Chocolate Peanut Butter Lava Cake Skillets
Chocolate peanut butter lava cakes baked in mini cast iron skillets and served with peanut butter cup ice cream. Perfect for sharing with friendies, this is the fourth recipe of my Valentine’s series!
In college, when my friends and I said we were “going out”, it was a 50/50 toss-up between whether we were going to the bars or going to BJ’s to eat pazookis. While there were definitely many nights spent wearing heels and drinking vodka late into the night, there were just as many nights spent wearing leggings and eating chocolate chunk skillet cookies.
As much as I don’t want to admit how many hours I have spent lounging in a BJ’s, it is the site of so many amazing memories with my friends. I don’t even know how it became our tradition but it stuck. Also, for some reason, I have become known for my chocolate chip cookie recipe. Which honestly, is just an elevated version of the Nestle Tollhouse 🤷. But, I decided if I’m going to be “cookie lady”, I would wholeheartedly embrace it. So, I knew I had to do some kind of “pazooki” for my friend’s Valentine’s series post!!
Usually I have some kind of Galentine’s gathering for me and my girlfriends. This year’s will honestly probably not happen until March, because adult life is busy. But, I know that I 10/10 want to make these chocolate peanut butter lava cake skillets. Most lava cake recipes are kind of annoying, because you have to butter a million ramekins and crack a thousand eggs. So I simplified this one, cutting out some eggs and baking the cakes in these cute skillets that are perfect for sharing! Each skillet could easily feed two hungry people or four people who just want a small dessert.
Also, because I consider us all friends, I’m not going to lie to you. I cried while taking these photos. Over the ice cream. Cause it melts. And it melted all over these lava cakes making for some very messy-in-a-bad-way photos. Maybe it’s because my first ice cream shoot went so well, but this one was a disaster. Poor Marc did his best to help, but I couldn’t even be helped at that point. So he awkwardly stared at his phone and offered a comforting antidote every once in a while. Anyways, the photos didn’t even come out that bad. And, I learned a lesson! When serving these chocolate peanut butter lava cake skillets, be sure to put the ice cream on at the very last second.
Lastly, chocolate peanut butter lava cake skillets taste approximately 64% better while wearing sweatshirts and bunny slippers. While drinking wine! So, you know, basically the ultimate Galentine’s situation.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Lava Cake Skillets
Chocolate Peanut Butter Lava Cake Skillets
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
- 6 oz semi-sweet chocolate
- 6 tbsp butter, plus more to butter the pan
- 3 eggs
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/4 cup AP flour
- Pinch salt
- Sugar or cocoa powder, for sprinkling
- Peanut butter cup ice cream, for serving
Chocolate Peanut Butter Ganache
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 2.5 oz semi-sweet chocolate
- 1/4 cup peanut butter
Instructions
- Begin by preparing the ganache. Place the chocolate and peanut butter in a small bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until it’s barely simmering. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate-peanut butter mixture, and let it sit for a few minutes. Stir to combine, and refrigerate while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
- Preheat the oven to 425* F. Butter your skillet(s) or ramekins, and sprinkle with either sugar or cocoa powder to prevent sticking. Set aside.
- Place the butter and remaining chocolate in a small saucepan. Heat, stirring constantly, until the chocolate is completely melted. Alternatively, you can do this in the microwave. Let it cool for a few minutes.
- Meanwhile, beat the sugar, eggs, and vanilla in a medium mixing bowl until the mixture is pale yellow and tripled in volume, about five minutes. Gently fold in the melted chocolate until completely mixed. Fold in the flour and salt.
- Divide half of the batter between the skillet(s) or ramekins. Then, divide the ganache into the center of each skillet or ramekin, and top with the remaining batter.
- Bake for about 12-15 minutes, or until the top is crackly but the center is still slightly jiggly. You can now either serve it straight out of the skillet(s), or you can invert the cakes onto plates. Don’t forget the ice cream!
Notes
xo Sara Lynn
Song of the day: Green Aisles by Real Estate
This is making me salivate!! I am all over this!!
Thank you!!
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