Keto Chocolate Lava Cake!

Valentine's Day is approaching and when I think of Valentine's Day I think delicious, indulgent desserts along with a yummy keto dinner of steak/lobster/shrimp and veggies, love keto! As a request from my mother and I've been thinking about it for awhile, a yummy gooey keto chocolate lava cake. Which I thought would be easy, boy was I wrong but only because I am a perfectionist!

I wanted that ooze when you cut into it, which proved difficult with our keto chocolates, at least Lily's brand. Other brands may have different results but I have a stock pile of Lily's chips because they are the most available and easiest to get for me. Also just found out the packages nutrition label was wrong when I first started using Lily's semi-sweet chocolate chips, they use to be 0 carbs, now they are 2g per half an ounce. This added more difficulty to lower the carb count in this recipe. So for the chocolate I used Lily's brand for the ganache center and baker's chocolate for the batter of the cake. I'm also including a separate recipe with no ganache center because another way to make a lava cake is to just under bake the lava cake to get the ooze effect. But it is actually harder to under bake a cake than you think, lol. So I'll try to be as specific as possible with the recipe.

The no ganache center lava cake is actually easier to get right if you make the batter a day ahead, ready in the ramekins, to bake. You whip up the batter, portion it into the 4 ramekins, place in the fridge, then pull out for 15 minutes while the oven preheats. Bake for 16-18 minutes until the outer edges are baked but the center is still mushy. Because there is no ganache center to up the carb count you can use any keto chocolate chip you would like for the batter. This version is definitely the easiest keto chocolate lava cake and absolutely delicious with keto ice cream or whipped cream on top.

under baked no ganache lava cake

No ganache lava cake, straight into the oven

The sweetness is definitely customizable to your taste. I added liquid stevia to the chocolate/butter mixture to up the sweetness. There is only a 1/4 cup of granular monkfruit sweetener in the recipe, you can use any 1:1 sugar substitute. The easiest way to adjust the sweetness is with the amount of liquid stevia added to the recipe. The flavor of chocolate chips you use also contains different amounts of sweetness. Either way I ate all my tests because chocolate is always good in my opinion.

I thought the ramekins I had were 6 oz. ramekins but they were 8 oz., either will work but if you use 6 oz. ramekins the cook times may vary from my recipe. I coat them in butter and a light cocoa powder, like a Hershey's or cacoa powder. The cocoa powder I use in the recipe was ghirardelli 100% cocoa powder dutch-processed and with using that it made the outside of the cake a little dark but they all tasted delicious still. It's just my perfectionism for a perfect picture coming out, lol.

I used unflavored whey protein isolate but any flavored whey protein isolate should work but remember there is usually a sweetener added to them. But I use only a tablespoon of protein so it shouldn't effect the sweetness too much. Just keep in mind if you don't like super sweet desserts.

I don't prefer the texture of almond flour but if you like to use almond flour it is usually 3-4 times the amount of almond flour for the coconut flour. I use Organic great value brand which I find smells and tastes less like coconut than many other brands. I always add xanthan gum to my baked goods, it helps to give a gluten texture we lack from not using flour. It holds our baked goods together even without gluten. I buy it at Walmart now, great value brand is the cheapest I've seen.

For this recipe it only takes about ten minutes to put together if you "work smart not hard" a quote from my High School Culinary teacher. While the butter is melting, whip the eggs and sweetener, measure your dry ingredients and prep the ramekins. It takes no time at all and super easy to make the batter and have it in the ramekins a day or two ahead of time. If you do the ganache filled ones ahead of time the ganache may not be as flowy when baked but you also don't have to wait for the ganache to be frozen, just solid enough to scoop and add to the center of the batter.

mise en place, everything in it's place

You can freeze the batter in the prepped ramekins, wrapped well, defrost in the fridge for at least 24 hours and bake according to the refrigerator lava cake directions. Can also bake, keep wrapped on counter and reheat within the next few day, on 50% power for about 30 seconds. If for some reason you want to freeze the baked cake you can defrost in the refrigerator and reheat in the same fashion until warm. Or reheat straight from the freezer, will probably take 1-2 minutes at 50% power.

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Keto Chocolate Lava Cake Recipe (no ganache center)

84 g Keto Chocolate Chips (Use your favorite) (3 oz. about a 1/2 Cup)

112 g Cup Butter (1/2 Cup, 1 stick)

1 tsp. Instant espresso powder (optional)

1/2 tsp. Liquid stevia (to taste)

3 Eggs (room temp)

48 g Granular Sweetener (any 1:1 keto sweetener will work) (1/4 Cup)

12 g Cocoa Powder (2 Tbs.)

8 g Coconut Flour (1 Tbs.)

5 g Unflavored Whey Protein Isolate (1 Tbs.)(Can use flavored)

1/4 tsp. Xanthan Gum

1/4 tsp. Salt (if using unsalted butter)

Butter and Cocoa Powder to coat Ramekins

Instructions:

1. Best made ahead of time and refrigerated until solid, can make a few days ahead of time, and it's easier to under bake the lava cake that way. If not making ahead preheat oven to 350 degree, get butter and chocolate, adding stevia and espresso if using, melting over a pot of simmering water or in the microwave (50% power, 30 sec intervals)

2. Get eggs whipping with the sweetener, weigh/measure, sift and whisk dry ingredients together and grease 4-6 or 8 oz. ramekins with butter and dust with cocoa powder

3. Once eggs are thick and pale in color, fold in the butter/chocolate mixture until half combined, then add all dry ingredients at once and fold until there are no egg streaks left

4. Fill four ramekins evenly (portion scoops are easiest way), place in refrigerator overnight is best, if baking right away place on a baking sheet and put into 350 degree oven and bake for no longer than 16 minutes, the less you bake the more lava the cake will be in the center

5. When ready to bake, place refrigerated lava cakes on a sheet pan near the oven, preheat the oven to 350 degree and set timer for 15 minutes, once timer goes off place in the oven and bake for no longer than 18 minutes, turning half way through, until the outside is baked and the center is still gooey

6. Let sit for 10 minutes, then pop out of the ramekin onto serving plate, if stuck run a butter knife or offset spatula around the outside of the cake, serve immediately, top with keto whipped cream or ice cream

Macros: 1 of 4 Using Lily's semi sweet chocolate chips, which are higher than other keto chocolates available

332 Calories

31.75 g Fat

10.75 g Total Carbs

6.75 g Fiber

4 g Net Carbs

7 g Protein

Keto Chocolate Lava Cake Recipe with ganache center

Ganache Ball:

42 g Keto Chocolate chips (milk will give the most lava flow)(1/4 Cup)

70 g Heavy Cream (1/4 Cup + 1 Tbs.)

Instructions:

1. Weigh or measure chocolate and heavy cream into a microwave safe bowl

2. Heat on 50 % power for 10 second intervals, whisking until all melted together

3. Either pour into 4 small size (about 1 Tbs. cavity) silicon molds and place in the freezer or refrigerate/freeze until scoopable then scoop into 4 equal balls and freeze until solid

4. Once solid make the cake batter!

Keto Lava Cake Batter:

84 g Bakers Chocolate (3/4 Bar)

112 g Cup Butter (1/2 Cup, 1 stick)

1 tsp. Instant espresso powder (optional)

1/2 tsp. Liquid stevia (to taste)

3 Eggs (room temp)

48 g Granular Sweetener (any 1:1 keto sweetener will work) (1/4 Cup)

12 g Cocoa Powder (2 Tbs.)

8 g Coconut Flour (1 Tbs.)

5 g Unflavored Whey Protein Isolate (1 Tbs.)(Can use flavored)

1/4 tsp. Xanthan Gum

1/4 tsp. Salt (if using unsalted butter)

Butter and Cocoa Powder to coat Ramekins

Instructions:

1. Once ganache balls are frozen, preheat oven to 350 degree, get butter and chocolate, adding stevia and espresso if using, melting over a pot of simmering water or in the microwave (50% power, 30 sec intervals)

2. Get eggs whipping with the sweetener, weigh/measure, sift and whisk dry ingredients together and grease 4-6 or 8 oz. ramekins with butter and dust with cocoa powder

3. Once eggs are thick and pale in color, fold in the butter/chocolate mixture until mostly combined, then add all dry ingredients at once and fold until there are no egg streaks left

4. Add a scoop of batter to each ramekin, filling about 1/3 full, place frozen ball of ganache in center and add another scoop of batter on top

5. Place on a sheet tray for easy turning, place in 350 degree oven and bake for 26-28 minutes, turning half way through until cooked but still soft in texture, under baking will be better than overbaking

6. Let sit for 10 minutes, then pop out of the ramekin onto serving plate, if stuck run a butter knife or offset spatula around the outside of the cake, serve immediately, top with keto whipped cream or ice cream,

Macros: 1 of 4 Using Lily's semi sweet chocolate chips, which are higher than other keto chocolates available

471 Calories

46.5 g Fat

13.25 g Total Carbs

8.75 g Fiber

4.5 g Net Carbs

10.5 g Protein

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