Name: Slow-Cooker Individual Chocolate Fudge Cakes
Total time: 2 h
Ingredients: 6 ounces (170 grams) semisweet chocolate , 4 ounces (113 grams) chopped and 2 ounces (57 grams) broken into 4 (½-ounce/14 grams) pieces; 4 tablespoons unsalted butter; 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract; 2 large eggs plus 1 large yolk, room temperature; 1/4 cup (1¾ ounces/50 grams) granulated sugar; 1/8 teaspoon salt; 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour; Confectioners' sugar

Why This Recipe Works

These little cakes are easy enough to get into the slow cooker for a sweet finish on a busy weeknight. For ours, we whipped two eggs and an egg yolk, then added sugar, melted chocolate and butter, vanilla, and a single tablespoon of flour before portioning our batter into four ramekins. To ensure that each cake had a dense, superfudgy center, we simply pressed a small piece of chocolate into the middle of each ramekin before cooking.

Before You Begin

You will need an oval slow cooker and four 6-ounce round ramekins for this recipe.

Instructions

1. Microwave chopped chocolate and butter in large bowl at 50 percent power, stirring occasionally, until melted, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in vanilla and let chocolate mixture cool slightly.

Using handheld mixer set at medium-low speed, whip eggs and yolk in separate bowl until foamy, about 1 minute. Gradually whip in granulated sugar and salt, about 30 seconds. Increase speed to medium-high and continue to whip mixture until very thick and pale yellow, 5 to 10 minutes. Scrape whipped egg mixture on top of cooled chocolate mixture, then sift flour over top. Gently fold together until no streaks remain.

Divide batter evenly among four 6-ounce ramekins. Gently press 1 piece broken chocolate into center of each ramekin to submerge, and smooth tops. Fill slow cooker with ½ inch water (about 2 cups) and set ramekins in slow cooker. Cover and cook until cakes are domed and tops are just firm to touch, 1 to 2 hours on low. Using tongs and sturdy spatula, remove ramekins from slow cooker. Dust with confectioners’ sugar and serve warm.