Hot molten chocolate cakes

It's a favorite on restaurant menus around the country - the hot molten chocolate cake, sturdy on the outside, and filled with a flowing, irresistible chocolatey center. But surprisingly, they're a cinch to make at home, and you don't need any special tools or ingredients to make it happen.

They key to the gooey centers is simply baking the cakes until they're just set on the outside, while the inside remains a bit jiggly and unset.

Of course, these are wonderful on their own, but they are brought to new heights if you top them with a little whipped cream or vanilla ice cream - the cold and the hot so effortlessly complement each other.

As you can probably guess, these are best served right away - or a least after a 10 minute cool-down period, but I've actually had success with reheating them at a later date - simply warm them up in a low oven for 10-15 minutes, let stand 5 minutes and serve. Enjoy!

Hot Molten Chocolate Cakes: Makes 12

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter or margarine, softened
2/3 cup sugar
6 eggs
2/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
16 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted (I used semi-sweet)

Spray or butter a 12-cup muffin pan, then sprinkle with sugar, set aside.
Beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
Add in eggs, one at a time, until well combined.
Mix in the flour and salt until just combined.
Beat in the melted chocolate until just combined.
Divided between the 12 cups, bake at 400 F for 12 to 14 minutes.
When you pull them out, the outsides should be cooked and pulling away from the sides, and the insides should be shiny and slightly jiggly.
If serving immediately, let stand for 10 minutes before removing from pan and serving.