Chocolate Espresso Lava Cakes

Directions

1. Grease six 1 cup (250 mL) ovenproof ceramic coffee mugs. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder and baking powder.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together melted butter and granulated and brown sugars until well blended. Whisk in eggs, one at a time, then vanilla and almond extract, whisk in flour mixture.
4. Divide batter among prepared coffee mugs (about 2/3 cup [150 mL] in each). Top each with 2 tablespoons (25 mL) of the chocolate chips. Gently press chips into batter. Cover and refrigerate mugs for at least 1 hour or for up to 1 day.
5. Topping: In a medium bowl, combine cream, confectioners sugar and espresso powder. whisk until stiff peaks form. Chill for 1 hour.
6. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Let mugs with batter stand at room temperature for 5 minutes. Bake, uncovered, until cakes are puffed and crusty and tester inserted into center comes out with thick batter attached, about 30 minutes. Let cool in mugs on a rack for 5 minutes. Top hot cakes with espresso whipped cream and serve.
7. Tip: All of the recipes in this book were tested using large eggs. Using medium or extra-large eggs may adversely affect the outcome of the recipe.