Okay so you know how I said Chocolate Soufflé was my favorite dessert ever, you know, if I were asked at gun point and made to tell? Well I lied. Again. I know, I’m such a liar. Don’t hate me though because I’m about to share my actual favorite dessert of all time with you, for reals and not under duress. And guess what? It’s Paleo! My favorite dessert of all time just so happens to be…drumroll please…Molten Chocolate Lava Cake! (Insert wild applause here) I know. How freaking fantastic, right? You guys, this recipe is so easy and delicious it’s ridiculous. Even though I totally messed up the first time I made it. Whatever. It just means you get to laugh at me. This blog is kinda called Culinary Adventures in Paleo Cooking for a reason. Key word being “Adventures” because who knows what the hell is gonna happen! Well when you make this recipe you’ll see there is a step where you have to fill a casserole dish up with water while your pretty little lava cakes are waiting to go into the oven. This is where I proceeded to not only pour hot water into the casserole dish but also on top of two of my lava cakes. Disaster. I also had a little (big) situation with the cocoa powder that we won’t get into. Let’s just say at one point I may or may not have been covered head to toe in it. Maybe someone who can’t cook shouldn’t have a food blog? But what fun would that be? These molten chocolate lava cakes are based off of a pretty standard recipe, but I’ve changed a few things here and there to make them Paleo for you guys…and for me, duh. Okay so dirty secret confession time, I sort of rushed through taking the pictures so that I could eat the molten lava cake. What? food bloggers have to eat too you know. I literally died and went to heaven at first bite. These molten chocolate lava cakes are so warm and rich they literally just melt on your tongue. This would be such a great recipe to serve if you had important people over for dinner that you wanted to impress. Or if you wanted to just eat good food in your comfies. Or if you wanted to invite me over. These molten chocolate lava cakes are so fancy yet so simple and will seriously drive any chocolate lover to the edge of madness. Chocolate madness.
So are you all chocolate wasted now or what? I am. I need a nap. Then more molten chocolate lava cake. Rumor has it that molten chocolate lava cakes were actually a catering disaster. The dessert for this event was supposed to be individual chocolate cakes but someone (like me who couldn’t wait because it was chocolate) took them out of the oven too early and when they served them to the dinner guests they weren’t cooked all the way in the middle. So the chef just rolled with it and told the guests they were “Chocolate Lava Cakes”. Brilliant. Sounds like some kind of shenanigans I would try and pull. “Oh what it’s not cooked all the way?”…I guess it goes to show that cooking disasters can become culinary masterpieces. Like the molten chocolate lava cake. My personal all time favorite dessert. What’s your favorite dessert? It will probably be this one after you make it. Seriously. Would I lie to you?
- 5 tablespoons (2½ ounces/70 g) salted butter, plus more for greasing
- 1 cup (7 ounces/200 g) semisweet chocolate chips
- 2 tablespoons fine-ground blanched almond flour
- 1 heaping tablespoon cacao powder or unsweetened cocoa powder
- ⅛ teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
- 2 large eggs
- 2 large egg yolks
- 3 tablespoons coconut sugar
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Hot water for the baking dish
- Cacao powder or unsweetened cocoa powder
- Arrowroot or tapioca flour for dusting (to resemble powdered sugar)
- Fresh raspberries
- Grease four 7-ounce (210-ml) ramekins liberally with butter; set aside. Melt the chocolate chips and butter in a double boiler over low heat or in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water. Stir frequently, using a rubber spatula, until the chocolate and butter are completely melted and combined. Remove from the heat and let sit until the bowl is relatively cool to the touch. While the chocolate is cooling prepare other ingredients.
- In a small bowl, combine the almond flour, cacao powder, and salt. Use a fork to stir together until well combined; set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, coconut sugar, and vanilla until frothy. Use a rubber spatula to transfer and fold the chocolate into the egg and sugar mixture. Then sift the almond flour mixture into the chocolate and whisk until combined.
- Pour the mixture evenly into the ramekins. Tap lightly on the counter to remove air bubbles. Refrigerate uncovered for 30 minutes to set.
- About 15 minutes before the 30 minutes is up, adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 425°F (218°C). Place the ramekins into a 9 by 13-inch (23 by 33-cm) baking dish and carefully pour hot water, can be tap or boiled, into the baking dish and around the ramekins until it goes halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until the edges look finished but the middle appears undone. Remove the ramekins from the baking dish and let cool for at least 10 minutes.
- To serve: Slide a butter knife around the edge of a ramekin to pull the cake away from the sides, then turn it upside down over a plate and tap the bottom firmly until the cake slides out. Garnish with sifted cocoa powder, raspberries or any other desired toppings. Repeat with the remaining cakes. Store any leftovers, ungarnished, in the refrigerator for up to a day, then reheat in the microwave for 30 seconds before garnishing and eating.
- Make Ahead: Chocolate Lava Cake batter — 1 week ahead, store covered in ramekin dishes, then bake as described above.