Baby Cakes

Executive chef and owner of The Victoria Restaurant (Anniston, Alabama), Alan Martin demonstrates how to make a molten chocolate batter that is ready to bake-whenever you are. "The batter can be made ahead of time and refrigerated for a few days," Martin explains. "Just let it come to room temperature before baking. And in ramekins they bake in minutes.

1. Chop a one-pound block of Callebaut, bittersweet, dark chocolate into small pieces. Martin uses a two-handled cheese knife-that looks like a weapon. "Some people call this a pizza knife, but it is a cheese knife used to cut wheels of cheese," he explains.

2. Cube one pound unsalted butter.

3. Combine butter and chocolate.

4. Place butter and chocolate in a double broiler on simmer. Stir often.

5. While the chocolate and butter melt and meld together, separate eight egg yolks from whites.

6. Fold one fourth of the whites into the chocolate and butter, making two one-quarter turns.

7. Whisk remaining egg yolks and eight whole eggs together with one cup of granulated sugar until well blended and eggs are light.

8. Sift and fold one half cup of all-purpose flour into the mixture to provide texture.

9. Pour mixture into melted chocolate and butter and fold.

10. Grease 12 ramekins with (room temperature) butter.

11. Fill one ramekin with sugar. Empty it into second ramekin. Empty second ramekin into third, and so forth until all ramekins are coated inside with sugar. And remove from last ramekin.

12. Ladle batter into ramekins, filling until three fourths full.

13. Bake in hot oven at 400 for 10 to 12 minutes or until they rise out of the ramekin and start to crack. The center should be soft and gooey. Serve immediately.

For presentation, Martin drizzles a plate with caramel and a glaze of vanilla, sugar and cream. Candied pecans, an Espresso ice cream and a white and dark chocolate cookie top off the beautiful dish. Molten chocolate cakes are perfect for Valentines. So bake your "baby" a cake. Or better yet, let Martin do the baking.

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