This keto lava cake will blow your mind. Gooey warm chocolate cake with a center of molten peanut butter. You won’t believe it’s sugar free and only 4g net carbs per serving!
I am having such fun going back and tweaking old recipes like this one. This keto lava cake has always been one of my favorite desserts.
How can you go wrong with a warm peanut butter center oozing out all over you plate? That’s right, friend, you can’t. You simply can’t go wrong with this classic recipe.
Chocolate and peanut butter is ketolicious!
Have I ever mentioned how much I love chocolate and peanut butter together? Um, maybe just a few times.
You may have seen me mention it in my keto peanut butter cups. Or maybe I dropped a hint when I was waxing poetic about keto peanut butter pie.
It’s a little frightening, how much I love peanut butter and chocolate together. It’s a flavor combination that is never far from my mind, even when I am in the midst of creating another recipe altogether.
And I know I am not the only one who feels this way. Whenever I post a peanut butter and chocolate recipe, it gets a great deal of attention. In fact, my keto peanut butter bars went so viral, Facebook slapped a warning label on them. Weird but true!
Ingredients for peanut butter chocolate lava cakes
You only need a few simple ingredients to make these gorgeous keto lava cakes. Get your shopping list ready!
- Unsweetened chocolate: By unsweetened, I mean absolutely no sweetener at all. This should be 100% cacao chocolate and I urge you to purchase a quality brand like Ghirardelli or Guittard. Good quality makes a big difference!
- Butter: Melting butter with the chocolate gives the base for these decadent cakes.
- Sweetener: I prefer Swerve Granular in these cakes but they work with any erythritol based sweetener. I haven’t tried allulose in them but I imagine it too would work.
- Eggs: This keto lava cake recipe uses one whole egg and one egg yolk. The yolk provides extra richness and makes them even gooier.
- Almond flour: Classic lava cakes take only a little flour and in this case, we simply use 3 tablespoons.
- Vanilla extract: For flavor!
- Peanut butter: I recommend a good, creamy peanut butter like Justin’s, as you want it to ooze out when the cakes break open.
How to make keto lava cakes
The process is really quite simple and fun. Let’s review:
- Prep three ramekins. Grease them really well with a solid fat like butter or coconut oil. Then dust them lightly with cocoa powder. This allows the cakes to release more easily after baking.
- Melt the chocolate and the butter. I do this in the microwave but it can also be done on the stove. Whatever method you choose, be sure it’s gentle so you don’t seize the chocolate. I do 30 second increments in the microwave, stirring in between.
- Whisk in the sweetener, then the eggs. As long as you took care not to overheat the chocolate, adding the eggs to the warm mixture should be fine.
- Stir in the almond flour, vanilla, and salt.
- Spoon batter into the ramekins. You need about two thirds of the batter to cover the bottoms of the ramekins.
- Dollop in the peanut butter. Use about 2 to 3 teaspoons for each keto lava cake.
- Top with remaining cake batter. Be sure to cover the peanut butter completely!
- Bake. 10 to 12 minutes at 375F bakes the cake but leave the centers nice and gooey.
- Invert. Run a sharp knife around the outside of the cakes before flipping out onto a plate.
- Dig in! Grab a fork and enjoy these delicious keto lava cakes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! Almond butter works well, but you could also use the new super creamy sugar free chocolate hazelnut spread from ChocZero. Delicious!
I haven’t tried to make keto lava cakes without butter but I think dairy free substitutes would work just fine.
I recommend using ½ cup capacity ceramic ramekins. Any larger and the cake batter will be spread too thin.
I have only tried these keto lava cakes with Swerve but I think any erythritol based sweetener would work. Allulose may work as well, but I can’t guarantee that.
Keto Lava Cakes Recipe
Ingredients
- ¼ cup butter
- 1 oz unsweetened chocolate chopped
- 3 tablespoon Swerve Sweetener
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 3 tablespoon almond flour
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch salt
- 2 tablespoon peanut butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375F and grease 3 small ramekins. Dust the ramekins with cocoa powder and shake out the excess.
- In a microwave safe bowl, melt the butter and chocolate together, whisking until smooth. Alternatively, you can melt it carefully in a pan over low heat.
- Add the sweetener and whisk until combined. Then add the egg and egg yolk and whisk until smooth. Whisk in the almond flour, vanilla extract, and salt until well combined.
- Divide about two thirds of the batter between the three ramekins, making sure to cover the bottoms.
- Divide the peanut butter between the ramekins, placing in the center of the batter. Cover with the remaining batter and spread to the edges.
- Bake 10 to 12 minutes, or until the edges of the cakes are set but the center still jiggles slightly. Remove and let cool 5 to 10 minutes. Then run a sharp knife around the edges and flip out onto plates.
Michael Wurm Jr says
WHAT!? I love chocolate and peanut butter together. This looks like HEAVEN!! Yum!!!
xo Michael
Kim - Today's Creative Life says
I gotta try this!
Sonia says
Hello Carolyn, I just made these little guys tonight
And we engulfed them! The only thing is that my
Pb wasn’t oozing it but more thick. I used unsweetened
Pb. Why do you think that is?
Carolyn says
It’s probably the brand of PB. Some are thick and not as creamy so they don’t melt well. I like Justin’s.
Sonia says
Oh that’s what I thought. I have Justin almond butter and love it so need to get rhe pb. Thanks C
Zainab Ahmed Arafa says
Just made it ???
Unbelievably beautiful!
My keto and non-keto friends are in love!
Jessica says
Can you use honey or maple syrup?
Carolyn says
Sure.
Lilet says
Wondering if you can store this before baking?
Carolyn says
Certainly worth a try.
Sharon says
Can you tell me what size ramekin you used, mine came out pretty flat, delicious but flat ?
Carolyn says
You really want the 4 ounce ones, like these http://amzn.to/2hUpZsF
Sharon says
Thank you, that would probably work better than what I made them in.
Sue says
I’m not a chocolate/peanut butter combo fan but I make this for my husband and WOW was it good! In all my sugar days I never liked anything like this but this was the BOMB! Also, I have your cookbook, you are truly a talent chef and I so appreciate your time and energy in giving us all such good recipes that keep us all healthy! Cheers!!!!
Carolyn says
Thank you, Sue. Glad that you liked it in the end!
Belinda says
I made this for tonight’s dessert. In my husband’s words; “it’s perfect”. Great recipe! Now we just have to fight over the third serving lol
Amie Haroldsen says
All of these comments kill me! It is not her job to modify her recipe to your intricacies. If you want to change the sugar alcohol, change it! If you’re allergic to nuts then, maybe this recipe isn’t for you! Good grief. I made this recipe exactly as directed and it came out absolutely perfect. Happy birthday to me! Thank you thank you thank you, it was wonderful!
Nancy says
I’ve been eyeing this recipe for many months and finally decided to give it a try. I’ve loved every recipe of yours I’ve ever tried so I knew this one would be amazing too! WAS IT EVER!!!! Wow! What an explosion of yumminess! Not only is this chocolate and peanut butter dream cake amazingly delicious, it’s also very filling. Sometimes after eating one serving of a dessert, I have to make myself practice self control and not have seconds. Not with this one. One serving is definitely enough. Thank you so much, Carolyn, for all your hard work with these recipes!
Linda says
Where do I purchase the NuNatural Liquis Stevia?
Carolyn says
I get mine online at Amazon but many stores carry it now.
Holly Truitt says
I am having a hard time finding Unsweetened Chocolate. Is there a brand you recommend???
Raquel says
I decided to make just ONE of these for my boyfriend as a treat. Surprisingly worked out to one egg minus part of the egg whites (by weight), but certainly wouldn’t recommend attempting!! haha I stuffed a sugar-free Reese’s mini-cup into the top and sprinkled on some roasted walnuts. A-MAZING!! 🙂
Stephanie says
If anyone tries this using honey for the sweetener, let me know how much you used, please!! Thank you!
Brenda @Sugar-Free Mom says
Sharing this one today Carolyn on FB!! Looks so sinful but it’s not!!! You rock!
Carolyn says
Thanks! I just shared your single serve flax muffin on G+!
Andy says
This recipe looks great. I would like to replace peanut butter center with something else (I do not like the taste of peanut butter – I’m a strange one, I know). I’m thinking a chocolate center would be awesome. Or maybe a strawberry?
Could you suggest how I could go about making such a replacement? It has to be low carb.
Carolyn says
I’d put a tbsp or so of sugar-free strawberry jam in the center. Not sure about a chocolate version. I’ve been meaning to test out a version of true molten chocolate cake but haven’t had time!
Andy says
Thanks for the strawberry jam suggestion. That’s a good idea. Yes, a true molten chocolate cake is what I was after. What if there is nothing added to the center? i.e. just leave it as chocolate only and bake it so that the edges are set, but the center is jiggly. That’s exactly how a regular molten chocolate cake is made. The biggest difference here is that a regular molten cake calls for flour to be added. I wonder if almond flour would suffice?
Carolyn says
Right, that’s what I was thinking too. Except I think you need to underbake it even more than my current recipe calls for. I wouldn’t do any almond flour, I would just bake until it was just setting around the edges. But you could try either way.
Andy says
I’m curious what purpose the flour serves in the regular recipe? I searched around and every recipe that I found had flour in it. So I’m guessing it must be providing some texture to the cake or must otherwise be contributing in some important way to the end result. Just a guess, though.
Andy says
I just found a recipe that does not use flour: http://zoebakes.com/2011/04/11/flourless-chocolate-lava-cake-for-passover/
This seems like it would ensure success:
“As a bit of insurance you can add 1/2-ounce chunk of chocolate to the center of the cake, this will be nice and runny, no matter if you are a minute over. Just press it into the top of the cakes, just beneath the surface (a bit farther down than this picture shows).”
The only thing I wonder about is when this chunk of chocolate is added. The picture seems to show the chocolate being added after taking out of the oven (i.e. cake is baked). But, basically the chocolate could serve as a replacement for the peanut butter in your recipe and make this a molten chocolate cake. It should work.
Carolyn says
I think it sounds good. I would put the chocolate in before baking, just as I did with the PB.
Andy says
I tried this one yesterday. The recipe is nice, but I found that Stevia added a bit of a bitter aftertaste. I think this would turn out great if either xylitol was substituted for the Stevia or maybe just more Swerve. Placing the chocolate pieces in the center, worked great and resulted in a nice molten cake.
Thanks for posting this recipe!
Carolyn says
I use NuNaturals liquid stevia and do not find any bitter aftertaste, but every palate differs. We need to adjust the sweetener to our own tastes.
Diana says
I am trying this today. But for ANdy, here is a recipe for the chocolate molten cake you wanted
http://mariamindbodyhealth.com/molten-chocolate-cakes-coffee-ice-cream/
Andy says
Thank you, Diana!
Elizabeth says
I’m really excited to try this, but I’m gluten free and not paleo. My body reacts VERY negatively to any artificial sweeteners. Do you have recommendations and/or conversion amounts for other sweeteners? I’m open to agave, honey, even just plain old sugar as a “sometimes food.” Help? This looks DELICIOUS!
Carolyn says
Just as a quick question, have you tried erythritol (Swerve is mostly erythritol)? It’s not an artificial sweetener…erythritol is found in fruits and vegetables. It’s really no more processed than sugar. But if you prefer, you can use regular sugar or coconut sugar in the same amount. Agave or honey is liquid so that’s tricky because you have to adjust for the extra liquid.
Jennifer says
4 oz ramekins hold 1/2 cup of liquid. Amazon has plenty of them for sale 🙂
Becca says
Do you know how many ounces the ramekins you use hold? Trying to figure out what size I should buy.
Carolyn says
I don’t know in ounces but they hold about 1/2 cup water.