Vegan Lava Cakes (Molten Chocolate Cakes)
A warm chocolate cake, a molten center, and the aroma of chocolate all over your home - Lava Cakes are a marriage of chocolate cake and chocolate soufflé and are among the crème de la crème of desserts. At their heart is a liquid center that swells like lava on your little plate when you spoon the first piece. Therefore, lava Cakes are perfect as your dinner's crowning glory and if you want to treat yourself on the weekend. Fortunately, the list of ingredients is super short, and the preparation is quite simple.
But there is one thing you should pay special attention to The baking time of the Lava Cakes! Whenever I thought, "now they are perfect," they were already baked through. So I advise you to set a clock for eight minutes and be consistent about taking them out of the oven at this time if you want to serve the cake with a molten center. If you want the inside soft but not runny, then go for more like ten to twelve minutes. A few minutes make all the difference here, so a timer is essential for this recipe. You can serve the little chocolate cakes with powdered sugar, some cocoa powder, and physalis. In summer, of course, fresh berries or fruits are also perfect, whether as a sauce or decoration. But also consider caramel sauce or melted chocolate!
For the preparation of the Lava Cakes we used the Brazil Fine Dark Chocolate 70% from Naturata. The complex dark chocolate is organic, demeter quality, and contains just three ingredients: cocoa mass, raw cane sugar, and cocoa butter (of course, entirely without additives and adjuvants). The cocoa is cultivated according to biodynamic standards by a cooperative consisting of about 40 family farms. In addition to the sustainable cultivation of cocoa, the association has committed to preserving the rainforest. The chocolate is labeled "Brazil" because primarily Trinitario cocoa from Bahía in northeastern Brazil is used. It has a robust flavor, which is perfect for our Lava Cakes. By the way, together with myclimate, Naturata offsets the CO2 emissions generated during chocolate production and transport. Thus, the chocolate is climate neutral, which of course, we find crazy nice!
Vegan Lava Cakes (Molten Chocolate Cakes)
Ingredients
For the Lava Cakes:
- 120 g (4.25 oz) vegan dark chocolate (e.g. Brazil Fine Dark 70% from Naturata)
- 45 ml (0.2 cups) sunflower or rapeseed oil
- 160 ml (0.66 cups) plant-based milk
- 100 g (0.66 cups) wheat flour type 405
- 50 g (0.33 cup) sugar
- 15 g (0.5 oz) cocoa powder
- 1 pinch of salt
Also:
- vegan butter/oil for greasing
- powdered sugar or cocoa powder
- Physalis
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (392°F) convection oven and grease the cups of a muffin tin with some vegan butter or oil.
- Heat 80 g of the chocolate in a bain-marie until melted. Divide the remaining chocolate bar into six pieces.
- Add the oil and the plant-based milk to the melted chocolate and mix.
- In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, and salt and add the liquid ingredients until you have a smooth batter.
- Fill the muffin cups halfway with the batter. Place 1 piece of chocolate in the center and top with 1 tablespoon of batter. Bake the Lava Cakes for 10 minutes at 200°C (392°F) convection oven. Carefully take the cakes out of the tin and serve with a little powdered sugar or cocoa powder and physalis.
