. No need to grease.
2. Put the butter and chocolate in a medium-sized bowl, then set the bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water. Stir gently until smooth. Remove the bowl from the heat and set aside.
3. Using an electric mixer or by hand with a whisk, whip the eggs, sugar, and salt until the mixture is light and foamy, and just holding its shape (like soft whipped cream). This should take about 5 minutes with an electric mixer, or longer if doing by hand. Fold one-third of the beaten eggs into the chocolate to lighten it, then scrape the lightened chocolate mixture over the beaten eggs, and fold it in just until there are no streaks of eggs visible.
4. Divide the batter into the baking dishes, filling them no more then 3/4 full (They will rise). *Note: If you like, you can cover and refrigerate batter in dishes now to bake later. Note that a cold batter will take longer to cook.
5. Bake the puddings for about 12 to 20 minutes (depending on size of baking dish) until the puddings are puffed up and the top is crusted and deeply cracked. A toothpick inserted into the centre will come out with some soft chocolate attached.
6. Serving and Storage: These can be served immediately, or you can let cool, cover, and keep at room temperature for up to a day. You can also refrigerate the batter before baking and then bring them to room temperature before baking.