Mini Molten Chocolate Cakes
3 colorsTHE WHY BEHIND THIS RECIPE
This is a simple chocolate dessert recipe with minimal ingredients, but it feels so fancy and fun! Whenever I need a last minute dessert to serve or bring to a friend's house, this is my go-to. This recipe uses allulose instead of refined white sugar. You’ve probably heard me talk about allulose before, but if you are new here let me explain! Allulose is a rare, naturally occurring sugar found in small amounts in foods like figs and raisins. Unlike traditional sugars, allulose is absorbed by the body but not metabolized, meaning it doesn’t spike blood glucose or insulin levels. It also has a smooth, sweet flavor and no aftertaste (unlike monkfruit!) so it’s my go-to sugar substitute for recipes. However, it’s about 70% less sweet as regular sugar, so you need to use about 25% more if you are modifying a recipe with white sugar for the same result.
The world of sugars can be very confusing, so I’m including a brief recap of the sugars out there from the Levels blog with my 2c on them:
Sugar: sucrose (table sugar, which is fructose + glucose), brown sugar, cane sugar (AVOID)
Sugar alcohol: xylitol, erythritol (AVOID)
Artificial sweeteners: saccharin, aspartame, sucralose (AVOID)
Natural sweeteners: allulose, monk fruit, stevia, yacón syrup - These are all plant-derived, making them distinct from artificial sugars. Since these sweeteners are either low in calories or calorie-free, they also differ from natural forms of sugar like honey, molasses, agave, and maple syrup. (MODERATION)
Natural sugars: maple syrup, honey, agave syrup, and (MODERATION)
Of the sugars on this list, my go-to is raw honey because of the antioxidant benefits , then maple syrup and allulose. Ideally, you get the majority of your sugars from natural sources (i.e., fruit and the natural sugars in whole foods like sweet potatoes) but of course there are special occasions when we want to bring a molten chocolate cake or fun treat! That’s why I keep Allulose by RX Sugar or Wholesome Allulose stocked in my pantry.
Yields: 4 servings
Total time: 20-25 minutes
Prep time: 10-15 minutes
Cook time: 6-9 minutes
WHAT YOU NEED
TOOLS
Mixing bowl (I love Duralex)
Double broiler or a small sauce pan + large bowl to make a make-shift double broiler
INGREDIENTS
Molten chocolate cakes:
1/2 cup or 8 tbsp unsalted grass fed butter, room temp
2 dark chocolate bars (about 4-5 oz) - I used 2 Hu kitchen dark chocolate bars, I also love Spring & Mulberry dark chocolate (see more notes on this below)
4 large eggs, room temp (you’ll use 2 full eggs, and 2 egg yolks)
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp allulose
2 tbsp almond flour or coconut flour
1/2 tsp kosher salt
Serving ideas:
Top with berries
Put a dollop of vanilla coconut yogurt on top (I love cocojune)
Make a whipped creme
Add fresh mint leaves
HOW TO DO IT
Preheat oven 450 degrees F.
Create a double broiler and melt butter and chocolate on medium heat for 4-5 minutes. Stir until it’s melted and be careful not to burn the chocolate by overheating!
In a medium bowl, use a hand mixer to whisk together 2 eggs, 2 egg yolks, and allulose until light yellow (about 2 minutes on medium to high speed). Then, add in the chocolate, almond flour and salt and and beat until combined (another about another minute).
Grease your ramekins with butter, or a little olive or avocado oil. Pour the chocolate mixture into each ramekin evenly.
Bake 6-9 minutes or until edges are set but center is still jiggly! Baking time depends on the size of your ramekin. Be careful not to over bake otherwise your inside won’t “molt” and be fudge-y! Check them at 6 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let them sit for a minute or two. Then run a knife around the edges to loosen and flip the ramekin upside down on a plate. Let it sit upside down for another minute and then gently tap and shake the ramekin to release the cake!
SWAPS, TIPS & TRICKS
Serving tips: If you are worried about not being able to get them out of the ramekins without them falling apart, serve them in the ramekins! Just remind your guests to be careful as they can be hot! Top with berries and a little coconut yogurt or whipped creme and save yourself the stress of taking them out.
If you are not serving right away: You can prep this and keep in the fridge, then just bring them to a friends house and pop them in the oven at 450F for 6-8 minutes. I tried underbaking them (just for 2-3 minutes) and then finishing them at a friends house once, and they got overdone. So I recommend serving right away after you bake them!
Dairy free or vegan: Sorry friends, this one is not possible without the eggs and the butter 🤣
A note on heavy metals in chocolate:
Dark chocolate often contains trace amounts of heavy metals like lead and cadmium. Ugh, annoying to hear, I know. But why is this the case? I went down a research rabbit hole so you don’t have to.
Soil: Cacao trees absorb heavy metals like cadmium from the soil in which they grow. This is especially common in regions where the soil contains higher levels of cadmium, either from naturally occurring sources or contamination caused by pollution or fertilizers. Solving for eliminating cadmium is challenging because it’s naturally occurring, so this is one reason why most chocolate has traces of heavy metals. A ton of various techniques for cadmium removal have been explored, like breeding or genetically engineering plants to take up less of the heavy metal and replacing older cacao trees with younger ones, because cadmium levels tend to increase as the plants get older. Since cadmium can also be added from fertilizers, it’s more likely in places with industrial agriculture practices, so if you prioritize purchasing organic and direct-trade chocolate, that’s one step in the right direction.
Processing: Lead and cadmium can enter the drying places if the beans are dried near industrial areas (from lead-filled dust and dirt), as well as in the processing from the machinery or industrial processing environment that might have lead-based parts or soldering.
Heavy metals or other toxins can also enter during transport or storage, but the two biggest sources are the soil and processing.
So what brands should you prioritize?
Many organic chocolate bars have still tested positive for heavy metals (even my favorite, Hu Kitchen tested positive in the past😢). I still like and will buy Hu (on occasion) because it’s free of refined sugar, cane sugar, sugar alcohols, palm oil, lecithins, emulsifiers and other bad stuff. Similar to most chocolate brands, it does contain trace amounts of heavy metals. I recently emailed them to check the latest, and they confirmed their levels are all well below the standard limit. If there is another brand you like, you can email them and ask them to share their COA or testing results with you!
Another chocolate brand that I love is called Spring & Mulberry, and their products are marketed as containing no heavy metals, with their cacao beans being sourced through direct-trade and a single-origin estate in Ghana that is one of the country’s first-ever organic and regenerative farms. It’s also tested by a third party to ensure very low levels of heavy metals. Instead of sweetening with refined sugar, they use dates - so their only ingredients are: cacao beans, dates, cacao butter. 👏🏼
If you want to learn more, you might find this 2023 Consumer Reports study interesting. Warning, you might become disenchanted by some of your favorite brands after reading! However, many of these brands have made updates since their report came out.
So what should you do about heavy metals in chocolate?
My 2c is 1) don’t overdo it with chocolate and consume it every single day, and 2) when you do consume chocolate, try to buy the best quality possible, and 3) enjoy it!
The last thing I’ll say on this topic is one way to better understand your toxin exposure is the Genova Metabolomix test. I did this test about 6 months ago and learned that my toxin exposure is very very low, so that gave me peace of mind that my dietary and lifestyle habits to reduce toxin exposure are working, and the occasional chocolate treat is okay!
Nutritional Info
Per serving, makes 4 servings
Calories: 450
Carbohydrates: 38g
Fiber: 3g
Net carbs: 35g
Protein: 9g
Fat: 39g
Sodium: 367 mg
Sugar: 9g
