Paleo Lava Cakes Recipe
You know when something gets stuck in your head and you try to push it out but it keeps coming back? That’s the case with this molten lava cake. I had recently started a ketogenic diet and if you’re at all familiar with that, it is high in fat, low in carbs, and moderate in protein. This basically means no chocolate or sweeteners since that automatically goes over my daily allotment of carbs.
BUT, as life normally goes, I got derailed from keto while on a camping trip and had a hard time getting back on track. And that seemed like the perfect time to get the molten lava cakes out of my head and into my belly.
The first time I made them, I over-greased/floured the ramekins and they just didn’t look so pretty and had a hard time releasing onto the plate. It was a delicious mess. The next time I made them, I had learned my lesson and only lightly greased the ramekins, but they still didn’t release very easily because I tried coating them with cocoa powder instead of flour.
After a couple more tries, things worked out right. Turns out, it’s not just how you coat the ramekins, but the timing on when you invert them onto the plate. Too soon out of the oven = mess. Fortunately, gooey, chocolate messes are never turned down in this house and nothing went to waste.
But inverting the cakes onto a plate for the dramatic effect of cutting it open and seeing all that chocolatey goodness flow out isn’t necessary. Sure, it makes for a fun surprise, but you could be completely casual (as I prefer to be) and just eat it straight out of the ramekin. This also keeps all that molten chocolate contained and easy to spoon up so not a drop gets wasted. Because who wants to waste good chocolate?
Mini Molten Lava Cakes {primal, grain-free}
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Grass-Fed Butter, see notes
- 4 oz Chocolate, dark or bittersweet is preferred, we love Enjoy Life Brand
- 2 Whole Eggs
- 2 Egg Yolks
- 1/4 cup Maple Sugar
- 2 tsp Otto's Cassava Flour, plus more for the ramekins
- 1/2 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1/8 tsp Salt
- Palm Shortening, to grease the ramekins
- Powdered Sugar, for sprinkling on top (see notes)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F.
- In a double boiler over simmering water, heat the butter and chocolate chips until the chocolate is not quite completely melted. Remove from heat and mix until the chocolate is completely smooth and melted. It will still be pretty warm. Set aside.
- While the chocolate is melting, beat the eggs, egg yolks, and maple sugar (by hand or with an electric mixer) until it becomes lighter and thickened. Set aside.
- Add the chocolate mixture, flour, salt, and vanilla to the egg mixture and mix until fully combined and smooth.
- Lightly grease 4 ramekins with the shortening. Coat ramekins with extra cassava flour and tap out excess.
- Divide the batter evenly between the 4 ramekins (slightly over half full), place ramekins on a baking sheet, and bake for 7-8 minutes. The center won't be set so the toothpick test won't work here.
- Remove from oven and let sit about 5 minutes. Invert ramekins onto individual dishes. Wait 10-20 seconds then remove ramekin (this is best done by slipping a butter knife under one edge and tilting it off to one side and picking it up with an oven-mitt covered hand). Alternately, just eat it straight out of the ramekin for a no-fuss dessert.
- Garnish with organic powdered sugar** and fresh berries, if desired. Serve immediately.
Notes
- I have not tried a substitute for butter yet, so I'm not sure if ghee, coconut oil, or anything else will work or how the flavor would be affected. If you do try a substitute to make this dairy-free, please let me know how it turned out.
- If you're unable to find organic powdered cane sugar (or a sugar that you are comfortable eating), you can make your own. In a high-powered blender, combine 1 cup maple sugar (or organic cane sugar) with 1 Tbsp arrowroot/tapioca starch and blend on high until powdery. It will be slightly more coarse than commercial powdered sugar, but will get the job done.
Nutrition Information
Yield 4 Serving Size 1 cakeAmount Per Serving Calories 420Total Fat 37gSaturated Fat 21gUnsaturated Fat 0gCholesterol 240mgSodium 315mgCarbohydrates 20gFiber 1gSugar 16gProtein 5g
Nutrition is calculated by a third party and may not be 100% accurate
Shari Z
Monday 6th of February 2017
I am so excited to try this recipe. I want to make it for a dinner party. I wonder if I can make it in advance and bake it off shortly before service. By advance, I mean about three or four hours. Do you think that would work? Thank you.
Kendra Benson
Monday 6th of February 2017
I've made it about an hour in advance and it was fine. I mixed the batter and filled the ramekins and didn't put them in the oven just before we sat down to dinner. Since they were done cooking before dinner was done, I just let them cool a bit in the ramekins and didn't invert them until it was time to serve. They weren't burn-your-mouth hot but still gooey inside and it helped them release from the ramekins a little easier as well. If you're making it 3-4 hours in advance, you may want to refrigerate the batter and then take it out to let it come to room temp for about 30 minutes before filling the ramekins and baking.
Wanda
Sunday 4th of September 2016
Chocolate,can we not use Chocolate in the Whole 30? Sorry this is all new to me. What dressings can I use for things like tuna salad,etc. Mayonnaise, mustard ? Any sauces or gravy ? They don't say anything about drinks, sugar free soda , tea lemonade?
Maryanne
Wednesday 17th of August 2016
We ate them straight out of the mugs, they were amazing!!!!!!!!!!
Constance Dudley Laub
Wednesday 10th of August 2016
Thank you for all your research to find a true chocolate recipe that is not all sugar and flour, I can hardly wait to try your instructions are so complete thank you from the ingredients I expect great deserts and I love butter so would not even think of changing