Cranberry and Rosemary Topped Layer Cake

This is probably my favorite cake I've made to date- and I've made a lot of cakes.

I wanted to make a Thanksgiving cake and I was sick of pumpkin and carrot, (is that blasphemy during the Thanksgiving season?) so I decided to just wing it and make up a cake.

I completely fell in love with this result! With its wine soaked cherry layer interior and classic cream cheese frosting, it was (dare I say) the highlight of the Thanksgiving dessert table.

Unfortunately (and please don't throw things at your screen in your anger), I genuinely do not remember the recipe for the cake itself.  I made it up on the spot, and didn't bother writing down how much of each ingredient I was adding. I will make it again though, and when I do, I will make sure to measure out the amounts of ingredients as I put them in.

I do know I made the topping though! The cranberry topping was, of course, the focal point of this cake.  Making the topping was very easy, and I plan to put it to good use for future cakes.

Cranberry and Rosemary Topping:

1 package cranberries
1 rosemary branch
1 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

1. Wash your cranberries. I used about half a package for a 9 in. cake. 

2. Boil a pot of water, turn down the heat so it is not a rapid boil, and throw in the cranberries. The point of this is to make the cranberries edible, instead of rock hard. Boil them until they start to feel softer- quickly take them off, drain the water, and dry them in a bowl covered with paper towels. Making sure they don't pop is critical, because if they do, you will just have a cranberry mush on your cake. They should give slightly when you pinch them, but should not be completely pop-able.

3. While the cranberries are still warm, throw them in a bowl of powered sugar and toss until coated evenly.

4. Arrange the cranberries on the cake. Resist the urge to make a tall pyramid- they will tumble when you cut into them. 

5. Place as much (or as little) rosemary within the cranberry topping as you wish. 


This cake is definitely going to be a Thanksgiving staple for me, and I plan to put the topping to good, repeated use.

-Oksana

Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes

Oksana and I typically use a 9-inch springform pan to make a standard-sized pumpkin cheesecake. But this Thanksgiving we wanted to mix it up a bit and we made these adorable mini cheesecakes. The recipe is exactly the same, so you can either make a full size cheesecake or do the minis. We used standard muffin tins for the mini cheesecakes (2-3 muffin pans - not exactly sure because I am actually writing this post a few months after the fact and I forgot how many we used. Oops!)

Ingredients

For the crust:

• 8 oz. graham crackers, finely crushed (2 cups of crumbs)
• 3 Tbs. granulated sugar
• 7 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted

For the filling:

• 3 8-oz. packages cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 cup canned pure pumpkin purée
• 2 Tbs. all-purpose flour
• pinch of salt
• 1-1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1 Tbs. pure vanilla extract
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature

For the Topping (optional):

1 cup sour cream

1/4 cup sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375.

2. In a medium bowl, stir together crumbs and sugar. Mix in the melted butter until the crumbs are moist and stick together when you squeeze a handful. 

3. Press crumbs into a 9 inch springform pan, or cupcake liners. For cupcake liners, I would recommend only having crust at the bottom. For the 9 inch springform pan, you can either just do the bottom only or go two inches up the sides.

4. Bake for 10-15 minutes until slightly darkened. Let cool. Lower oven temperature to 300. 

5. In a stand mixer, using a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese separately until softened. Add the remaining ingredients. Be sure to add the eggs last and not over beat the mixture once the eggs are added. 

6. Pour filling into the cooled crust and bake at 300 until the edges are slightly puffed and the center jiggles like Jell-O when lightly shaken. 

7. If you are making a large cheesecake, you can add a sour cream topping to mask the inevitable crack that will form once this cheesecake begins to cool. I still haven't figured out a fool-proof method of preventing the crack. For the sour cream topping, whisk a little over a cup of sour cream with 1/4 cup of sugar and pour over cheesecake. Bake until set for another 10 minutes. Let cool to room temperature before refrigerating or freezing. Garnish with toasted pecans before serving. 

If making mini cheesecakes, you can top it off with a cream cheese frosting. Apparently, the cream cheese frosting is a family secret so I can't disclose the ingredients. Haha!

For more cheesecake general tips and tricks, refer to this post about our Tiramisu Cheesecake. Original recipe can be found here. 

- Yana

Maple Pecan Tart

One of our favorite desserts is Maple Pecan Tart, and we couldn't imagine omitting this classic from our Thanksgiving repertoire. The following recipe is for a standard 10 inch tart pan. This is a bake-ahead dessert, as it needs to cool completely and be refrigerated before serving.

Tart Dough:

1 large egg yolk
2 tbsp ice water, more if needed
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into tiny cubes

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolk, ice water and vanilla extract.

2. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, sugar and salt.

3. Using a pastry blender, cut the cold, unsalted butter into the dry mixture until coarse crumbs form.
Add the egg mixture and knead the dough until it pulls together. Add more ice water if the dough is too dry.

4. Roll out the dough unto tart pan and blind bake at 375 for 30-40 minutes.

There are many nuances to making the perfect tart dough or pie pastry, but I do not want to address them all in this post. I think I need to write an entire post of the tips and tricks that I learned from trial and error. This basic tart dough recipe comes from my Williams and Sonoma baking book - one of my favorite baking resources. 

Pecan Filling:

6 tbsp butter

2/3 cup maple syrup

3 cups of pecans

0-8 tablespoons of brown sugar, depending on preference

1/3 cup heavy cream

The directions for the filling are super-easy, and if it wasn't for the tart dough, this would be the simplest and quickest dessert on the planet.

1. Add the butter, maple syrup, and sugar (if using) to a large heavy-bottomed skillet. The reason I give such a wide range for the sugar is because it really depends on preference. The recipe that I used for inspiration asked for 1/2 cup or 8 tablespoons of sugar, but I found that it's way too much. It came out disgustingly sweet, and we decided that for our taste, it doesn't need any sugar at all, since the maple syrup is sweet enough. But I suppose 1-2 tablespoons is a pretty good amount too. 

2. Once the sugar and butter have melted and the mixture begins to boil, turn off the heat and stir in the heavy cream.

3. Stir in the pecans.

4. Pour into tart filling and bake at 350 for 30 minutes, or until the filling begins to bubble. 

5. Let your tart cool down, then cover it with plastic wrap and stick it in the fridge to cool. While you technically can eat this hot, we really suggest you eat it cold.  This way, the maple syrup glues the pecans together and it doesn't just fall apart into individual pecans and dough on your plate.

-Oksana and Yana

Pumpkin Cake

This is the first of our Thanksgiving posts, cataloging all the desserts we made for this Thanksgiving. 

I tried this cake for the first time at a friend's house, asked for the recipe - which came from finecooking.com - and since then, I have been making it every fall. The topping - a generous heap of pecans and crystallized ginger - is what totally makes this cake. The smooth and rich cream cheese frosting complements the crunchy topping, and the layers are just the perfect pumpkin and spice base for the whole thing. There are several steps and the directions look long, but it's really worth it. 

One time, Oksana and I made two of these in one day - one with canned pumpkin puree and another with an actual baked pumpkin that we pureed ourselves. I was surprised that I actually liked the cake made with canned puree better - it turned out more moist. Maybe too much moisture escaped from our pumpkin when we baked it, or maybe it needed a dash of oil. 

Ingredients:

For the cake

• 6 oz. (3/4 cup) unsalted butter
• 9 oz. (2 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1-1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1-1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
• 3/4 tsp. table salt
• 1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup firmly packed light or dark brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/3 cup buttermilk
• 1 (15 oz.) can of pumpkin puree
• 
  

For the topping

• 1-1/2 Tbs. unsalted butter
• 2 cups pecans
• 2 Tbs. firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp. table salt
• 1-1/2 Tbs. chopped crystallized ginger
• 
  

For the frosting

• 6 oz. (3/4 cup) unsalted butter
• 12 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar

Directions:

Make the cake

• Preheat the oven to 350. 
• Butter and flour two 9- inch round springform pans. 
• Melt butter on stove-top. Cook butter for no more than five minutes stirring occasionally. It's supposed to turn a golden brown color with a slight nutty taste. Set aside to cool for about fifteen minutes as you complete the other steps. The butter should not solidify however. 
• Combine all the dry ingredients in a medium bowl, besides the brown sugar and granulated sugar and mix. 
• In  large bowl or stand mixer, whisk the eggs with the granulated sugar and brown sugar. Then add the pumpkin puree and buttermilk and blend well. 
• Using a paddle attachment or rubber spatula, slowly add the flour mixture to the wet mixture until just blended. 
• Add the brown butter until incorporated. 
• Divide batter evenly between the two pans. It should come out more on the thick side. 
• Bake for 28-30 minutes, or until the toothpick comes out clean. 
• Let cool in pans for about 15 minutes, and then carefully transfer unto a wire rack to cool completely before frosting. 

Make the topping

• Combine all the ingredients in a skillet and cook on medium heat for about five minutes, or until the sugar melts and the pecans are slightly toasted. 

Make the frosting

• Melt butter. The original recipe asks you to clarify the butter with a series of complicated steps, but honestly I do not worry too much about it. I just melt the butter, put it through a tight sieve to catch any solids, and skim off the foam. Most of the the time it comes out looking pretty clear. Then I usually set the hot butter in the freezer for a few minutes to cool, so it's ready quickly for the frosting. It must be cool but still liquid-y when used in the frosting. 
• Beat the cream cheese, butter, light brown sugar and powdered sugar until fully combined. The original recipe asked for a little less light brown sugar and a lot more powdered sugar - about 1 1/4 cups. Since I am not a huge fan of powdered sugar, I added much less and found that it's not really necessary. The frosting is already sweet enough and the thickness is just right. But more powdered sugar can be added if preferred. 

Assemble the cake

Put one cake layer on cake plate or server. Spread a little less than half of the frosting and sprinkle the top with about 1/3 of the topping. Place the other cake layer on top and use the remaining frosting to frost the rest of the cake. Top with remaining pecans. 

-Yana

Croissants

Let's just say I was not prepared for how good these would turn out. 

I mean... Look at them! 

Croissants are known to be difficult to make, but I was inspired by this post. This redditor did such a fantastic job! As soon as I saw this, I researched how to go about making them.... which proved to be more difficult than anticipated. There are about as many recipes and methods out there as there are bakers.

I decided to go ahead and wing it. 

I used the recipe that my inspiration had used, with a few minor adjustments (purely because I was much too lazy to measure things in deciliters every time I made this). 

Croissants:

1 cup cold milk

25 g. fresh yeast

1 tbs. sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 egg

3 cups flour

3 tbs. softened butter

1 ¼ sticks of butter

Instructions:

1. In a small bowl, using a fork or your fingers, mash the yeast and sugar together. Let this stand for a minute or two until the yeast has completely "melted". You'll know what I mean when you see it. 

2. In a large bowl or stand mixer with a paddle attachment, mix the milk, salt, egg, and yeast just long enough for it to blend together. The dough will be soft, probably a little more than you will be comfortable with. It'll be ok, I promise. I suggest against using the dough hook- there is no need since the dough will be fairly soft. 

3. Slowly add half of the flour. Once it is incorporated, add the butter and mix until there are no pieces of butter visible. Mix in the rest of the flour. Word of warning- I made this a few times already, and one time I did not let my butter soften very well and ended up with butter chunks in the dough. Make sure the butter is soft inside as well as out. 

4. Let rise in a warm spot for about an hour. I find that unless my house is upwards of 70+ degrees, the rising process take forever. I usually turn the oven on its lowest setting, let it preheat, and open the door. After transferring my dough to a glass bowl with a towel on top, I just put it on the open oven door so its nice and warm. (This is probably a sin somewhere, I hope vengeful bakers don't come running after me, rolling pins raised.) 

5. Now, about at this step, I started getting worried. Beating butter, folding butter into dough, folding the dough, flipping around, folding again.... you see what I mean? It really made no sense in my mind until I saw the pictures. From hereon out, I followed his method, except I did not refrigerate the dough after every fold. Come on, I wanted to eat them, not stare at them in the refrigerator. 

6. After all the folding nonsense, roll out the dough, cut it into triangles, and make the actual croissant shape. Then, swipe an egg wash all around them.  I actually ended up cutting the dough one more time than the original recipe asked for because I wanted them to be a little smaller. I also filled a few with chocolate, which was about as delicious as it sounds. 

7. Preheat the oven to 395, and bake for 15 minutes (or until the outsides are brown and you just can't stand the anticipation anymore). 

These croissants were actually not as difficult to make as I originally anticipated, especially once I got the folding method down. Overall, I would say they were a success, and they definitely get better every time I make them. 

Make yourself a cup of tea and enjoy!
-Oksana

Oreo Truffles

After those awesome Belgian cookies with chocolate on top, Oreo's are my second favorite. These truffles combine a few things I love- Oreo's, cream cheese, and chocolate.

For these truffles, I really recommend using a higher quality chocolate. While I don't suggest you go out and buy chocolate that costs ten dollars an ounce, Hershey's standard just won't cut it. When I made these, I used Ghirardelli.

Oreo Truffles:

1 package Oreo's
1 package softened cream cheese
6-8 oz chocolate
1 tbs butter (It depends on the chocolate though. I has to be liquid-y enough to dip the truffles in)

Directions: 
1. Use a food processor or a well-washed meat grinder to make the cookies into crumbs.

2. Mix a softened package of cream cheese into the cookie crumbs. Honestly, I usually use my hands for this step. Using a spoon is just too tedious. 

3. Shape the cookie mixture into balls, and place them on a cookie sheet. I use an ice-cream scoop for this step so they are all uniform. 

4. Once you are done with shaping all the balls, pop them into the refrigerator.

5. While the truffles harden, use a double boiler to melt the chocolate. Once it is completely melted, add the butter and mix.

6. Dip the cold truffles in chocolate. Place them back on the cookie sheet and return to the refrigerator until the chocolate is solidified. This is defiantly the hardest part. Dipping doesn't really work well for me, so I impaled each one with a fork and slowly spun it in the the chocolate until it was completely covered. 

7. Once the chocolate has hardened, use a spatula to lift up the truffles and put them on a plate. (Don't stack them or they will melt and stick together).

8. (Optional) To make them prettier, you can melt white chocolate (without adding butter this time) and put in a ziploc bag. Let it set for about a minute, and cut a tiny hole off a corner. Use this to drizzle a zigzag on each truffle.


These are super simple to make, and if they were not so filling, I would probably eat them in one sitting.

-Oksana

Lava Cake

I can't help myself sometimes- whenever my sister is over my house, I feel obligated to make her something (unfortunately, she doesn't feel the same obligations).

That something  usually manifests into my go-to quick dessert, Lava Cake.
Lava Cake is one of those desserts that people are hesitant about trying for whatever reason, but once they do, they realize how easy it really is.

My recipe for Lava Cake is pretty straight forward, and will make 5-7 Lava Cakes, depending on the size of your ramekins:

Lava Cake:
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
5 tbs. butter
3 tbs. sugar
4 oz dark chocolate (And no, you can't use milk or white. Trust me)
3 tbs. flour
4 tsp. cocoa powder
pinch of salt
vanilla to taste

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 425. Hot, I know. Don't get scared. 

1. Melt your chocolate and butter in a double boiler.

2. Mix your eggs/yolks together with your sugar (use a handheld mixer). Once that is thoroughly mixed, add your melted chocolate/butter mixture. To this, add vanilla. If you're not a vanilla fan, its OK. Its not a necessity.  I am a vanilla fanatic, so I usually as about two tsp or more, depending on how I'm feeling that day. 

3. In a separate bowl, blend together the flour, cocoa, and salt. Make sure the flour and cocoa has no lumps in it. If it does, give it a quick sifting. 

4. Add the dry ingredients slowly into the melted chocolate mixture. I've read that some people tell you not to mix it with a mixer, but I've noticed that if I use the lowest setting I have absolutely no ill effects except perfectly mixed lava cake batter.

5. Take a little piece of cold butter and slather the insides of your ramekins with it. Its really important that the Lava Cake doesn't stick to the sides, or it will fall apart when you're going to try to take it out.

6. Bake for about 8-15 min. This is, hands down, the most difficult part of making Lava Cake. Remember, your goal is that the outside is cooked, while the inside is not, resulting in that "lava" that we are all craving. Usually, I start paying attention after they have been in the oven around 9 min. Once I see that the top is cooked, I see if a toothpick inserted into the very edge comes out clean. If it does, that means the sides are cooked and ready. If the toothpick comes out chocolaty  then I pop them back in, usually for one minute intervals. Remember: baking times might vary on your oven, so pay attention! 

7. And...you're done! Feel free to invert them on a plate and garnish, or just eat them straight out of the ramekins. We usually eat ours with vanilla ice cream and milk. 


Now, if you've over-baked your Lava Cakes, don't despair- you just made really tasty chocolate cake. Next time, just bake them a tiny bit less.

Also, remember that since the ramekins and cakes themselves are very hot, they will continue to cook even after you take them out of the oven. So, devour immediately!


Happy Baking!

-Oksana

Chocolate Espresso Cake

If you're one of those people that needs their chocolate fix once in a while in order to function, then this is a great way to get it.

This is definitely a chocolate overload, and very filling- if you're not much of a chocolate fan, this might not be a dessert for you.

I made this cake in a 9 inch quiche pan, but any other appropriately sized vessel will be fine.

Ingredients:

¾ cup flour

½ cup of cocoa powder

3 tbs instant espresso power 

¼ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt
½ cup butter, chopped into pieces

2 oz chocolate, chopped

2 large eggs

1 cup brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

For the glaze:

¼ cup heavy cream

1 tsp instant espresso power

4 oz chocolate, chopped

pinch of salt

Directions: 

1. In a double boiler, met the chocolate and butter.

2. While the chocolate is melting, sift the flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl; set aside.

3. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs and brown sugar until blended. Slowly stir in the melted chocolate and vanilla. 

4. Add the flour mixture a couple of spoons at a time until everything is incorporated.

5.  Pour the batter into your pan, spread evenly, and put into the oven at 350 degrees. 

6. Bake for around 25 minutes, until the sides of the cake are pulling away from the pan. Right here is where it can all go wrong. As with the lava cake, over-baking this is very, very easy. As soon the the center of your cake isn't raw, take it out. It doesn't need "just one more minute".

7. While your cake is baking, make the glaze. In your double boiler, combine the heavy cream and espresso powder. Once the powder is fully incorporated, add the chocolate and salt. Remember to stir often!

8.  Pour glaze over cake, spreading it out with a spatula if necessary.

Let your cake cool in the refrigerator a few hours before eating, and you're done! This little cake is simple and perfect for getting your chocolate fix. 

-Oksana

Tiramisu Cheesecake

This recipe combines two dessert classics - cheesecake and tiramisu. It's cooked just like a cheesecake, but using classic tiramisu ingredients like mascarpone cheese, lady fingers, and espresso. 

Ingredients:

7 oz ladyfingers
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
1 ¹/₂ lbs of cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 cup mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla exctract
¹/₄ teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1 ¹/₄ cups mini semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350⁰. Wrap the outside of a 9 inch spring form pan with foil. This will prevent the sides of the cheesecake from burning. 

2. Use a food processor to grind the lady fingers into fine crumbs. Mix with melted butter and espresso power. Transfer the crumb mixture to the prepared pan and press evenly along the bottom and sides of the pan. Often, I do not even bother putting crust along the sides. It's just as attractive and delicious without it and you will save yourself some time. In that case, it's very important to make sure you cover the sides with foil because the delicate cheesecake filling can burn very easily and you will end up with with burnt edges. 

3. Bake cheesecake crust for 10 minutes and set aside; lower oven temperature to 300⁰.

4. Using a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese until fluffy, about two minutes. Gradually beat in the sugar until smooth. Then, beat in the mascarpone, vanilla, and salt. Add the eggs one at a time. Stir in ¹/₂  a cup of chocolate chips. 

5. Bake until the center in set but still slightly jiggly. Honestly, the baking time can vary significantly, and I have never seen a recipe that got it right. An unbaked cheesecake has the consistency of kefir, and once it thickens and tightens up like a cooked cheesecake should look, you will know it's done. The edges will puff up at first, and when you shake the pan slightly and see that middle is almost tight - it's done. Don't wait until it's completely immovable when shaken, because cheesecakes do continue cooking once out of the oven. An over-cooked cheesecake will be grainy. 

6. Once the center is set but still jiggly, I like to take my cheesecake out of the oven and top it off with a sour cream topping. It's an idea I got from one of the cheesecake recipes from my favorite Williams-Sonoma cookbook, and now I do this for every cheesecake I make. Whisk a little over a cup of sour cream with 1/4 cup of sugar and pour over cheesecake. Bake until set for another 10 minutes. This is optional, so I didn't include this in the ingredients list. I like this trick because my cheesecakes always crack and the sour cream topping is not only delicious, but it gives me a smooth finish and masks a huge crack in the middle (hehe). I know that to prevent a cheesecake from cracking you must bake it halfway and then turn off the oven and let it sit for another hour or so, allowing it to cook and cool gradually. However, it's much too time consuming and I haven't yet mastered the timing with that method. I am always nervous the cheesecake will overcook if I leave it in for too long, or crack anyway if I take it out too fast. Maybe cheesecake master Oksana can post a fool-proof method to prevent cracking cheesecakes. 

7. Let cheesecake cool to room temperature. After it cools, I like to wrap my cheesecakes in foil, place it it a couple of plastic bags to prevent possible freezer burn (better safe than sorry!) and freeze. Once it's rock solid, it's much easier to remove from the spring form pan. In fact, I think it's pretty much impossible to remove unto a serving plate neatly if the cheesecake is at room temperature, or even refrigerated.  I have done it once before and it was a huge fail. 

8. Once it's standing on the cake stand or serving plate, you can melt the remaining chocolate chips, place melted chocolate in resealable plastic bag, snip a corner off the bag, and drizzle chocolate in a decorative pattern all over the cheesecake. 

Wow, those directions turned out longer than I thought. And I still haven't said everything I wanted to say about cheesecakes. There will be many more cheesecake posts (cheesecakes are our favorite desserts) and plenty of opportunities to discuss all my cheesecake tricks and ideas. 

Recipe by Every Day with Rachel Ray
                                                                                                
- Yana 

Chocolate Soufflé

Souffles have a reputation for being very tricky to execute, but after making it several times, I can say that it's really not as complicated as it looks. Maybe it's beginners luck, but Oksana and I made it several times and it turned out great every time. I have had a lot more trouble with other seemingly simple desserts - like pies. The main concern is not to overcook it. I like my souffles gooey in the middle, with a generous dollop of ice cream on top. 

Ingredients:

11 oz (250 g) bittersweet or semisweet (plain) chocolate
8 room temperature large eggs, separated
¹/8 teaspoon salt
¹/₂ teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Whipped cream


1. Preheat oven to 375⁰ for a large 2 quart souffle dish, or 400⁰ for individual 1-cup ramekins. 

2. Butter souffle dish or ramekins and dust with powdered sugar. 

3. Melt chocolate over a double boiler. Set aside. 

4. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg whites, salt, and cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Slowly add 1/4 cup sugar and whisk until stiff peak form. 

5. In another bowl, whisk egg yolks until thick and pale in color. Whisk in the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and the vanilla. 

6. Use a rubber spatula to fold the melted chocolate into the egg yolk mixture (Depending on how long it took to complete steps 4-6, the melted chocolate may have solidified just a bit while it was standing there. It's a good idea to set it back over a low flame for a few seconds if it seems like it has thickened. One time, Oksana and I used melted chocolate that has been sitting there for quite some time, and added it to cold straight-out of the fridge eggs. The mixture turned out clumpy and we had to do some heavy duty whisking to get the clumps out. You really do not want to have to do any more whisking at this point, just folding, so as to not over-beat the eggs).

7. Gently fold in the egg whites into the resulting chocolate mixture until no white streaks remain. 

8. Spoon souffle mixture into prepared dishes. 

9. Bake until the souffle is set and puffed, but the center still jiggles when slightly shaken, between 30-45 minutes (wide range...I know...) for the large souffle, and around 10 minutes for the individual souffles. I am not exactly sure about the times because I last made this a while ago. When I make it again, I will post more precise cook times.  

10. Serve immediately with whipped cream or ice cream.

Original recipe comes from this William's Sonoma baking book

-Yana