You probably don’t need me to tell you this, but Valentine’s Day is this week. I don’t know if you love all that romantic mushy stuff with flowers, jewelry, and candlelit dinners or it’s just another day for you. Or maybe you like to make a big deal out of it for your kiddos.

Farmer Andy and I decided in the beginning of our relationship to have it be “just another day.” But then a few years ago he started buying each of us a gift. Nate got his favorite candy bar, the girls each got a colored rose, and I got a dozen purple roses. Honestly, I’m not a big flowers-from-the-store kind of girl, but I would be lying if I said I don’t look forward to those purple roses every year. I mean, now that he started that tradition, I don’t want him to stop. 😊

Somewhere along the way after having kids…and loving to be creative…and being a homeschool mom…I decided to make a special Valentine’s Day supper for the kids (and me and Andy, of course). It’s called Cupid’s Crazy Café and I didn’t invent it. I totally copied it from The Dating Divas. I plan the menu, we all blindly order our courses, and then Farmer Andy and I randomly assign dishes, utensils, and beverages. We never know what we will get at each course. Sometimes you get a fork and no food…or the other way around. It’s silly and fun for the whole family. (If my description of it is too hard to understand, just click here and you will find all the details. I promise you, your kids will love it!)

No matter how you spend your Valentine’s Day, I think we can all agree that chocolate and desserts should be part of that day. Really, they should be part of any day! So today I’m sharing a family favorite dessert: Chocolate Lava Cakes.

If making that seems like too much work, then you can easily pick up some Goat Milk Caramels, Goat Milk Fudge, or Dulce de Leche from your local, family farm. 😉

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Chocolate Lava Cakes

From The Butter Half

Ingredients

4 ounces semisweet baking chocolate
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 egg yolks
2 eggs
1/3 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1/4 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon softened butter for greasing ramekins
1 tablespoon cocoa powder for dusting

Instructions

Preheat oven to 450°F.
Melt the butter and chocolate in a double boiler over medium heat, about 3-5 minutes. Once it begins to melt, stir constantly and remove from heat when mostly melted, until smooth and creamy.
Sift flour and powdered sugar together into a medium mixing bowl. Whisk egg yolks and eggs in a separate bowl until pale and fluffy. Add chocolate, eggs, vanilla, and salt to flour mixture and whisk until smooth.
Dust two 8 ounce ramekins with softened butter and cocoa butter. Do not miss any spots! Pour the chocolate batter into the ramekins, place them on a cookie sheet, and bake on 450°F for 10-12 minutes. The tops of the chocolate molten cakes should puff up and the sides firm, but the centers should still be jiggly and soft
Remove cakes from oven and let cool for 3-5 minutes. Use the edge of a knife to gently loosen the cakes from the sides. Place a small dessert plate on top of the ramekin. Carefully flip over the plate and ramekin together to release the chocolate molten cake. Top with powdered sugar, vanilla ice cream, and berries if desired. Serve while warm.