Recipe: The Easiest Chocolate Pudding Cakes

When you plunge your spoon through the delicate, crackly crust of this single-serve dessert, the lush, oozy center is likely to remind you of a molten lava cake. But this chocolate-filled ramekin is something entirely different. The center is filled with warm, velvety pudding that has just the right balance of sweet chocolate and eggy richness, without overwhelming.

As you work your spoon to the outer edges of the ramekin, this dessert gradually takes the consistency of a moist and ultra-tender chocolate cake. It’s a decadent treat to break out on the fanciest of occasions, yet is quick and easy enough to pull off any night of the week.

Save the chocolate morsels for your next batch of cookies, and start with a good-quality bar of semi-sweet or milk chocolate instead. What makes this two-in-one dessert really sing is the small pool of hot chocolate-like pudding at the center. Chocolate morsels and chunks don’t quite leave you with the same lush consistency, since they contain stabilizers that help them resolidify and keep their shape after melting.

While several types of sugar can be used to make this recipe, I think superfine sugar (also known as caster sugar), as noted in the recipe, yields the best results. This has ultra-fine crystals that are quick to dissolve, which means your pudding cakes won’t bake up with a grainy consistency. White granulated sugar can be swapped in for a similar result, experimenting with light or dark brown sugar will make for a richer dessert with notes of caramel.

There is no better way to spread some love and celebrate Valentine’s Day than with a sweet treat. These five low-effort, high reward baked goods are made for sharing. They offer a little something for everyone, whether you’re celebrating with your main squeeze, crew of girlfriends, family, officemates, or a classroom full of kiddos.