Warm Chocolate Spooncake
And more last-minute chocolate ideas for your sweeties!
Ahhh, Valentine’s day. That Hallmark holiday that we all love to hate and hate to love.
When I was single, I always felt especially lonely if I was dateless and home alone. This was before Galentine’s was invented—otherwise I definitely would have been with my girls. I love that an option now exists for singles who want to celebrate too.
Now that I’ve been married for almost 18 years (how did that happen??), my husband and I usually celebrate at home, but we definitely “observe.” We’re both pretty romantic, which is just one of the reasons for our compatibility. Sometimes there are small gifts, sometimes not, and there’s never an expectation for one. If one of us finds something we think the other would like, we buy it, but it’s usually something small and meaningful. One of the first Valentine’s gifts I got from Steve was a plastic 3 by 5 card holder from Staples filled with 42 index cards. On the outside, he’d labeled it “42 Things I Love About You.” Wow, this man really knew the way to my heart! We were only dating then, but this was serious. It was hard to top that, but the giant homemade valentine from a few years ago—made from silver bubble wrap with ransom note-style lettering—came close.
Although we tend to be romantic on an everyday basis, we don’t mind that there’s a special day to honor love. And as I said, we usually do so with a quiet dinner at home. Besides the evening being well-known as “amateur night,” it’s also less than a month after Steve’s birthday, which we usually celebrate in a restaurant. So, we don’t feel the need to go out on February 14th.
If you’re like us and planning an intimate dinner at home with your sweetheart(s), consider this very cozy warm chocolate cake. It’s not a lava cake, but you can underbake it a little to create that effect. It’s incredibly simple to put together—15 minutes, tops.
This is a cake that’s meant to spooned out while warm, reminiscent of the richest brownie. If you want to time it to come out warm at the end of the meal, assemble the batter in the dish and let it sit on the counter until about 30 minutes before you want to serve it. If you’ve baked it ahead of time, just return it to the oven to warm. It needs nothing more than a dusting of confectioners’ sugar and a scoop of your favorite ice cream alongside.
No matter your feelings about Valentine’s Day as a concept, I can guarantee you’ll fall in love with this cake—and that whoever you make it for, Valentine or Galentine, will too.
What’s a Small Baking Dish?
A few weeks ago, when I published the recipe for Lemon Sponge Pudding, I received some questions about the baking dish. So here’s a little more explanation, along with some of my favorites.
A “small” baking dish is usually about 1 ½ quarts in capacity. Depending on the shape, it’s typically about 11 by 8 inches, but it could be 10 by 6. There is very little standardization in the world of baking dishes (or gratins, as they’re sometimes called). As long as you aren't using a 9 by 13-inch dish (which would be considered “large”) for recipes that call for a small dish, you should be fine.
That dish can be made of porcelain, terracotta, glass, or enameled cast iron. Remember that there is some leeway here when it comes to size, and to adjust your baking time if your dish is a little bigger (it will cook faster) or a little smaller (it will take longer). As long as whatever you’re putting in the baking dish doesn’t threaten to overflow, it should work—but remember to always put a baking sheet underneath just in case!
My absolute favorite baking dish is the Staub Oval Roasting Dish. It’s incredibly versatile and makes everything look so good. I use it to roast vegetables or even a small chicken, but also to bake simple desserts like this one. Because of its non-porous enamel coating, your chocolate cake won’t taste like chicken or onions. I also love that you can use it directly on the stovetop if need be.
A Few Other Easy Chocolate Desserts
Chocolate Pots De Crème
Pots de crème is a fancy French way of saying “chocolate pudding,” but this version is baked in its serving container (the pots) rather than stirred in a large pot on the stove, making it infinitely easier. I’ve streamlined the French process to make things a little quicker and less messy.
Chocolate-Dipped Citrus with Pistachios
Chocolate-covered strawberries get all the love this time of year, but they're not even in season! Here I’ve subbed in-season citrus for an easy Valentine’s treat—or really just an anytime treat.
Make-Ahead Chocolate Soufflé (with Pistachio Crème Anglaise)
Here’s the thing about soufflés. They are not difficult to make. At all. As long as you finesse a few of the techniques, you really can’t fail. Click through for a video where I’ll walk you through all the tricky bits.
