Vegan and gluten-free chocolate molten lava cake for two! Made with an almond-flour base and plenty of oozing dark chocolate. Perfect for a date night in!
I’ll never forget that time on Instagram when I was reporting back on my time on the West Coast, fondly referring to California as “Cali”.
Which I thought was totally cool and hip, ya know?
Like Cali was my bestie and we referred to each other on a nickname basis and such.
“Just so you know, only people who don’t live in California call California “Cali”, the text popped up in my DMs.
“Just to help you out,” they said.
My relationship with “Cali” instantly felt a little less special and intimate.
Since then I’m very careful to say Cal-i-for-nia, in all it’s five syllable glory, just so you won’t know I’m secretly *that* wanna be beach babe.
But I am.
I’m excited to be spending some time in good ‘ole Cali, soon, though.
I have an upcoming business trip there at the beginning of March– one I’m taking with my little sister.
She’s never been to California so I’m really excited to show her my favorite spots on the West Coast.
Also, it’ll be the first *real* sister trip we’ve taken as adults.
Sure, we went to New York together a few years back but we did the trip in 24 hours so it was a blur of grabbing Ubers and Times Square chaos and SO MUCH pollen (it was May– allergy season!).
So I’m excited to take a full week with her and fully settle into PST before getting back to EST.
We’re already planning our meals and restaurant stops.
I can only hope we have a dessert as delicious as this Chocolate Molten Lava Cake for two.
It’s made easily with an almond-flour base, Frieda’s Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes (also from California!), and plenty of oozing dark chocolate for a delicious dessert to share!
Ah, Chocolate Molten Lava Cake.
What’s not to love about sinking your spoon into a dark chocolate cake exploding with an oozing chocolate center?
It’s the kind of dessert you dream about on date-night and couldn’t fathom creating in the confines of your own kitchen with healthier ingredients.
Until now.
This one is extra special because it’s made vegan, gluten-free, grain-free, and refined sugar-free!
You just need 8 simple whole foods ingredients to bring this dessert to your after-dinner table in under an hour.
The addition of Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes purée makes this cake batter moist and creamy without any dairy.
If you’ve been here a while, you know Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes are kind of my thing.
What are Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes?
Well, they’re a unique variety of potato, exclusive to Frieda’s, with purple skin and rich purple flesh that intensifies when cooked. Plus they are so versatile and great to cook with!
I’ve stuffed them in my Stuffed Purple Sweet Potatoes, baked them into Purple Sweet Potato Muffins, blended them into Chickpea-Free Hummus, and even baked them into Oil-Free Purple Sweet Potato Fries.
So, what if we baked them into a super sexy vegan and gluten-free lava cake?
Purple sweet potatoes are naturally high in antioxidants, Vitamin C, and fiber, packing this recipe with nutrition.
Vegan and gluten-free lava cake just got a whole lot sweeter.
Try blending them into a purple purée for use in baking where you might normally use applesauce or pumpkin!
Here’s what you need to make your own Chocolate Molten Lava Cakes:
- purple sweet potato purée (steamed Frieda’s Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes purée + unsweetened almond milk)
- unsweetened almond milk
- unrefined coconut sugar
- virgin coconut oil
- baking powder
- raw cacao powder
- almond flour
- vegan dark chocolate
That’s it!
The batter is almond flour based, lightly sweetened with unrefined coconut sugar and made chocolate-y with raw cacao powder and melted dairy-free chocolate chips.
Add Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes purée, almond milk, and melted virgin coconut oil for moisture and creaminess.
The batter should be thick and scoop-able, but not runny.
I used a muffin tin as opposed to ramekins to form the shape of the lava cakes simply with minimal equipment!
The trick to using muffin tins is to fill the lava cake batter to the very top of the tin flush with the tin surface.
Carefully press 1-2 squares of chocolate into the center of the batter to create the lava cake center.
You might need to scoop the remaining batter on top to cover the squares and smooth things out.
Don’t be alarmed if you see a bit of a “muffin top” forming during the baking process; this is normal and the excess muffin will shrink after removing from the oven!
Your lava cakes are done when the edges start to pull away from the sides of the tin.
Remove the lava cakes from the oven and allow them to cool for 10-15 minutes.
This is important– piping hot lava cakes will fall apart if you try to remove them before they’re ready!
Carefully flip the lava cakes over onto a plate and tap the underside of the muffin tin to gently dislodge the cakes without splitting them open.
Transfer the lava cakes to a plate and enjoy immediately with your favorite garnishes!
Enjoy this Chocolate Molten Lava Cake as a delicious vegan and gluten-free dessert to share.
I love serving the lava cakes topped with coconut whipped cream and fresh mint!
You can also try drizzling some chocolate on top for extra melty chocolate goodness, if you’re so inclined.
I think they’d be perfect for a birthday party, dinner date, date night in, or anytime you’re craving dark chocolate cake.
Due to their “volcanic” nature, I recommend baking and enjoying them right away for the best taste and consistency.
The gooey chocolate center will harden as the lava cakes cool, so serve them warm out of the oven for the full overflowing chocolate “lava” experience.
The recipe serves two, but you can double or triple the amounts to serve more people!
If you can’t find Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes near you, try subbing regular sweet potato, butternut squash, or pumpkin in its place.
Enjoy!
If you make this Chocolate Molten Lava Cake, let me know!
Be sure to leave me a comment, rating, and review so I can use your feedback to create more yums.
Give me a shout on Instagram and use #floraandvino to show me your creations.
Check out my Pinterest page to pin more recipe like this one to make later.
Want more oil-free, gluten-free, and refined sugar-free cakes?
Check out my 1-Bowl Apple Oat Cake and Chocolate Ganache Lava Muffins.
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XO Lauren
Chocolate Molten Lava Cake
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings
Description
Vegan and gluten-free chocolate molten lava cakes for two made with an almond-flour base, Stokes Purple® sweet potato purée, and plenty of oozing dark chocolate. Perfect for a date night in!
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup purple sweet potato purée (steamed Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes purée + unsweetened almond milk)
- 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 2 TBSP unrefined coconut sugar
- 1 TBSP melted virgin coconut oil
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 2 TBSP raw cacao powder
- 1/4 cup almond flour
- 2 TBSP dairy-free dark chocolate chips
- 4 squares vegan dark chocolate
Instructions
- First, prepare your Stokes Purple® sweet potato purée on the stovetop. Scrub the Stokes Purple® sweet potato and pat them dry. Peel the skins from the skins with a potato peeler and dice into small squares. Bring a pot of water to a boil, add diced sweet potato to a steamer basket, and steam for 8-10 minutes, until fork tender. Allow to cool slightly, then add cooled Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes flesh to a high speed blender with a splash of almond milk and blend until smooth. Add more almond milk in 1 TBSP increments to reach desired consistency. Set purée aside.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a muffin tin with parchment paper line or lightly grease with coconut oil.
- Add the almond milk, melted coconut oil, coconut sugar, and 1/4 cup measured purple sweet potato purée to a large mixing bowl and mix well to combine. (Save remaining Stokes Purple® sweet potato purée for another recipe.) Sift in the cacao powder, almond flour, and baking powder. Mix until well combined.
- Add the dark chocolate chips to a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Heat until fully melted, stirring often to prevent the chocolate from burning. Add the melted dark chocolate to the large mixing bowl and mix again.
- Divide the batter evenly between muffin tins to fill each tin to the top. You should have 2 full muffin tins. Place two squares of chocolate into the center of each lava cake and press squares into the center of the tin until the chocolate is completely covered. You may need to spoon some of the batter on top and smooth it out to fully cover.
- Bake lava cakes for 15-20 minutes, until the cakes begin to pull away from the edges.
- Allow lava cake to cool in the tin for 10-15 minutes before removing. Gently loosen the edges with a knife and flip the tin over to remove. Carefully transfer the lava cakes to a plate.
- Top lava cakes with the optional melted chocolate and serve with coconut whipped cream and fresh mint. Enjoy immediately! Lava cakes are best served fresh for the best consistency.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven-Bake
- Cuisine: Vegan, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Refined Sugar-Free
This post is brought to you by Frieda’s, but all words and eats are my own. Thanks for supporting the sponsors that keep me hungry!
Yum! Who knew dessert from a 🥔?!? Love your creative delicious recipes!!!!
Thanks so much, Sara! Hope you can try! The sweet potato is SO GOOD in this!
XOXO Lauren
I love this recipe. It’s incredible. Thank you!
Hi Elsje,
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks so much for the review.
XOXO Lauren