Nutella Molten Cakes + No-Churn Cherry Cheesecake Ice Cream

ed. note: Since our entire team has fallen in love with the decadent, beautiful, and perfectly-named blog Butterlust, we invited its creator, Katie, to pop by the site once a month in an all new series called “The Sweeter Side.” She’ll be sharing at-home recipes for ending the meal (or starting the day) on a sweet note, and I couldn’t be drooling anymore over this first installment. Take it away, Katie! 

Hello, CS readers – I’m super excited to share my sweet tooth with y’all! Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and while you may not have switched your focus from New Year’s resolutions to romance yet, I say it’s never to early to start planning a special evening for you and your sweetie – especially when it’s planning for a holiday where chocolate takes center stage! This year, my boyfriend and I have decided to keep Valentine’s Day small and intimate; no stuffy, over-priced prix fixe menu, no meticulously planned evening on the town, and definitely no fuzzy, frilly red and pink anything. Instead, we’re going to open up one (maybe two) nice bottles of wine that we’ve had stashed away for a special occasion, and spend the evening in the kitchen, crafting a meal together, and relishing in the unique closeness that is brought out through our shared love of cooking. While it may sound cliché, food is sexy. The sights, the smells, the tastes – the process of preparing and indulging in a home-cooked meal engages the senses, heightens our mood and has the rare ability to create the perfect setting for a memorable evening with that special someone.

While I love to cook, I love it even more when he cooks for me, so in true sweets-obsessed fashion, I’m letting him handle the main course while I focus on dessert. On the menu this year: Nutella Molten Cakes with No-Churn Cherry Cheesecake Ice Cream. Fear not, molten cakes are one of those desserts that seem infinitely fancy and intimidating, however are surprisingly simple to make at home.  They require few ingredients, all of which you likely already have in your pantry, and come together in twenty minutes or less. To further add to the simplicity – and allow more time for the two of you – the ice cream requires zero special equipment and is meant to be made the night before, though you could scrap the cheesecake part all together and just as easily top the cakes with the cherry sauce alone.

These individual serving molten chocolate cakes are served warm from the oven and have a gooey, liquid Nutella center that oozes out onto the plate and mingles with swirls of melting ice cream, resulting in the ultimate contrast of flavors and textures — hot and cold, sweet and tart, nutty and fruity. They’re rich, indulgently messy and, well, just about as sexy as a dessert can get. Enjoy!