As I promised in my last post, here is the recipe for the wonderful Salted Caramel Lava Cake I made on the evening of my book club get together. Couple of months ago for my birthday, my children made me a wonderful lunch of Stuffed Gnocchi and Salted Caramel Lava Cake. I’d seen many molten lava cake blog posts, sighed at the beautiful pictures knowing that it was not in my destiny to make these exotic gooey cakes. Firstly, I am not into baking, secondly I avoid recipes with eggs. However I was so inspired by the kiddies effort and their creativity in making a salted caramel version [because I love salted caramel much, much more than chocolate] that I decided to give it a try. But they hadn’t saved the recipe!
Well, that gave me an excuse to blog surf for lava cake posts. What a wonderful chore it was! I found two chocolate lava cake recipes which I used as a guide to make my Salted Caramel Lava Cakes.
I combined the method I found here [I simplified it further by skipping the step of seperating eggs] on Pioneer Woman’s blog and the recipe ingredients I found on Show me the Curry website. I chose the first for it’s simple dump and stir method and the second for the lesser quantity of ingredients used for 4 cup cakes when comparing other similar recipes. I slipped in bits of caramel squares in the batter and Voila! you have a dreamy,
Salted Caramel Lava Cake.
Ingredients
4 oz of semi-sweet baking chocolate squares [113 grams]
4 oz of butter [1 stick or 113 grams]
1/3 cup of sugar or icing sugar
2 large eggs
1/3 cup A P flour [All purpose white flour]
Some butter for greasing 4, 3 inch diameter, ramekins
6-8 caramel squares
a little rock salt/sea salt
100% cocoa powder for dusting ramekins, optional
Preparation
Preheat oven to 425 deg [218 deg celsius]
Butter the ramekins. Dust with cocoa powder[optional]
Cut each caramel square into a few smaller pieces and press some salt onto them and set aside. If you leave them whole they might not melt all the way through.
Microwave the chocolate squares and butter for one minute in a large bowl. The chocolate will not have completely melted at this point. Whisk till the chocolate and butter combine.
Add the sugar and mix it in.
Whisk in the eggs and incorporate.
Stir in the flour. Work the flour in gently to combine.
Divide batter among the 4 ramekins.
Gently push the salted caramel bits into the batter covering them.
Place ramekins on a cookie sheet and bake between 10-14 minutes. The cake is ready when it has a domed appearance, the center is a little moist and the edges of the cake, dry and firm. Remove from the oven, insert a knife and go around the cake, invert onto serving plates, garnish wth salt and serve.
- Food Notes
- This is a very forgiving recipe and you can’t go wrong with this cake. Please do keep this in your repetoire. For very little time and effort you get outstanding results each and every time.
- You can make the batter ahead of time and refrigerate it. I’ve baked it after 3 three days. Not necessary to get to room temperature, just leave it out for a little while. You can even put it in a prepared ramekin, refrigerate and bake directly after you have set it out for a little bit.
- You can freeze the batter. Thaw and bake. You can also freeze in prepared ramekins, then thaw and bake, though the cake didn’t rise as much.
- You can spike it with liquor.
- If you have left the cake in the oven for a bit too long, it might not have a runny center but the inside will still be moist and fudgy and still yummy.
- The same recipe bakes equally well in a mini muffin pan. I set the temperature to 350 degrees [180degrees celcius] and baked for 10-12 minutes.
- For a chocolate lava cake, just omit the caramel squares.
Thanks for dropping by,
Best, S.
UPDATE; I used ‘Fleur De Sel Caramel’ from Trader Joe’s and I got much better results than Kraft Caramel Squares which I used originally. I didn’t have to cut up the caramels as I did with Kraft and the center was unbelievably gooey.
I am adding a link to Grace’s blog post on this cake. She is a reader who has shown step by step photos of the making of this cake. Please drop by her charming blog and see the recipe come alive.
http://graceyounglee.blogspot.com/2012/11/salted-caramel-lava-cake.html
73 comments
Comments feed for this article
October 13, 2011 at 8:07 am
Anita Menon
Love the composition of the first picture. Beautifully presented.
October 14, 2011 at 9:33 pm
Veggie belly
Oh my god, this looks amazing and everything like Id imagined it to be when you described it to me. Salted caramel anything is spectacular and this lava cake looks out of the world. Gorgeous pics too. Can’t wait till I have a kitchen so I can try this!
October 15, 2011 at 10:17 am
Niv Mani
Gorgeous Pix Sandhya, love the contrast of the caramel squares 7 the finished product!!
November 3, 2011 at 2:43 pm
SamCyn
Looks just like what I was looking for to make for my sister’s birthday.
November 3, 2011 at 10:20 pm
vegetarianirvana
Hi SamCyn
So glad to hear that. Please let me know how it turns out.
November 15, 2011 at 10:57 pm
Gosia
The decadence exuding from of the first image is impossible to ignore. I can SO relate to your “I’m not a baker” sentiment but I find it hard to believe. With the product like this one, you must be a born artisan baker. Please don’t ignore this talent you’ve got, Sandhya! Can you believe it that I’ve never ever tasted salted caramel? Still your visuals infinitely work for me. Hugs. Gosia
November 16, 2011 at 5:52 am
vegetarianirvana
Hi Gosia,
Really, the recipe is that simple that no one can go wrong [careful attention has to be paid to the time in oven though]. Sometimes when I feel I need some salted caramel, I improvise, just press some rock salt onto caramel squares and I am satisfied!
November 25, 2011 at 12:14 am
sadya2011
this looks fantastic!!!!
November 25, 2011 at 2:38 am
vegetarianirvana
Hi Asya. Nice to see you here.
February 6, 2012 at 7:59 am
Amarjit
Hi! What a decadent cake! I usually use a few splashes of evaporated milk as a substitute for eggs – any thoughts on whether it would work in this recipe?
February 6, 2012 at 8:10 am
vegetarianirvana
Hi Amarjit, welcome to my blog. I usually bake eggless but for this one especially because of it’s small size I feel going eggless would make it dry. I adapted this recipe from others and used as few eggs as possible to get max gooey benefit. Do let me know if you try it your way and how it turned out.
February 6, 2012 at 10:47 am
Simply Tia
Love this! Ive made molten lava cake before but I’m gonna give this salted caramel one a try too! Yummy.
February 6, 2012 at 10:59 am
vegetarianirvana
Hi Tia, would love to hear about your results.
February 10, 2012 at 12:09 am
theincurablelibertine
oh wow…this looks seriously insane. I need to try this! thank you so much for sharing!
February 15, 2012 at 12:41 am
JSDuffield
“Best dessert ever” said my husband. Incredible! My caramel didn’t melt very well even after I cut it up. I think next time I might ‘nuke it for a few seconds to give it a bit of head start. Because they will be made again! So easy!
February 15, 2012 at 9:11 am
vegetarianirvana
Ultimately, testimonials like this is really what validates a recipe. Thank you so much. Great idea to prep the caramel ahead of time.
February 19, 2012 at 1:53 pm
Jeni
Looks amazing! I can’t wait to make these!
February 19, 2012 at 2:02 pm
vegetarianirvana
Please do drop by to let me know how they turned out, will you? Thanks, so much Jeni.
February 19, 2012 at 3:57 pm
Lisa Grossnickle (@littlewilla)
sounds pretty easy
February 19, 2012 at 4:00 pm
vegetarianirvana
Ridiculously so.
February 19, 2012 at 8:02 pm
Sarah B.
What size ramekins did you use?
February 19, 2012 at 9:02 pm
vegetarianirvana
3 inch.
February 19, 2012 at 10:13 pm
Kim
These look fab! What kind of caramel did you use?
February 19, 2012 at 10:40 pm
vegetarianirvana
Thanks, Kim. I used Kraft caramel squares. You can try “Fleur de sel caramels’ from Trader Joe’s as they are softer. I am planning on trying them next time.
October 29, 2014 at 10:00 pm
Tiffany
Is there a difference between the Kraft vanilla caramel and Kraft traditional caramels?
November 23, 2014 at 7:00 am
vegetarianirvana
Hi Tiffany
Sorry, I haven’t tried Vanilla caramel.
February 20, 2012 at 12:35 pm
Shelly G.
Such a yummy looking recipe! I need to get caramels and give it a try.
February 21, 2012 at 8:44 am
Cyndi
This may be a silly question, but what is “AP flour”?
February 21, 2012 at 9:14 am
vegetarianirvana
Sorry about that, I am going to edit the post to clarify. AP = All purpose or regular white flour.
February 22, 2012 at 8:55 pm
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March 2, 2012 at 11:13 pm
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[…] Broccoli 2. Caprese Skewers 3. Deep Dish Cookie 4. Ribs 5. Rosemary Mac n Cheese 6. Sangria 7. Salted Caramel Lava Cake 8. Taco Stuffed Peppers 9. Roasted Veggie Sweet Potato Posted in Favourite Things FridayTags: […]
March 17, 2012 at 9:06 pm
Amanda bickel
Cld u pls let me know what size ramekins u used? I love this recipie, not sure which cups to use tho, i have some that are 5 oz and others that are 4 inches?
March 18, 2012 at 7:49 am
vegetarianirvana
Hi Amanda
I used a 3″ diameter ramekin.
March 23, 2012 at 6:18 pm
Jeni
Thank you for this wonderful recipe! I made these last night and they were a huge hit and incredibly easy to make!
March 31, 2012 at 10:45 pm
Natalie
Just made these for my parents and boyfriend, and they loved them! Thanks for a great recipe!
March 31, 2012 at 11:28 pm
vegetarianirvana
Very happy to hear that, Natalie.
April 6, 2012 at 4:54 am
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[…] Salted Caramel Lava Cake by vegetarianirvana. Maybe salted caramel is totally trendy. I don’t care. In my opinion, it’s totally tasty. And once again, you can’t have too much chocolate, can you? Can you just imagine that caramel oozing out onto your plate in a chocolatey volcano of deliciousness? […]
April 30, 2012 at 9:50 pm
lindsay
what size ramekin did you use?
May 1, 2012 at 1:20 am
vegetarianirvana
Hi Lindsay, I used 3″ diameter ramekins. I also baked a batch in a mini muffin pan, while it was wonderful, no oozing caramel in this size.
May 16, 2012 at 4:12 am
Heather
I made these and they turned out rich and delicious. I cut my caramel pretty small and still had problems with them melting, but it still tasted great. Tomorrow, I’m going to try and make them with peanut butter in the middle for my roommates birthday.
May 16, 2012 at 4:14 am
Heather
I forgot to mention that I made them with all purpose gluten free flour(King Arthurs GF) and a tsp of Xanthan gum and it worked super well.
May 16, 2012 at 8:26 am
vegetarianirvana
Oh cool, so this could be called a gluten free cake?
May 16, 2012 at 8:30 am
vegetarianirvana
You know the funny thing is the caramel melted most of the times but not sometimes, I can’t figure it out. I am planning on trying a caramel softer other than Kraft’s but haven’t had the time. What a wonderful idea to add peanut butter to it. Thanks Heather.
May 16, 2012 at 9:42 am
Heather
Yes it could be called a gluten free cake!
July 20, 2012 at 9:03 am
Aurelia
Lava cakes are wonderful and sinful and yummie and everything. But filled with caramel.. wohooooo!
July 21, 2012 at 11:16 am
Bob
for a dinner party, when should you bake it? If you bake it too soon for dessert, will the caramel harden?
Thanks
Bob
July 23, 2012 at 1:19 am
vegetarianirvana
Hi Bob
The molten effect is best when the cakes are right out of the oven. I prepare my ramekins ahead of time with the batter, put it on a baking tray and set it on my counter. !5 minutes before serving I put the tray in the oven which is enough time to bake and un mold onto plates. If the cakes are baked before start of dinner then the centre is moist but not runny. I have not experienced hardened caramel. I used Kraft’s caramel squares and sometimes not all of it melted. I am planning on trying a softer caramel like Trader Joe’s. Good luck, I would love to hear how it turned out.
September 11, 2012 at 12:35 am
Manu
This looks amazing and I will try tomorrow! Now, any ideas on how to substitute the chocolate to make a yellow cake with salted caramel instead or would I need a whole different recipe for the batter?
September 11, 2012 at 12:50 am
vegetarianirvana
Hi Manu
Never thought of that before. How about using a boxed yellow cake mix instead of flour, but keeping the rest of the ingredients and qty’s the same. I suspect the cakes might turn out a little fluffy. Please let me know how your trial went.
September 11, 2012 at 12:25 pm
Manu
Sounds great, I will try it and will let you know!!!
September 11, 2012 at 8:31 pm
Manu
I tried the cake mix and the batter got too thick, then I used the 1 cup of milk as asked in the cake mix. Then it got too soft and the caramel went to the bottom. Also the mix was too sweet. Haha. No problem, though. I love experimenting. But I will make the chocolate one and not mess with your awesome recipe next time! 🙂
September 11, 2012 at 8:44 pm
vegetarianirvana
Aww…now you’ve got me thinking about trying a non chocolate cake with caramel. Will post if I succeed.
Thanks for trying.
September 11, 2012 at 8:56 pm
Manu
Sounds awesome! 🙂
November 15, 2012 at 1:39 pm
graceyounglee
Thank you so much for this recipe! It is absolutely perfect!!! I featured your recipe on my blog today and included a link to your blog as well! Thanks again!
November 15, 2012 at 2:13 pm
vegetarianirvana
Wow Grace, such detailed step by step photographs. I am so impressed and flattered. Thank you. I have added a link to your post on my blog so my readers can hop over and see your detailed pictures.
November 18, 2012 at 3:13 pm
graceyounglee
OMG! Thank you!!!! I’m SO glad you like it and thank you so much for the link! That was SO sweet! 🙂 xoxo
November 18, 2012 at 4:33 pm
vegetarianirvana
You are welcome.
February 6, 2013 at 9:51 am
wiwis1stlady
Since I don’t have small ramekins, I was thinking maybe to use a muffin baking pan. The size should be fine. I I’d think the “what it does to the dough”- attributes while baking should be the same to? Anyone tried it this way?
February 6, 2013 at 10:15 am
vegetarianirvana
Hi
I have baked in mini muffin pans, see bottom of ‘Food Notes’. I reduced the temperature and cooking times because of size and metal. Baking in larger muffin pan, while I haven’t done so, maybe at 400 deg?
February 11, 2013 at 7:54 am
Anna Talmann
Hi, thanks for the quick answer! I’ve made them yesterday and they were delicous:-) Great and really easy recipe!
February 11, 2013 at 8:16 am
vegetarianirvana
Hi Anna,
You just made my day. It is wonderful to hear such great feedback on recipes from readers, so thank you very much!
March 1, 2013 at 4:43 pm
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June 16, 2013 at 1:50 am
Jeni
These were so easy to make and very delicious! Thank you for the recipe!
June 16, 2013 at 2:26 am
vegetarianirvana
Thank you.
November 5, 2013 at 11:47 pm
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November 25, 2013 at 1:29 pm
vegetarianirvana
HI Danielle
So impressed with all the work you put into your anniversary meal. Glad my salted caramel lava cake played a small part.
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February 23, 2014 at 5:48 pm
Carolyn Tornay
Can chocolate chips be substituted for chocolate squares?
Can’t wait to make this-I have 2 bags of chocolate chips.
Thanks,
Carolyn
February 25, 2014 at 11:57 am
vegetarianirvana
Hi Carolyn
I haven’t tried it but don’t see why not.Measure by weight, and hopefully it will work. Do let me know how it turned out.
February 26, 2014 at 1:49 pm
KG
Did you use the caramel sauce from Trader Joe’s or do they actually have caramels? I have the caramel sauce just didn’t know if they have caramels.
February 27, 2014 at 12:10 pm
vegetarianirvana
I used the caramel squares from TJ’s, it may be a seasonal item if you can’t find them. You can try Kraft squares which are readily available but don’t melt completely in the short time it takes to bake. So I cut it up and insert it.
February 27, 2014 at 1:47 pm
KG
Thanks!
February 27, 2014 at 2:02 pm
vegetarianirvana
let me know what you used and how it turned out.