Red Velvet Lava Cakes

I am such a sucker for anything red velvet. Red and purple are my two favorite colors, so the red combined with the chocolate flavor makes me so happy. It’s also so festive and perfect for the Holiday season, so I love using it in my baking this time of year. Lava cakes are so fun with the molten surprise in the middle, so I decided to make gorgeous little red velvet lava cakes this week. It was the perfect treat to get Marc and I in the spirit while we finished decorating the house. They were surprisingly simple to make too!

The batter for the red velvet lava cakes was so rich and custardy with lots of chocolate, coconut oil and eggs. I didn’t even need any special equipment, my trusty whisk did the trick. Just a little red gel food coloring made it the perfect color.
Once I finished the cake batter, I set it aside to make the filling. I used luscious mascarpone cream, brown sugar for depth of flavor and vanilla. Mascarpone is basically an Italian form of cream cheese, and I am of the firm belief that red velvet cannot be served without cream cheese. It was all so perfect together. I also used red gel food coloring to make the filling a gorgeous color. Since this was thick, gel food coloring a little went a long way.
Because the cake batter was so eggy, it meant that it was sticky. So I made sure to really prepare my pan well. I sprayed it a lot with coconut oil cooking spray before I dusted it in granulated sugar. Then I scooped a 1/4 cup of batter into each well before I piped in a heaping tablespoon of the filling right in the center.
The red velvet lava cakes needed to bake at 425 for about 9 minutes. The high temperature made the outside really set and almost crisp while the center was still not set at all. I had a mini heart attack as I inverted the tray onto a baking sheet and said a little prayer. Thank goodness they came out with no problem.

When I tried one still warm, I was in red velvet heaven. The outside was so chocolatey and amazing, while the center was so gooey and creamy. I loved how the center ran out a little when I cut into it. I topped mine with a big dusting of powdered sugar and red crystallized sugar, but feel free to get creative! Hope you all love this decadent treat. xoxo

Red Velvet Lava Cakes
Red Velvet Lava Cakes
Red Velvet Lava Cakes
Red Velvet Lava Cakes

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4.5 from 2 votes
Red Velvet Lava Cakes
Red Velvet Lava Cakes
Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
45 mins
 

These decadent little red velvet lava cakes are so impressive and easy to make for the Holidays! They have a fantastic, molten mascarpone center.

Course: Dessert
Keyword: Red Velvet, Red Velvet Lava Cakes
Servings: 6
Calories: 389 kcal
Author: Jeanie and Lulu's Kitchen
Ingredients
FOR THE CAKES
  • coconut oil cooking spray for the muffin tin
  • granulated sugar to dust the muffin tin
  • 6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 6 tablespoons coconut oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon cocoa powder
  • 2 whole eggs
  • 2 whole egg yolks
  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1 teaspoon red gel food coloring
FOR THE LAVA CENTERS
  • 3 ounces mascarpone cheese softened to room temperature
  • 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon red gel food coloring
  • powdered sugar for dusting on top
  • red crystallized sugar for sprinkling on top
Instructions
  1. Pre-heat the oven to 425 and spray 6 wells of a muffin tin really well with the coconut cooking spray. Then dust the wells with granulated sugar to keep them from sticking. Combine the chocolate chips, coconut oil and cocoa powder in a large, heat proof bowl and set it over a small pot of gently simmering water on the stove. Let it melt together as you stir it until it is smooth and glossy. Take it off of the heat and let it cool for a minute. While it cools, thoroughly beat the eggs and egg yolks together. Then whisk them into the chocolate. Follow that by whisking in the flour, salt and food coloring until it is a smooth batter. Set it aside.
  2. Make the lava center mixture next. Stir the mascarpone, brown sugar, vanilla, and food coloring together until it is smooth. Get out a disposable piping bag and put it in a glass, folding the top over to keep it open. Scoop the lava filling into it to get it ready to pipe. Then take the custardy cake mixture and scoop a 1/4 cup of it into each of the 6 prepared muffin tin wells. Then snip the end of the piping bag and pipe a heaping tablespoon of the filling into the center of the cake mixture in each well. Bake the cakes for about 9 minutes, until the outside is crispy but the centers aren't set.
  3. Let the cakes cool for 8-10 minutes, allowing them to pull away from the sides of the tins. Then place a small sheet tray over the muffin tin and invert the trays so that the cakes turn out right side up. Sprinkle the tops with lots of powdered sugar and red crystallized sugar. Serve them warm immediately. They can also be made ahead. Store them in the refrigerator until you want to serve them. Then microwave them for about 30 second to a minute on a microwave safe dish until warm. Enjoy!
Nutrition Facts
Red Velvet Lava Cakes
Amount Per Serving (1 cake)
Calories 389 Calories from Fat 270
% Daily Value*
Fat 30g46%
Saturated Fat 18.4g115%
Cholesterol 143mg48%
Sodium 152mg7%
Potassium 69mg2%
Carbohydrates 26g9%
Fiber 1.1g5%
Sugar 13.9g15%
Protein 5.5g11%
Calcium 30mg3%
Iron 1.4mg8%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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12 thoughts on “Red Velvet Lava Cakes”

  1. That looks incredible! I just have to say that I love your banner with your grandmothers’ photos in it and think it’s so sweet that you’re sharing what they taught you.

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