Salted Caramel Lava Cake

I love warm desserts during cold winter days.  I especially love desserts with ooey gooey centers of molten salted caramel.  This Salted Caramel Lava Cake is quick and easy to assemble and bake.  This particular recipe is absolutely perfect and extremely forgiving.  So have fun with the recipe experiment with different types of garnishes and ramekins.  These lava cakes are best served fresh out of the oven.  Recipe courtesy of the wonderful Vegetarianirvana.

Ingredients
4 oz of semi-sweet baking chocolate squares [113 grams]
4 oz of butter [1 stick or 113 grams]
1/3 cup of sugar or icing sugar
2 large eggs
1/3 cup flour or Gluten Free Flour
Some butter for greasing 4, 3 inch diameter, ramekins
6-8 caramel squares
a little rock salt/sea salt
100% cocoa powder for dusting ramekins, optional

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 deg [218 deg celsius]
2. Butter the ramekins. Dust with cocoa powder[optional] 
3. Cut each caramel square into a few smaller pieces and press some salt onto them and set aside. If you leave them whole they might not melt all the way through. 
4. Microwave the chocolate squares and butter for one minute in a large bowl. The chocolate will not have completely melted at this point. Whisk till the chocolate and butter combine. 
5. Add the sugar and mix it in. 
6. Whisk in the eggs and incorporate. 
7. Stir in the flour. Work the flour in gently to combine. 
8. Divide batter among the 4 ramekins. 
9. Gently push the salted caramel bits into the batter covering them. 
10. Place ramekins on a cookie sheet and bake between 10-14 minutes. The cake is ready when it has a domed appearance, the center is a little moist and the edges of the cake, dry and firm. 
11. Remove from the oven, insert a knife and go around the cake, invert onto serving plates, garnish and serve.

Add a dime size amount of butter into each ramekin.

With your finger, butter the each dish.

If you'd like, dust some cocoa on the bottom of the dish.

Remember to tap the ramekin to evenly distribute the cocoa powder.  Discard the excess. 

Dice the caramel into bits.  Use any type of soft caramel chews.  I chose Werther's Original.

Pour a bit of sea salt on a clean plate.  Press the caramel bits into the salt.

I chose Baker's bittersweet baking chocolate squares.

Microwave chocolate and butter for 1 minute.

Butter will be melted but chocolate will not be. 

Mix until the chocolate becomes smooth.

Add sugar and mix. 

Add eggs and flour.  Mix.

With an ice cream scoop, fill each ramekin.

Plop the caramels onto the batter.

Push caramels into the batter with a toothpick.  Add as many caramel bits you desire.

Place the ramekins on a baking sheet.

Bake in a 425-degree oven for 10-14 minutes.

Ta da!

Run a sharp knife around the edges of the ramekin.

CAUTION: DISH IS HOT!  With an oven mitt or paper towel, invert the ramekin onto the serving plate.

 

Garnish as you wish.

Enjoy.

Happy baking.

xoxo
Grace