If you’re looking for the perfect dessert for your romantic Valentine’s Day dinner for two, look no further. This easy recipe makes two rich and decadent little chocolate molten lava cakes with a creamy peanut butter filling.
Make Ahead
Doing a little planning ahead will buy you some extra time to spend with your Valentine, because that’s what this is all about, right? These molten lava cakes are the perfect dessert for your romantic dinner, because there are a couple of options for getting them done ahead of time.
The batter for these cakes can be prepared through step 4 ahead of time. Just cover tightly and keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 day. Allow to come to room temperature before continuing with step 5. This enables you to have the nearly finished cake batter tucked away in the fridge, ready to go with just a couple of quick steps. You can then bake them right before you and your sweetie are ready for dessert. Serve it warm and melty for a grand finale to your romantic dinner!
Or, if you really want to simplify things, just finish the cakes all the way through the baking stage. Store the cooled cakes in the fridge, and when you’re ready for dessert, just microwave on high for a few seconds until they are warm to the touch and slightly spongy when you press down on the top.
Finish with a scoop of ice cream, and a drizzle of warmed peanut butter, and your Valentine will be impressed!
Molten Chocolate Lave Cakes for Two with Peanut Butter Filling
Ingredients
- 3 oz semi-sweet chocolate chopped
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter (1/2 stick)
- 1/8 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp espresso powder (optional)
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 4 tsp creamy peanut butter (about 2 teaspoons per cake)
- pinch salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Spray two 6-ounce ramekins with nonstick cooking spray and dust with cocoa powder. This ensures the cakes will easily come out of the ramekins when inverted onto a plate after baking.
- Chop the chocolate (or you can use equivalent amount of chocolate chips). Place butter into a medium heat-proof bowl, then add chopped chocolate on top. Microwave on high in 10 second increments, stirring after each until completely smooth. Set aside.
- Whisk the flour, powdered sugar, espresso powder, and salt together in a small bowl. Whisk the eggs, egg yolks and vanilla extract together until combined in another small bowl. Pour the flour mixture and egg mixture into the bowl of chocolate. Slowly stir everything together using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon. The batter will be slightly thick.
- Spoon chocolate batter evenly into each prepared ramekin. Top with peanut butter and use a spoon to slightly press it down into the batter. Some may still be exposed
- Place ramekins onto a baking sheet and bake for 12-13 minutes until the sides appear solid and firm. The top may still look slightly soft.
- Allow to cool for 1 minute, then cover each with an inverted plate and turn over. They will be hot, so be careful. The cakes should release easily from the ramekin.
- Top with ice cream and melted peanut butter for serving, if desired. Serve immediately.Cakes can also be rewarmed for a few seconds in the microwave, if you want to prepare in advance. Just enough to make the peanut butter filling slightly oozy.
I used these 6-ounce custard cups to bake my cakes. They work well because they are fridge, oven, microwave and dishwasher safe.
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Oh my this looks and sounds so awesome!! I have yet to make a successful molten lava cake. You make it look so easy! Thanks for sharing at the What’s for Dinner party. Have a fabulous weekend.
This looks wonderful! Visiting from Silver Pennies Sunday