Happy Valentine’s week, friends!
How do you speak in love?
Is it physically- with kisses & hugs & shoulder rubs & back scratches?
Is it with words- like songs & poems & love letters & good morning texts?
Is it through service- like unloading the dishwasher & changing the sheets & taking out the garbage?
I speak love with food. Like piles of pasta with too much cheese for my friends & warm chocolate chip cookies for someone who’s aching & cups of coffee for the one I love most in the morning & melting chocolate lava cakes for everyone.
These lava cakes are ridiculous. They come together in under 30 minutes, they’re vegan (so no worries about under-baked batter + salmonella!) and they’re SO DELICIOUS.
Get after it, loves. (And don’t forget to check back every day this week for more lovey desserts!)
As always you can watch a tutorial video on my IGTV over here!
Vegan Chocolate Lava Cakes
makes 11-12
3/4 c room temperature almond milk
1 tsp apple cider or white vinegar
2/3 c bittersweet chocolate chips (4oz)
3 Tbsp coconut oil
3/4 c applesauce or dairy free yogurt
1/3 c cocoa powder
3/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp espresso powder
1/2 c packed brown sugar
scant 1 c flour
6 squares dark chocolate, broken in half
Preheat the oven to 400. Lightly coconut oil a 12 cavity muffin tin + dust each one with cocoa powder. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the almond milk and vinegar- set aside for 3 minutes or so to thicken up.
In a microwave safe bowl, combine the chocolate chips + coconut oil and microwave for thirty seconds. Stir, then microwave for another 30 seconds until totally smooth.
Whisk the chocolate mixture into the almond milk mixture until combined. Add applesauce or dairy free yogurt and whisk again until smooth.
Add cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, and espresso powder and whisk until smooth.
Add brown sugar and whisk again until combined.
Gently fold in a scant cup of flour (just under 1 full cup) until no bits of flour remain in the batter.
Scoop 1/4 c of batter into each cavity of the muffin tin and press a rectangle of chocolate into each cake.
Bake for 8-10 minutes, until the outside is set and the center still wiggles.
Right when you remove the cakes from the oven, run a knife around the edge of each cake and then turn the whole pan out onto a flat surface (you don’t want to use a cooling rack because the filling will fall out of the middle and the cakes will collapse!)
Serve immediately, or refrigerate for up to 12 hours before microwaving for 30 seconds and serving.
xo
Audrey