Vegan Chocolate Lava Cakes
With a subtle coffee flavour and a molten chocolate middle, these easy vegan lava cakes are the dream dinner party dessert.
From the book
The Little Book of Vegan Bakes
Discover 80 plant-based recipes for the beginner to the experienced baker
From cakes to cookies, there is no compromising on taste or texture
Learn to expand your skill-set with step-by-step guides to creating crunchy honeycomb, or luscious chocolate ganache
Introduction
My chocolate lava cakes are the definition of melt-in-your-mouth deliciousness, with their rich chocolate sponge and gooey molten cores. My recipe is fairly easy to make, and I’m sure you’ll absolutely ‘lava’ the mouthwatering result! You could enjoy these as a festive dessert and set them alight with some vegan-friendly brandy, then serve them with your favourite dairy-free cream, ice cream or fresh berries. These are great to serve a crowd: simply double the recipe if you’ve got more people to feed.
Ingredients
| For the cakes: | |
|---|---|
| coconut oil, melted, for greasing | |
| 120g (¾ cup plus 3⅓ tbsp) | plain flour |
| 110g (¾ cup plus 2 ½ tbsp) | icing sugar |
| 30g (¼ cup) | cocoa powder, plus extra to decorate |
| ½ tbsp | instant ground coffee |
| ½ tsp | baking powder |
| ½ tsp | bicarbonate of soda |
| 1 small | ripe banana |
| 120ml (½ cup) | dairy-free milk |
| ½ tbsp | apple cider vinegar |
| ½ tbsp | vanilla bean paste |
| For the chocolate filling: | |
| 120g (¾ cup) | dairy-free chocolate, broken into chunks |
Essential kit
You will need: 3 individual 10 x 7.5cm (4 x 2in) ramekins.
Method
Preheat the oven to 180 C fan/200 C/400 F/gas mark 6. Grease 3 individual 10 x 7.5cm (4 x 2in) ramekins with coconut oil.
Sift the flour, icing sugar, cocoa powder, coffee, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda into a medium-sized bowl and mix to combine.
In a separate bowl, mash the banana, then add the milk, apple cider vinegar and vanilla bean paste. Whisk to combine.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry and fold together – don’t overmix! Divide half of the batter between the ramekins, then carefully press a third of the chocolate chunks into the centre of each ramekin. Spoon the remaining batter over the chocolate chunks until they are completely hidden. You don’t want to overfill them as the sponge will rise in the ramekins.
Place the ramekins on a baking tray and place the tray in the centre of the oven. Bake for 20–25 minutes. Once baked, carefully run a knife around the edge of each ramekin to help loosen the sponge.
Place a plate on top of each ramekin in turn, flip upside down, then lift off the ramekin. Serve the cakes with a dusting of cocoa powder, along with dairy-free cream, ice cream and fresh berries (optional). The chocolate will be runny while the sponge is hot, but will become less so as it cools, so these are best enjoyed straight from the oven.
Holly’s tip: If the cakes cool too much before serving, revive them by briefly warming them in the oven or microwave.
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