super bowl, super chocolate.

Last year for my birthday my dear friend Sarah gave me a mini popover pan. I told her that day that I knew the first thing that I would make with it would be Bouchons au Chocolat, or mini chocolate cork-shaped cakes. What I didn't know was that it was going to take me a year to get around to doing that.

We were invited to watch the super bowl with some friends and I wanted to bring something fun for dessert... I finally had my chance to make these little chocolate wonders. The pan worked out perfectly and the cakes came out just as they should. A mix between brownie, cake and scone. They are great with ice cream, but I like them even better alone, maybe as an afternoon snack with some tea or coffee. They have a way of making you feel very french when you eat them. C'est bon!

Bouchons au chocolat
Adapted from Orangette, David Lebovitz’s The Great Book of Chocolate, and Pearl Bakery

3 ½ ounces bittersweet chocolate
3 ½ ounces unsweetened chocolate
1 ¾ cups cake flour
1 ½ Tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
Pinch of salt
½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a muffin pan or mini popover pan with butter or cooking spray.

In a microwave safe bowl, melt the bittersweet and unsweetened chocolates together by microwaving for 30 seconds at a time and stirring in between. When the chocolates are just melted do one final stir and set aside.

Sift the flour, cocoa, and salt together into a medium bowl. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until very light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Beat in the melted chocolate until well incorporated. Using a rubber spatula or spoon, stir and fold in the dry ingredients in three additions. Add the chocolate chips and stir to combine. The batter will be quite thick.

Divide the batter between the wells of the muffin tin or popover pan. Bake the cakes for 15-18 minutes, or until they still feel quite soft in their centers when pressed lightly with your index finger. Do not overbake them, or they will be dry.

Remove the pan from the oven, and allow to cool on a rack for about 10 minutes. Carefully remove the cakes from the pan and cool completely before eating or storing.

Store them at room temperature in an airtight container.

Yield: 12 cakes