Individual (Sugar-Free) Chocolate Lava Cake

Oops - we ate half of it before I remembered to photograph it!

So I was reading Sunset Magazine while on the cross-trainer at the Y when I came across this delicious sounding recipe from another food blogger, Joy Wilson.  Of course, I immediately started thinking about how to make a sugar-free version.... and then a gluten-free version... and then a sugar-free, gluten-free version. Sadly, my dear friend Nina is gone now (if you think you may have a gluten allergy, please please PLEASE get it checked out) but I still dabble a bit in gluten free recipes, as there is such a demand for them.

This recipe is an immediate, delicious, sure-fire winner.  As written, it makes one cake, but it can easily be adapted to make as many as you like.  While testing the recipe I made them two at a time, in different versions so I could speed up my recipe testing.

Individual Chocolate Lava Peanut Butter Cake
adapted from Joy the Baker

I.
 1/2 tsp butter
1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder

II.
1 TB unsalted butter
1 1/4 oz sugar-free, sweetened chocolate, broken into chunks (the best quality you can find)
1-2 TB smooth, salted, sugar-free "natural" peanut butter OR 1 TB bourbon

chocolate, butter and peanut butter

III.
3 tsp erythritol
1 tsp xylitol
3 tiny scoops stevia extract powder
1 generous pinch salt

IV.
1 large egg
1 tsp flour, OR 1 tsp gluten-free mix OR 1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder


1.  Preheat the oven to 375 F.  Grease a 3/4 cup capacity ramekin with the 1/2 tsp of butter - feel free to use your fingers.  Sprinkle in the tsp of cocoa powder and shake it around to coat all of the surfaces.

2.  In a small heat-proof bowl, place the 1 TB butter and 1 1/4 ounces sweetened, sugar-free chocolate.  Put the bowl in a microwave, blast for a few seconds, check the contents. If it's beginning to melt, stir it up, and continue to blast, check, and stir until it is all melted. Stir until well combined.  Now stir in the peanut butter or bourbon.  You get to choose how peanut-buttery you want it to be.

3.  In another small bowl, combine all of the sweeteners and stir well to blend.  Add the sweeteners to the melted chocolate mix and stir well to combine.

4.  In the small bowl you just used, whisk the egg until well-combined.  Add the egg, tsp of flour/cocoa/gluten-free mix and pinch of salt to the melted chocolate mix. Stir well to combine.

5. Using a small spatula, scrape the mix into the buttered ramekin and smooth the surface.  Bake the cake on a baking sheet for about 12 minutes, until the rim is cake-y and the center is pudding-y.

6.  Cool for a couple of minutes, then run a knife around the edges to dislodge it from the ramekin onto your plate.  (Or just eat it out of the ramekin - why not?)  Eat it right away, while it's still all melt-y and good!

Batter ready for the oven.....