Chocolate Molten Lava Cake

(I wrote the following article last summer, and it just kept getting bumped for other things that I thought were more important.   But for the past couple of weeks, the whole coronavirus thing has been at the forefront of many people's minds.  We need a break.  I need a break.  So today I figured is a good day to post on something chocolate-related.  Also, it's Cheap Candy Day.  If you believe in being truly prepared for TEOTWAWKI, get out quick this morning and stock up on the leftover Valentine's Day candy.)
Because my daughters were visiting their grandparents for two weeks, doing work around their yard and getting them ready to sell their house, we did not have many treats at home.  While that was great for healthier eating and our waistlines, after two weeks I was wanting something sweet and chocolate-y.


I've had the following recipe for a while, but just hadn't had the opportunity to try it until last night.  It originally came from StoreThisNotThat.com.  That blog's not active anymore, and some information and recipes have been removed, but there is still a lot of good stuff there.  Their focus is on using food storage every day, but without too much attention on the idea that someday there won't be a grocery store or electricity.  I've adapted the recipe just a bit.

Chocolate Molten Lava Cake
1/2 cup wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
6 tablespoons cocoa, divided
3 tablespoons non-instant milk powder OR 5 tablespoons instant milk powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cool water
2 tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 1/2 cups hot water

Whipped cream or ice cream, (not really) optional

Combine the flours, sugar, 2 tablespoons cocoa, dry milk powder, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.  Stir in the cool water, oil, and vanilla until smooth.

Pour batter in an ungreased 9-inch square pan.  Mix brown sugar and remaining cocoa in a small bowl and sprinkle evenly over batter.  Pour hot water on top.  Do not stir it in.

Bake at 325 (glass pans) or 350 (metal pans) for 35-40 minutes.  Serve with ice cream.

Overall review:  This ends up about half cake/brownie and half chocolate sauce.  So that's a little bit of a downer for me.  I'd like more cake and less sauce.

Family reviews:  QOTPE (Queen of the Picky Eaters) was immediately suspicious.  She was sure I had put beans in, because, you know, beans must be in every new dessert recipe Mom's trying out (that is so not true, but anyway), or there must be some pudding substitute (again, not true).  I even used flour from a new bag purchased at the store last month just to appease her sensitive buds.  She still insisted something was wrong and didn't eat the cake, just the ice cream.

My dear husband also did not care for the cake and agreed with QOTPE that something was wrong.  To be fair, the cake isn't all that cake-like.  But it's a molten lava cake, so it isn't supposed to be.

The other four of us thought it was just fine--but only if there is ice cream to go with it, which is why I added to the recipe ingredients that ice cream is not really optional.  Yes, ice cream might be hard to come by, especially in summer.

Links to related posts:  
Canning Candy
Canning Chocolate 

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