Little Warm Chocolate Caramel Cakes

Warm caramel sauce and a little chocolate syrup spooned into a ramekin's bottom results in a cake with an irresistibly gooey surprise. Plan ahead, because you need to freeze the ramikins for about 70 minutes before baking. Adapted from Country Living magazine.

• Ready In: 35 mins
• Serves: 6
• Yields: 6 ramekins

Ingredients

•  butter, softened
• 1 (12 1/4ounce) jar  good-quality  caramel sauce
• 6  tablespoons  chocolate syrup (optional but so good)
• 1 1⁄2 cups  sifted cake flour (or sifted white flour)
• 1⁄3 cup  dutch-process  unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1  teaspoon baking soda
• 3⁄4-1  cup sugar
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1  cup  strong brewed coffee, warm (I use decaf)
• 1⁄3 cup light olive oil
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1  tablespoon  aged  balsamic vinegar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400*F.
2. Generously coat six 6-ounce ramekins with softened butter. Chill in the freezer for about 10 minutes, and brush with a second coat of butter. Pour 3 tablespoons caramel sauce into the bottom of each ramekin. Now put 1 tbls. of the chocolate syrup on top of the caramel sauce and transfer to the freezer for 1 hour.
3. Whisk the cake flour, cocoa, baking soda, sugar, and salt together in a large bowl and set aside. Stir the coffee, oil, vanilla, and vinegar together and whisk into the flour mixture just until smooth.
4. Fill each ramekin with 1/3 cup of batter.
5. Bake at 400 degrees F until the cake is set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, and the caramel has bubbled up the sides, about 20 minutes. Enjoy!