Peanut Butter Chocolate Lava Cakes are the perfect flavor combination baked into a soft, warm cake.
Chocolate Lava Cakes are one of my favorite dessert recipes, and it seems like y’all love them too! They come together really easily, require very few ingredients, but they don’t skimp on flavor. When you add peanut butter into the mix you get a simple twist that makes a delicious difference.
Ingredients for Peanut Butter Chocolate Lava Cakes:
- Unsalted butter. I always make sure to use unsalted butter when baking because there is no “standard” for the amount of salt they can add to butter. So if you add salt to a recipe and then use salted butter you could end up with a very salty end product.
- Chocolate. I used semi-sweet chocolate.
- Eggs. Having your eggs at room temperature will make it easier to incorporate them.
- Egg yolks. See above note.
- Granulated sugar. This will add sweetness to the finished product. Adding it to the ramekin will also add a crunchy element.
- All-purpose flour. Measuring the flour correctly is very important. I suggest weighing your flour out (I use this scale). If you want to use a measuring cup, make sure you spoon the flour into the cup and level it off with a knife. Don’t use the cup to scoop directly from the flour.
- Peanut Butter. Be sure to use creamy peanut butter.
How to make Peanut Butter Chocolate Lava Cakes
Step 1: Scoop heaping teaspoons of peanut butter onto a small plate. Place in freezer until ready to use.
STEP 2: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (F). Prepare 4 small ramekins (My favorites are from Jefferson Street Ceramics) by spraying them with non-stick spray. Then pour a couple of spoonfuls of granulated sugar into one of the ramekins and spin around until the bottom and sides are coated. Pour the remaining sugar in the next ramekin and continue until all 4 are coated. This will make a crunchy sugar crust on the outside of the Lava Cakes.
STEP 3: In a small saucepan combine the chocolate and butter. Place over low heat until melted. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
STEP 4: In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, and sugar until the mixture is slightly thickened.
STEP 5: Add the cooled chocolate mixture and whisk until thickened. Add flour and mix until combined.
STEP 6: Divide the batter evenly between the prepared ramekins. Place one ball of peanut butter in the center of each lava cake and press it down so it is covered by the chocolate batter.
Step 7: You can refrigerate the batter at this point and then bake for 17-20 minutes when ready to serve. If you want to bake right away place the ramekins on a cookie sheet and bake for 15-17 minutes or until the outside is set and just the very center is jiggly. The frozen peanut butter will cool down the cakes so they may take a little longer to bake.
Step 8: STEP 6: Remove from oven and turn the ramekins over onto a plate. The easiest way to do this is to place a ramekin on a potholder in your hand, flip a plate over on top of it and then turn the whole thing over. You might have to lightly shake the ramekin in order to get the cake out.
Can I make Lava Cakes ahead of time?
Absolutely! But I wouldn’t recommend baking them ahead of time. You can prepare them up to the point of baking and the refrigerate them for a couple of days or freeze for up to two weeks. If you freeze you will need to allow them to thaw before baking.
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Peanut Butter Chocolate Lava Cakes
Ingredients
For Lava Cake:
- 4 teaspoons creamy peanut butter
- 1 stick (113 grams) unsalted butter
- 2/3 cup (113 grams) chocolate I used semi-sweet
- 2 large eggs
- 2 egg yolks
- 1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon (8 grams) all-purpose flour
Instructions
For Lava Cake:
- Scoop heaping teaspoons of peanut butter onto a small plate. Place in freezer until ready to use.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F). Prepare 4 small ramekins by spraying them with non-stick spray. Pour a couple of spoonfuls of granulated sugar in the sprayed ramekin and roll around so that it coats the bottom and sides. This will create a sugar crust on the lava cake.
- In a small saucepan combine the butter and chocolate. Place over low heat until melted. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, and sugar until slightly thickened. Add the cooled chocolate mixture and whisk until thickened. Add the flour and mix until combined.
- Divide the batter evenly between the prepared ramekins. Place one ball of peanut butter in the center of each lava cake and press it down so it is covered by the chocolate batter.
- Place the ramekins on a cookie sheet and bake for 15-17 minutes or until the outside is set and the very center is jiggly.Note: you can also refrigerate the batter at this point and then bake for 13 minutes when you are ready to serve.
- Remove from oven and carefully flip the ramekins over onto a plate.
Nutrition
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