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Chocolate Lava Cake with peanut butter truffles - perfectly cooked with an oozing center

Chocolate Lava Cakes with Peanut Butter Truffles

Let Your LOVE Flow this Valentine’s Day with this Yummy, Fudgy Treat!
Dark Chocolate Cake – with an oozing filling of swirling chocolate & peanut butter.

**Chocolate Lava Cake – perfectly cooked with an oozing center**

**Here’s the lava – a flowing, molten chocolate-peanut butter center**

This Valentine’s Day treat your sweetie to a delicious, rich, dense and fudgy cake – perfect for sharing!

A chocolate treat that has a warm, gooey, flowing chocolate-peanut butter center. Who can resist this?

Servings: 8 – 2 servings per ramekin

Ingredients

Cake Batter:

7 ounces bittersweet chocolate;
1 ¼ cups chopped,
I used Guittard extra dark cocoa chips

1 teaspoon pure vanilla

2 tablespoon neutral oil*

3 large eggs, separated,
I use pasture raised

⅓ cup cake flour, or gluten-free flour mix
(works great!)

¼ teaspoon sea salt

¼ teaspoon cream of tartar

⅓ cup pure cane sugar

Peanut Butter Truffles:

3 tablespoons heavy cream

4 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
I used 365 brand, unsalted, organic

3 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar,
sifted

¼ teaspoon pure vanilla

2 pinches sea salt

Instructions

Make the peanut butter truffle filling at least 1 hour before baking, or the night before.
See recipe below.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly butter 4 individual baking ramekins (with a 1 cup capacity.) Butter each generously. Can also use one, 8″ cake pan with 1 1/2″ sides.

Chop the chocolate into small pieces, or use the dark chocolate chips. Place in a metal or pyrex glass bowl with the butter.
Melt over a simmering pan of boiling water, that does not touch the bowl (or use a bain marie.)
Add vanilla and the oil. Remove from heat. Add 3 egg yolks. Whisk until smooth. Sift in the 1/3 cup cake flour and gently mix with a rubber spatula – add salt, mix in.

Place the egg whites in a clean bowl (of stand mixer) or hand held beater, and whisk on high speed. After frothy, add the cream of tartar. Then, add the 1/3 cup sugar slowly until soft peaks form. Do not overbeat.

Fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture – gently, in three additions with the spatula. Spoon the batter evenly into the ramekins. Using a small scoop, drop 3 mounds of the peanut butter truffles into the batter of each ramekin. I use a 1″ cookie scoop. Press down, and cover with the cake batter using a small spatula or knife.

Place the ramekins on a baking pan to hold.

Bake until just set, about 8 – 12 minutes.
Do not overcook, should be firm on top, yet soft in the center.
Serve immediately – the center “lava” will flow. If not overcooked, can be reheated just until warmed through.

Peanut Butter Truffle Filling:
Heat 3 tablespoons of the heavy cream (microwave is easiest) in a small bowl – until just warm.
Add the peanut butter, combine well with a fork. Add confectioner’s sugar, vanilla and salt.
Cool, then refrigerate until firm, covered tightly.
(Can freeze one hour too.)

Making ahead of time? Undercook a bit, then reheat and let the lovely center flow. Alternately, prepare the cakes and refrigerate until ready to bake. Place on your countertop for at least a half an hour to take out the chill, then pop in a hot over and serve immediately.

* with concerns about gmo’s and processing of oils, use a vegetable oil which has not been chemically treated, this is called “expeller pressed.”

See Blog for step-by-step photos.

This recipe can not be reproduced without the consent of its author, Karen Sheer.

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