Ube Lava Cake

I discovered lava cake recipes years ago when I wanted to make something easy for Valentine's Day. It was a simple recipe where I had an opportunity to practice melting chocolate over a makeshift double boiler and tempering eggs with hot liquid. Also, lava cakes just taste so good! It became a go-to dessert for nicer dinner nights for John and me. This ube lava cake is inspired by all those that I made in the past.

How to Make Ube Lava Cake 

The ube lava cake consists of white chocolate, ube halaya, and ube extract. The ube halaya does not affect the texture of the lava cake. I used white chocolate instead of milk or dark chocolate so that the color from the extract and ube halaya highlights its signature purple color. 

First, preheat your oven to 220°C (425°F). Then you will prepare your ramekins. This ube lava cake recipe yields two cakes if you use ramekins about 10 centimeters in diameter. Rub some butter all over the inside of the ramekins. Then add some flour and brush it around the inside. This will help with removing the cakes after they are baked. They will slide off the ramekins easier when plating.

Prepare Two Batters

In a bowl, combine the sugar and egg plus one yolk. Whis until you no longer see the sugar granules and the consistency is thin. Set this bowl aside.

Next, you will set up a double boiler, so grab a large heat-proof safe bowl and a pot large enough for that bowl to sit halfway up on. Pour some water to boil in the pot and place it on the stove at medium heat. Add the white chocolate, ube halaya, and butter to the large bowl, then put it on top of the boiling water.

Slowly mix the ingredients in the large bowl until the butter and white chocolate melt. You should end up with a slightly thick batter. If you notice the ingredients stay separated, whisk for a longer time, and eventually, they blend with each other.

Combine the Chocolate and Eggs

Add half of the melted mixture to the bowl of whisked eggs and mix the ingredients. Repeat this step one more time, and you will end up with a loose batter. Add the ube extract at this point and whisk it in as well.

Pour an equal amount of the batter into the two ramekins and then place them in the oven to bake for eight minutes. 

How to Check Ube Lava Cake

I would typically check the cakes by gently shaking one of the ramekins to decide if I need to add more time to the original eight minutes. The center of the ramekin should be jiggly, but the outer rim of the batter should be firm.

A lava cake is a semi-raw where you bake it just enough so that the center is still runny when you take a slice out of it. 

If the center does not run, baking time may need to be shorter. Do the jiggle test every time you make it, and you will eventually get a feel for the kind of movement to look for.

How to Serve

After taking out the cakes from the oven, let them sit on the counter to cool for at least one minute. Loosen the sides of the cakes by sliding a thin knife around the ramekins. Then put a plate over the ramekin. 

Use a mitt to flip the ramekin over and gently shake it out the cake. Sprinkle some powdered sugar on top of the cake. The longer the cake sits, the center of the cake will continue to cook. So serve it immediately if you want to present a very runny center.

Making Ube Lava Cake Ahead of Time

You can make the batter for the cakes up to two days ahead. Make the batter and fill the ramekins. Then cover them with cling wrap and place them in the fridge. When you are ready to bake the cakes, bring up temperature of the batter for ten minutes before baking.