Chocolate Cinnamon Flourless Cakes

Last night it was -32 C outside... that's really cold.  So cold that I stayed at home all night and was craving something hot and chocolatey.  I love these cakes because that's exactly what they are, except they're much more filling and satisfying than drinking hot chocolate.  They are flourless, so they're good for low-carb eaters (if you can ignore all the sugar), but that's not why I make them.  I like the flourless cakes because they seem, to me, somewhere in between brownies and custard.  I eat them when they are hot and they melt in my mouth like a soft custard would, but they are as dense and rich as a brownie or cake.  To make them even better, I add a ton of cinnamon to the mix - it deepens the flavor of the chocolate, and who doesn't love cinnamon?

So here is the recipe; I adapted it from this one for gluten free flourless chocolate cake.

8 oz chocolate (I used part semisweet chips and part 75% dark)

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup boiling water

1/2 cup melted butter

1 tbsp cocoa powder

4 eggs

1/2 tbsp vanilla extract

3 tsp cinnamon + extra for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 F and butter 10 5 oz. ramekins.  

Chop up the chocolate into small pieces, and combine in a large mixing bowl with the sugars.  Add the boiling water, and whisk until all the chocolate is melted and sugar is dissolved.  Add the cocoa powder, vanilla extract, and 3 tsp cinnamon.  Then add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.  

Pour the mixture into the ramekins, filling them up about halfway.  Place on a large baking sheet, making sure that none of the ramekins touch each other and that they are evenly spaced. Bake for 30 - 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  The cakes will more than double in size when they are in the oven, but will deflate once you take them out.  

Sprinkle the tops with cinnamon and serve them warm.  Leftovers can be stored, covered, in the refrigerator,  and reheated in the microwave when ready to eat.