This post updated January 2016 as part of the #ThrowbackThursday photography project where I add delicious new photos to already delectable recipes. Enjoy!
The Godfather and I have always stayed in for Valentine’s Day… remember the 17 hour key lime cheesecake I mentioned in this post? That was from our first Valentine’s Day together. At first we alternated years cooking for each other, but it’s devolved into us just making a meal together and enjoying it with a movie or some board games. This year we’ve decided on dim sum if you’re curious. Some we’ll try to make and some we will outsource to the Trader Joe’s frozen food section since it’s our first Valentine’s Day with the little one.
The thing with dim sum is, there’s no real clear dessert option. Neither of us are huge fans of chocolate covered strawberries, a quintessential V-Day dessert, and we don’t want to make something big for just a few little pieces. We still haven’t settled on our dessert, but I think you’ve just found yours. 😉
I know that salted caramel is rather over-done at the moment, and honestly, chocolate and salted caramel is probably even more over-done this time of the year, but this… this is fantastic. It’s beautiful, gooey, intense in chocolate taste with a delicious balance of caramel and salt in the middle. If desserts were people, this cake would be a femme fatale international spy in a killer gown like the ones I swoon over on Pinterest.
Lava cakes have become staples on almost every restaurant dessert menu, but they’re not all stellar, and it all comes down to quality. I am a HUGE believer in quality over quantity (HUGE!) and it is absolutely imperative when it comes to this dessert. Please please please use the best quality chocolate you can find/afford and good caramels. In a pinch, I the bagged store bought would do, but it makes such a difference to have real caramels, the kind that aren’t shelf stable for 5 years. Dessert is a special occasion… celebrate accordingly!
I also love that this dessert can be scaled up or down. I had to test this dessert a few times to get it just how I wanted it, and after an initial “full scale” run of the recipe, I tested with just one cake at a time. I’ve included notes in the recipe to scale this so you make just 2 lava cakes if you’d like. Perfect for Valentine’s Day!
I originally served it with some homemade whipped cream to balance the richness of the chocolate, but it would also be divine with ice cream. For new pictures, I topped with extra caramel sauce and we enjoyed it plain. I recommend testing this recipe, several times… for research purposes… or something. 😉
Salted Caramel Chocolate Lava Cake
Ingredients
- 1 stick unsalted butter (4 oz)
- 8 oz good quality bittersweet or dark chocolate
- 2 tablespoons whole milk
- 3 eggs
- 1/3 c sugar
- 1/3 c all-purpose flour
- 4 large caramels (see notes)
- coarse sea salt, for topping
- Optional Toppings: caramel sauce
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 F,
- Melt the butter, milk, and chocolate together in a medium bowl in the microwave (50% power) for 60 seconds. Stir, and heat for additional 30-second intervals as needed until smooth. Set aside to cool a bit.
- Spray 4 ramekins with nonstick spray, or butter and sprinkle with cocoa powder. Be liberal with the greasing - you don't want the cakes to stick!
- Whisk the sugar into the chocolate mixture. Then whisk in the eggs, one at a time.
- Finally, add the flour and mix until just incorporated. The batter should be smooth.
- Divide the batter evenly between the 4 ramekins. Place 1 caramel into each filled ramekin and gently press it into the batter. It doesn't have to be completely submerged.
- Bake the cakes for 11-14 minutes until the edges are just set. They will look slightly under-done in the middle when you take them out of the oven.
- Let the cakes sit 5 minutes.
- Place a dessert plate over each ramekin and carefully invert the plate and ramekin. Remove the ramekin and serve the cakes immediately. Garnish with a drizzle of caramel and a sprinkle of coarse sea salt. Enjoy!
Notes
- I love a lot of caramel "lava", so I'll add up to 2 caramels if the caramels I've purchased are on the smaller side. If the caramels are about the size of a big seedless grape, I consider them large enough.
- If you have extra lava cakes, store them in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, then heat for about 20 seconds in the microwave to "melt" the center again!
- Caramel lava cakes also make the most amazing base for a decadent ice cream sundae.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
-
Maldon Salt, Sea Salt Flakes, 8.5 oz (240 g), Kosher, Natural, Handcrafted, Gourmet, Pyramid Crystals -
OXO Good Grips 11-Inch Better Balloon Whisk -
4 Oz Geometric Ramekins - Delling Souffle Dishes - Durable Creme Brulee Dishes Ramekin for Baking, Snack, Souffle Dishes - 4oz Souffle Dish Oven safe Set of 6 - Colorful
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 733Total Fat: 45gSaturated Fat: 26gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 206mgSodium: 133mgCarbohydrates: 73gFiber: 4gSugar: 57gProtein: 10g
These nutrition values are estimates. Exact values will vary depending on the ingredients, brands, and quantities used.
Erin @ Thanks for Cookin'!
Friday 29th of January 2016
How dare you say salted-caramel is over-done??!!! Hahaha, just kidding! I do know what you mean but I don't think I will ever get enough of salted caramel so this dessert is right up my alley! :) Your new pictures are gorgeous, by the way!
The Godmother
Sunday 7th of February 2016
Thank you! I LOVE salted caramel too, but at the time I wrote this I was just seeing so much of it everywhere, and I still had my home bakery, so lots of orders for salted caramel items were coming in for Valentine's Day. ;)