I have another special guest post for you all today since I am having back surgery tomorrow (eek!) and have been slow to keep up with my posting schedule. So please say hello to Cathy – check out her blog of sweets and crafts and leave her a comment below!

Hello! This is Cathy from crafts & cake, and I’m here to share with you my peanut butter lava cake recipe.

Let me tell you a little something about this cake. This – crispy , fluffy, with a gooey molten center – cake, is what ended it all. The end of quinoa, green smoothies, and crunches.

You see, I’m a pastry chef. I know most of you are thinking I eat sweets all day long. Well you’re wrong because I eat sweets all day and all night long. It’s kind of crazy actually, being around desserts all the time. It gets to a point where sugar cravings become constant and my body starts to slow down. That’s why once a year, I quit sugar cold turkey for at least 2 days. I know! Quitting sugar is pretty hard core, but it helps reset my eating habits and keep me eating healthy – until something like this cake comes along.

This past week, I’ve been able have one bite (to taste) and stop there, but I’m not sure what happened when I tasted this lava cake. Everything just went blank and before I knew it, it was all gone. Well I still needed photos, so I baked off one more and it happened again!

I know, I know, two lava cakes for breakfast? Before you start to judge me, you’ve gotta try this cake for yourself.

Peanut Butter Lava Cakes –  yields 20 cakes

peanut butter center

70g milk
120g cream
3 yolks
100g white chocolate (chopped)
30g butter
180g peanut butter (or any nut butter)
pinch of salt

1. Whisk the milk, cream, yolks, and salt (for peanut butter center) in a pot. Turn on medium heat and continue to stir until slightly thickened. If you’re not sure that it’s done, tilt the pot and check the bottom to see if there are bits of cooked eggs on the bottom.

2. Pour over white chocolate, butter, and peanut butter. Blend well.

3. Pour into small molds, cover directly with plastic to prevent skin from forming. Freeze.

chocolate cake

200g good quality dark chocolate
200g butter
200g sugar
4 eggs
4 yolks
200g flour

4. Melt butter and chocolate in the microwave in 30 second increments. Mix well.

5. Whip the eggs, yolk, and sugar until light in color and fluffy.

6. Sift in flour and mix.

7. Mix in chocolate in three parts (pour in 1/3, mix, another 1/3, mix, remaining chocolate, and mix).

8. Pipe one layer of chocolate batter into lightly greased silicon mold.

9. Unmold a peanut butter disk and place in center of the batter.

10. Pipe more chocolate batter around and on top of the peanut butter, making sure to completely cover the peanut butter (we don’t want any leaks!).

11. Chill for 20 minutes, or you can also freeze at this point.

12. Bake at 180°C/350°F for 10 minutes (15 minutes from frozen).

13. Let stand one minute before turning over. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Recipe notes:

1. Rule of thumb: taste your white chocolate. If you don’t like the way it tastes, don’t put it in the recipe! Good quality white chocolate always tastes better.

2. I used white chocolate that was dyed orange from a previous recipe if you were wondering what that orange stuff was.

3. Silicon molds are best for unmolding frozen or baked cakes. If you don’t have a mini cupcake mold for the peanut butter disks, you can chill the mixture and scoop dollops on a cookie sheet to freeze.

4. I found that the molten center oozes out a little better when baked from chilled, not frozen.

5. Chocolate fondant recipe from Gordan Ramsey.