Peanut Butter Chocolate Molten Lava Cakes and they’re only 6 ingredients! Includes 5 non peanut butter flavor ideas.
Another day, another chocolate-y dessert as we round the final stretch into Valentine’s Day! Today’s recipe for Peanut Butter Chocolate Molten Lava Cakes is actually one of my absolute favorite desserts to make…actually it is second to tomorrow’s chocolate cake made famous by David Lebovitz!
The recipe for these Peanut Butter Chocolate Molten Lava Cakes is so easy it is almost not even a whole new recipe. You simply use the recipe for the Molten Chocolate Cake from Monday (oh man that was a pretty cake!) 
and add one simple ingredient to it!
There is really just one trick to this cake that makes the center so perfectly molten. Put the peanut butter in the freezer! In the oven it will melt but not bake into the cake! Another note about the peanut butter, it works best with non homemade/freshly ground peanut butter. Something from a jar, preferably smooth or it will look weird all melted.
You can also skip the powdered sugar if you would like but your filling will be a bit more solid, the sugar aids in melting and also tempers the strong flavors a bit. 
I know peanut butter can be a controversial ingredient for a large group of people. So in the interest of giving you the most options since you may have an allergy to peanuts or just want a different flavor, I do have some peanut butter alternatives for you too!
- Use cookie butter (Trader Joe’s version of this is AMAZING, much less in the store – I linked you for the info on the product)
- Use jam or jelly. Since this is hard to roll into a ball, I would suggest doing it in an ice-cube tray, then break the cube in half (or get this sphere ice cube tray I am obsessed with and make other candies in!)
- Nutella (Yes I know what you’re thinking it is already chocolate…but you and I both know Nutella is not JUST chocolate.
- White Chocolate Ganache
- Use some red candy melts (or any other color but buy these in store, the price on Amazon is much higher) for a fun colorful center that isn’t flavored.
- Frozen berry coulis! Put fresh berries in a food processor (hands down my favorite kitchen electric, I have had this machine for over 7 years and have used it at home and for clients. I couldn’t recommend it more) with a bit of sugar – to taste – and make it into a fresh sauce. Freeze in the ice-cube tray I mentioned above and pop it into the cake.
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter
- 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
- 1 3/4 cup powdered sugar , divided
- 2 whole eggs
- 2 egg yolks
- 6 tablespoons flour
- 3/4 cup peanut butter
Instructions
- Mix ¾ cup peanut butter with ¾ cup powdered sugar.
- Roll the sweetened peanut butter into 6 balls and put in the freezer for an hour or longer. (The longer the better but hey any length of time is better than nothing).
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
- Butter your ramekins, I used a large muffin tin.
- Melt the butter and chocolate in a microwave safe bowl in 30 second increments until smooth.
- Let the chocolate cool for a couple of minutes, then add in the powdered sugar, whole eggs and yolks and mix.
- Sift in the flour and mix until just combined.
- Add half the batter evenly to the muffin tins and gently put the peanut butter balls into the middle of each one. Spoon on the remaining batter into each well evenly.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes or until the sides are set and the middle is still slightly jiggly.
- Let them rest for a minute then add a cookie sheet on top of the muffin tin then flip over.
- Using a spatula slide it under the cake carefully and transfer to your plate.
- Dust with cocoa powder, top with dollop of whipped cream and chopped chocolate wafers.
Nutrition
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Could we use a peanut butter cake recipe with this? My hubby can’t have chocolate!!!
Janis
Sure 🙂
Can these be made ahead and reheated, and if so, how?
No, I’m so sorry.
Trying this today!
Maybe I’m not reading the recipe correctly, but where/when do you add the other 1cup of powdered sugar?
Thanks!
Hi Heather! Sorry for the delay in responding and somehow leaving out the powdered sugar in the directions! I add the part not used in the peanut butter to the mix with the eggs.
Oh my god, Sabrina. I absolutely HAVE to make this for Valentine’s Day. A little salt over the op of the warm cake would really send my hubby over the moon! Question though: you don’t mention in the recipe how to add the peanut butter ball. Do you do that before it goes in the oven, or halfway through cooking? Just want to make sure that peanut butter gets in there–and then in my belly! :o)
Sorry about that, it gets gently pushed in before cooking. I will update that now 🙂
Peanut butter and chocolate is my favorite flavor combination of all. I love that you also gave alternatives, there are so many versions I want to try!
Not going to lie the raspberry coulis version is a favorite in our house!
Oh my yuminess, this look so good! I may have to try making these over the weekend – perfect for Valentine’s Day!
Awesome, hope you love them Lisa!
good lord these look amazing. I love peanut butter and chocolate together and the molten part?! Yes please!
My husband loved that part too – he loves peanut butter desserts!
I lava this recipe! Sorry couldn’t help myself. The peanut butter in the freezer trick is genius.
Thanks, Crystal!
Wow this looks amazing! I have had molten lava but never with peanut butter and now I am wondering why? I want to try this recipe asap for a special occasion,like a Tuesday! i know my entire family will love it!
Thanks, Jody! I hope your family loves it!
A molten lava river of peanut butter….YES! I want this soooooo much!
Thanks! Let me know if you try it!
This recipe looks amazing and so delicious. I will have to get the ingredients i need so i can make it on the weekend.
Thank you! I hope you enjoy it!
Peanut butter, oozing out of a chocolate cake. Come on – that’s BRILLIANT! Those look AMAZING! thank you!
I’m just surprised they don’t engineer all foods to ooze chocolate and peanut butter when you cut into them!
This looks so amazing and perfect for PB lovers like myself! I have never made molten lava cake but I really should!
Thanks!
Oh my goodness! You have just created perfection in my eyes! This looks absolutely divine! I wish I had one too many of these sitting in front of me right now!
Thanks! I assure you, this tastes even better than it looks!
These look simply amazing, my oldest would gobble them all up as she has the biggest sweet tooth in this house!
Thanks! I have a sweet tooth lurking in this house too – a lot of them went missing shortly after they were baked!
This looks so amazing. I love how the peanut butter just flows out of the lava cake.
Thanks, Stacie! You’re right – these lava cakes were definitely ready for their close-up!
I never knew that you could get PB to ooze like that but I am totally in!!! It’s like a grown up PB cup that is glamourous to eat:)
Thanks for the compliment! I didn’t really think of it as a grown-up peanut butter cup, but now that you mention it, they are kinda similar!
I can’t even begin to tell you have delicious that looks! I love chocolate cake and peanut butter…I bet the duo is fantastic!
Thank you! My husband likes peanut butter and chocolate even more than I do, and he thought these were delicious!
Oh, dear heavens. I love peanut butter probably more than chocolate, but put the two together and I may just voluntarily put myself in a sugar coma.
I say you should treat yourself and go for it!
Oh my goodness does this look delicious! I love all the options you included for different flavors. I still think I’d choose peanut butter though. Yummy!
Thanks, Dawn! Peanut butter did work kinda perfectly! 🙂
Peanut butter and chocolate is my favorite combo! This sounds super yum!
Thanks!