Chocolate Peanut Butter Lava Cakes combine two classic flavors in one deliciously ooey gooey dessert. This sinfully delicious dessert is perfect for Valentine’s Day or any special occasion!
I’ve always had a thing for chocolate + peanut butter. I mean….who hasn’t?? It’s the original salty/sweet combo….and even though we’ve invented thousands more since, nothing quite compares to the marriage of creamy peanut butter and sweet, rich chocolate. AmIright??
I remember back in the day – like the middle school day – making chocolate + peanut butter snacks at sleepovers. The big favorite, of course? PUPPY CHOW! But eventually, we liked to take it beyond the basics. We liked to get a little more creative, have a little more fun. Apparently my friends and I had the minds of food bloggers from early on….
I remember one night in particular, when we attempted to make chocolate peanut butter pancakes. And we clearly had no idea what we were doing, so they ended up more like chocolate peanut butter lava cakes….(except the lava was more like uncooked pancake batter. NOT at all delicious.)
I’ve come a long way since then, and while I can’t guarantee I never have a flop, I can say I have a much better sense of what I’m doing. These lava cakes, for instance? It only took two tries to get the recipe just right. And by just right, I mean chocolate + peanut butter HEAVENLY! You may want to pour yourself a glass of milk for this one…..because these babies are rich and gooey and amazing. The perfect way to celebrate National Peanut Butter Day, which just happens to be TODAY!
Chocolate Peanut Butter Lava Cakes
Ingredients
- 1 stick + 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
- 1/4 c. + 1 Tbsp. flour
- 1 Tbsp. cocoa powder
- 4 oz. bittersweet baking chocolate
- 1/4 c. peanut butter
- 2 Tbsp. powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/4 c. sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tsp. vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Melt 1 Tbsp. butter and brush the inside of 6 ramekins to coat.
- Combine 1 Tbsp. flour and 1 Tbsp. cocoa powder. Flour the insides of the ramekins, tapping to remove excess.
- Place ramekins on a sturdy baking sheet and set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, combine 1 stick butter and baking chocolate and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until melted.
- In a small bowl, combine peanut butter, powdered sugar, 1 Tbsp. softened butter, and 1/2 tsp. cinnamon. Mix well; set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, beat granulated sugar, eggs, and vanilla at medium-high speed about 3 minutes. Gently fold in melted chocolate and 1/4 c. flour.
- Fill each ramekin about 2/3 full with batter, then divide peanut butter mixture evenly among ramekins and spoon on top. Cover with remaining chocolate batter.
- Bake at 425 degrees for 12-15 minutes, until the tops are cracked and edges feel firm, but the centers are still slightly jiggly.
- Transfer to a wire rack and let cool 5 minutes.
- Use a knife to loosen cake from ramekins; place a small plate over each ramekin and invert.
- Gently wiggle each ramekin to release the cake.
- Dust with powdered sugar and serve immediately.
- *Recipe adapted from Food & Wine
Sammie says
These chocolate peanut butter lava cakes look amazing. I love the combination of chocolate and peanut butter and cannot think of a better way to eat them than this! Sammie.
aimee @ like mother like daughter says
Oh my goodness gracious, this looks like my new favorite dessert! I need these lava cakes in my life asap!
Rebecca says
Oh man, I just want to lick my screen and dig right into that cake with a spoon! This looks so incredibly good it’s not even funny! It’s torcher is what it is!
Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust says
There are no words for me to tell you my feelings on this. !!!!!!!!!
Amber @ Dessert Now, Dinner Later! says
I have yet to make a lava cake, but this one is just calling my name! Love peanut butter!
Jessica @ A Kitchen Addiction says
Why have I never tried peanut butter lava cakes before?! That has to change with these!
Amanda | The Chunky Chef says
I love this take on lava cakes!!
Brianne @ Cupcakes & Kale Chips says
I am soooo in love, and with my kids still out of school from the snow, I’d like to drown my frustrations in that molten peanut butter.
Heather | Heather Likes Food says
You have reached my weakness! Im drooling!
tanya says
Those pancakes were just practice for these glorious little cakes! I would have never thought to have a peanut butter filled lava cake, you are so smart and these look so, so good!
Renee - Kudos Kitchen says
That peanut butter and chocolate lava is to die for!
Lauren @ Healthy Delicious says
That melty peanut butter sounds incredible!!
Kristyn says
What a perfect way to enjoy chocolate + peanut butter! YUM!
Kelly says
These lava cakes are so creative! I am totally swooning over that molten peanut butter filling! Looks incredible!!!
Deb@ Cooking on the Front Burner says
You have combined my TWO favorite flavors! YUM!
Belinda @ bindybee says
These look fantastic! I love chocolate and and peanut butter as well. Great round up too:)
Yvonne [Tried and Tasty] says
Hmm… I’m trying to figure out when I’m going to make these? They’d be great for Valentine’s day! I freaking LOVE peanut butter!!! Thanks for being a part of my fun group this year, you’re awesome!
Katie says
I made these and followed directions perfectly and they didn’t rise and were very bitter… I am missing something?
Cathy Trochelman says
Hi Katie, I’m surprised to hear that they would be bitter. Did you use bittersweet (not unsweetened) chocolate and add the sugar in the batter and peanut butter?
Michelle says
Hi,
What sized ramekins do you use? I have three different sizes and although my son would say to use the largest, I am thinking they would be too big.
Do you use a 4, 6 or 8 oz. ramekin?
I am thinking my son will love this for Easter dinner. I will come back and rate the recipe after I have made it.
Holly says
I don’t have this kind of pan…. Can you give me a substitute? My husband would love these. I always make him a fit fudge cake for his birthday and this looks similar except mine is in a 9×9 pan.
Line says
These look soooo nice!
However, same question about ramekins’ size: could you tell us the diameter in centimeters (or inches)?
And it would be lovely to mention the weight of a stick of butter for those of us living in a country where butter does not come in sticks 😉
Thanks a lot for sharing
PS: only because we’re going to the restaurant tonight for my birthday will I wait until Sunday to try these…
Doreen Tuell says
Here is a good conversation chart for US sticks of butter:
https://www.errenskitchen.com/cooking-conversions/butter-measurement-weight-conversions/
Alli says
Just out of curiosity, how big are the ramekins you used? Just trying to make sure mine are the right size per recommended baking time. Thank you!
Doreen says
Hi I would love to make these!
But just wondering if I could do them in
My muffin tins
Ewa says
I am making these tonight! They sound amazing!. I was wondering if I could leave out the cinnamon? How pronounced is the flavor of it in the recipe?
Cathy Trochelman says
The cinnamon flavor is not very pronounced and could definitely be left out!