Lava cake for two

It’s pretty much a requirement that you eat chocolate on February 14. We like to reserve this indulgence for special occasions as best we can, since chocolate has one of the biggest emissions footprints of any foodstuff. The only way we’ll ever mess with a delicious tradition is to make it gentler on the planet, so that’s what we’re doing here—with a quick lava cake for two. This treat uses zero specialty anything; in fact, everything you need is already in your pantry and fridge, which means you can whip it up anytime you’re craving something rich and luxurious.

Lava cake is one of those rare retro things that never seems to go out of style. It can also look impressive, even if it doesn’t take a lot of work. It’s the perfect sweet treat if you don’t want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen or (gasp!) forgot that it was Valentine’s Day. It goes from bowl to belly in less than 20 minutes—or you can use the microwave and be done in 5. The secret is skipping fussiness like making a ganache to create your molten center; instead all you gotta do is submerge a spoonful of peanut butter, squares of your favorite chocolate (we used Tony’s Chocolonely, which is tops in Earth-friendly choco rankings), peanut butter cups, or caramel. Zhuzh it up with orange zest, chopped nuts, or some toasted, shredded coconut if you wish.

Lava Cake for Two

Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients:

• Canola oil or plant-based butter, for the ramekins*
• ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour*
• ⅓ cup cocoa powder
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon instant espresso powder or instant coffee, optional
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon nondairy milk
• Fillings: 2 tablespoons peanut butter or 2 1-inch squares of chocolate
• Powdered sugar, for dusting

Procedure:

1. Preheat the oven to 390 degrees F, if using. Lightly grease two 6-ounce ramekins with canola oil or plant-based butter and place them on a baking sheet. (You can use water to check the size of your ramekins: A 6-ouncer holds ¾ cup.)
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, espresso powder, if using, and salt. Add the milk and whisk vigorously to combine (the batter will be thin).
3. Divide the batter evenly between the two ramekins. Gently submerge 1 tablespoon of peanut butter or a 1-inch square of chocolate in the center of each ramekin.
4. Bake:
   1. In the oven: Bake for 13 to 14 minutes or until puffed up but still slightly wobbly. Resist the urge to open the oven until the minimum bake time, or the lava cakes will collapse! The center will continue to set once you remove them from the oven.
   2. In the microwave: Zap the cakes on high for 45 seconds, then in 5-second increments until the edges are cooked but it’s still molten in the center. This method will puff up the cakes more, because the rapid heating makes leavening agents rapidly expand.
5. Dust with powdered sugar and serve immediately right from the ramekins.

Notes and Substitutions:

• If you’re gluten-free, you can swap in your go-to GF flour here. It’s so little flour it shouldn’t mess anything up.
• This recipe makes two cakes using 6-ounce ramekins (with about ¾ cup batter each), but you can halve it to make one or multiply it to fill several ramekins.
• If you don’t have ramekins, you can use a standard muffin pan, and divide the batter into three cakes. Grease and dust the pan with cocoa powder to prevent the batter from sticking, because in this instance you’ll turn out the cakes before you eat them.