Lava Cakes

This recipe makes 8 lava cakes.  These amazing little cakes get baked in a ramekin. Do yourself a favor and do the prep steps hours before dessert time to make the finished product feel like simple luxery to your tastebuds. These lava cakes are best served fresh from the oven. I am talking literally spooning the goodness into your mouth within 5 minutes of removing from the heat. I adapted this from a recipe by Melanie McDonald's blog A Virtual Vegan.

Ingredients: 

For Cake

1/2 cup all purpose flour

3/4 cup gluten free flour (I used a commercial oat flour blend from costco)

1 1/2 cups cocoa powder

3/4 cup white sugar

4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

2 1/2 cups oat milk

For Lava

1 package dairy-free chocolate chunks

3 Tablespoons coconut oil

Prep steps: 

Use a paper towel to wipe a very thin layer of coconut oil around the sides and bottom of 8 ramekins. 

Do the same thing to 12 brownie bite cups in a brownie bite pan (or mini muffin pan). 

Mix all dry ingredients and set aside until time to add wet ingredient. 

Using double boiler, melt the chocolate chunks with the coconut oil. Once it is smooth, pour evenly into the prepared brownie bites pan. Place in refrigerator for several hours or until set. Invert pan over a flat surface, chocolate should easily come out. Store chocolate in the fridge for later. 

Method:

Heat oven to 375F. In a bowl combine all dry ingredients. Slowly pour in the milk while stirring constantly to incorporate. Ladle into ramekins; each ramekin will need 1 ladlefull to fill it 1/3 full. Place prepared chocolate into each ramekin. Ladle remaining cake batter over chocolate to fill ramekins evenly. *Allow 1/4 of ramekin to be headspace between top of batter and top rim of ramekin*

Place all ramekins onto a cookie sheet to bake, or carefully place them together on one oven rack. Bake 15 minutes. Remove promptly. May be eaten straight from the ramekin or inverted to make a true lava cake appearance. 

For lava cake appearance: Use a small knife to run around edge of cake to ensure edges aren't stuck to the ramekin. Let it sit 2 minutes after removal from oven. Invert over small plate, immediately remove ramekin. 

Serve with plant-based vanilla ice cream!