Vegan Salted Caramel Lava Cakes, for Two

Welcome, friends, to my life for the past week.

So much cake.







It started off because I wanted to create a vegan version of these molten nutella lava cakes for two, and then it took on a life of its own. I made this recipe a good 7 times, which equates to, uhhh, a lot of individual cake consumption.

It took several baking excursions for me to realize that the sunken, gooey center is exactly what you want. That’s the honey hole…or rather the salted caramel hole, if you will. Will you? I will, and I did.

The ingredients are simple and vegan, starting with a little coconut oil and some vegan chocolate chips which are melted until smooth and silky. Whisk in some applesauce for healthy moisture, cane sugar and vanilla extract for sweetness, and a flax egg to bind it all together. Sprinkle in the cocoa powder for extra chocolatey goodness, baking powder for LIFT, and unbleached all purpose flour to keep everything stable and fluffy. Into two very VERY greased ramekins (you don’t want any sticking!) goes most of the batter, then a dab of salted caramel, and then the rest of the batter. Bake for 10 minutes at 450, be patient and let them sit for a few minutes, and voila – melty chocolatey yums for two.

Then pour wine for pictures at 11am on a Saturday, and proceed to not understand physics and spill red wine all over your new white props. Nope.





For the salted caramel, I used this recipe, boiling it for 3 minutes instead of 1, and making sure to let it cool completely so it thickens. You can use that recipe, another favorite recipe, or even store bought (although it may be difficult to find a vegan variety).

If you’re looking for a decadent dessert for an at-home Valentine’s Day, or any day really, this is IT, friends. Do it.

