Cinnamon Chocolate Molten Cakes with Pumpkin Topping

Chocolate is my favorite.

Seriously. If dark chocolate grew on trees, oooooh baby I would have about a million in my yard! (I’m not even exaggerating!) Well, maybe just a little. Since I am majorly obsessed with chocolate and minorly obsessed with pumpkin, I was thinking I would try something with pumpkin and chocolate. Doesn't that sound heavenly? It tastes even better than it sounds. Take my word for it, or don’t, just make these at home and see for yourselves.

I got the idea for the chocolate molten cakes from this recipe, but changed it around some too. For the record, I’ve made those peppermint chocolate molten cakes (I just leave them in the oven longer than the recipe calls for) and they are goooooood. Of course, I’m a sucker for absolutely ANYTHING mint-chocolate. More on that in the coming months. For now, PUMPKIN MONTH continues.

What you need

For the cakes

½ c. unsalted butter

5 oz. dark or semi-sweet chocolate

2 eggs

2 egg yolks

¼ c. sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 Tbsp. whole wheat flour

2 Tbsp. pumpkin juice (I saved it from when I made my own pumpkin puree)


For the topping

2 Tbsp. confectioner’s sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

dash of allspice

dash of nutmeg

3 Tbsp. pumpkin juice

2 Tbsp. pumpkin puree

What you do

For the cakes
Preheat oven to 450.

Melt chocolate and butter in a bowl in the microwave. (You could totally do it in a glass bowl over a pot of simmering water as a double broiler, but since I broke a bowl that way I am scared and therefore, use the microwave.)

In another bowl whisk eggs, yolks, and sugar until combined and thick. When chocolate and butter are melted together, take a tablespoonful of the chocolate mixture and whisk it into the egg mixture to bring the eggs up in temperature so they don’t scramble when you add all of the hot chocolate mixture. Add the rest of the chocolate to the eggs. Stir in the vanilla extract and cinnamon. Whisk the flour in quickly just until combined.

Butter 4 4-oz ramekins then sprinkle each with a little cinnamon and pour the chocolate mixture into the ramekins, dividing it evenly between all 4 of them. Put the ramekins onto a cookie sheet and bake at 450F for about 7.5 minutes. Remove from oven, pour ½ tablespoon of pumpkin juice onto the top of each of them. Return to the oven for about 5 minutes.

Remove from oven and let sit for a couple of minutes. Go around the edges of ramekin with a knife before inverting it onto a plate. Tap the bottom of ramekin to loosen the cake and pull up on ramekin slowly so the cake remains on plate. Top with the pumpkin topping and garnish with some sifted powdered sugar if you’re feeling artsy.

**Note: these cakes are molten which means the center will be gooey. If you are someone who likes your cake more well-done (such as my husband), leave it in the oven for an extra 2 or 3 minutes the second time. Just make sure you watch them. These are sensitive since they are in such little ramekins.

For the topping

Stir the first four ingredients to combine. Then stir in pumpkin juice. When it is thoroughly mixed, add the pumpkin puree. Super easy!

**Note: this topping is pretty cinnamon-y. I like that sort of thing, but if you don’t feel free to tone down the spice factor.