A while back, we were at my awesome cousin Brad’s home. His lovely bride whipped up a decadent, delicious chocolate lava cake dessert for us to enjoy then kindly shared the recipe with me.
It was so, so good, especially served with fresh berries and whipped cream.
But Captain Cavedweller is not a huge chocolate fan, so I decided to see what would happen if I made the recipe using caramel instead of chocolate.
Good things happened. Yes, indeedy, they did.
This caramel lava cake is so simple to make and you cook it right in an Instant Pot!
You start with a few basic ingredients, and a bag of yummy caramel bits.
Melt the butter and caramel bits together in the microwave (use 30 second intervals so you don’t overcook it).
While the caramel is melting, you can mix the rest of the ingredients together.
Whisk the caramel mixture into the batter and combine until smooth.
Spray ramekins with non-stick cooking spray then fill approximately 2/3 full with batter. Place in the Instant Pot on a steam rack and cook for eight minutes.
Carefully remove from the pot and serve immediately. If you wait to serve, the cakes lose the lava center.
Caramel Lava Cake
Ingredients:
1 cup caramel bits
1/2 cup butter
3 eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
Directions:
Melt butter and caramel bits in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat for 30 seconds, stir, then heat again, stirring until smooth. Be careful not to overcook.
In a separate mixing bowl, whisk eggs, sugar, flour and vanilla together, blending until smooth. Pour melted caramel mixture into batter and combine.
Spray four 6-ounce ramekins with non-stick cooking spray. Fill ramekins about 2/3 full with batter.
Set a steam rack in the bottom of your Instant Pot and add 2 cups of water to the pot. Place ramekins on the steam rack. Three will sit directly on the rack with the four sitting on top in the center of the other three ramekins (like a mini-tower).
Attach the lid to the Instant Pot and turn to “sealing.” Manually set the time to eight minutes on “high” pressure.
Once the timer goes off that the eight minutes have passed, quick release the pressure and carefully remove the ramekins.
You can serve the cake in the ramekins, or turn the cake out onto a plate and serve with ice cream, additional caramel bits and a sprinkling of sea salt or chocolate shavings for garnish.
