Molten Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake
Are you a lover of dark chocolate and peanut butter? This is the dessert for you, it is ooey gooey and totally delicious!
Servings: 4 servings
Equipment
- 4 Ramekins
Ingredients
- 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate bar cut in chunks
- 4 ounces butter
- 2 eggs
- 2 egg yolks
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- cocoa powder for dusting
- ice cream or whipped cream optional, but really good
- ¼-1/2 cup peanut butter I used 2 tablespoons per cake, but you may want less. That is where the variation comes from.
Instructions
- Brush your ramekins with butter or spray, then dust lightly with the cocoa powder. Place on a baking sheet and set aside. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.
- Place your butter and chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30-second increments. Stirring after each one. Once the chocolate is almost all the way melted, remove and stir until it is all melted. Set aside.
- Add eggs, egg yolk, and brown sugar to a bowl. Mix with a hand mixer until light and fluffy. This can also be done with a whisk if you prefer, it is a great workout. Pour in the chocolate mixture and vanilla, and mix to combine.
- Divide the batter between the 4 ramekins. Drop 1-2 tablespoons of peanut butter into the center of the mixture. I used 2 tablespoons per cake, you may want less. In that case, do 1 tablespoon per cake.
- Move the baking sheet to the oven. Bake for 12 minutes. You want the outside to be slightly set and the center soft.
- Remove from the oven, and allow the cakes to sit for about 1 minute. Slide a knife around the edges to make sure the cakes will slide out easily. Invert carefully onto a plate and slide the ramekin off.
- Dust with powdered sugar, if you choose. Then top with ice cream or whipped cream, again, if you choose.
- Serve immediately, as the molten cake will continue to cook and you won't have the gooey center.
Notes
- If you want topping options other than ice cream, you can use whipped cream, chocolate ganache, fresh fruit, or something like this Best Thick Rasberry Sauce.
- Looking for other fillings too? You can use almond or cashew butter or even hazelnut spread (I’m looking at you, Nutella).
- These are called molten lava cakes for a reason. You want them slightly underbaked so peanut butter chocolate lava spills onto your plate. Because the peanut butter is heavy, the cakes may deflate a little when you serve them. This obviously doesn’t impact the flavor, but you can use it as an excuse to keep the “ugly” ones as a chef’s treat!
- This recipe does come together quickly, but if you want to prep ahead (especially if you’re doubling or tripling the recipe), you can mix up the chocolate batter and keep it refrigerated for up to two days. Let it sit out at room temperature for 30 minutes before pouring it into ramekins and proceeding with the recipe.