raw chocolate molten lava cakes with goji berries

Holy cow. If you like chocolate, you'll love this. It's like a mega awesome super chocolate party in your mouth which this results in an excellent, ethereal sense of well being. Don't worry if it sounds too intense - I know you can handle it. You're stronger than you think. Like an ant lifting 100 times your body weight. I will change the subject now because I feel this getting weird.

I remembered a few weeks ago that before I went vegan - and baking was my favourite new hobby - my specialty was a chocolate souffle that ended up being a lava cake because I took them out of the oven right before the inside baked so you got a soft chocolate cake surrounding a gooey middle. I figured I better make it raw and vegan. So here ya go, cutie pie. Indulge guilt-free. In fact, indulge PROUDLY.

I used cacao butter instead of coconut oil for the liquid center just for a change and LOVED it. Geez. The cacao plant gives us endless delicious food options. Just listen to this guy rave about the godly benefits of cacao here. You may have heard about the cacao controversy in the raw food world (or not...) - my personal stance on it is that I feel great after eating it, and ancient civilizations have consumed it since like the dawn of time without an issue. Case closed for me. Chocoholic for life, in the haus yo. 

This weekend I am planning on doing a whole lot of not much. If you came to my house - that would be creepy - you will find me sleeping, reading, watching old movies (who else loves Nosferatu from 1922!? Holla!) and making more goodies for you. And probably eating them all myself. Don't make fun of me. Oh! but I AM gonna be semi-productive and write a philosophy paper... at some point.

raw chocolate molten lava cakes with goji berries: makes about four cakes

Cake:

1/3 cup each of raw oats, walnuts, dates, and raisins

1/4 cup cacao powder

Molten lava middle:

1/3 cup each of melted cacao butter, maple syrup, dates, and cacao powder

1/4 teaspoon each of cinnamon, Himalayan sea salt, and chili powder

Nut milk, as needed 

To make the cakes: pulse the oats, walnuts and cacao powder in your food processor until they become a rough flour. Add the dates and raisins and process until it all starts to stick together. Using about 2/3 of the mix (you have to save some for the tops), press into the bottom and sides of lined cupcake tins and put in the fridge. Use the rest of the mix to make the tops by pressing it into cookie molds the same diameter of your cupcake tins. Put  those in the fridge as well.

To make the molten middle: blend all ingredients until smooth, adding the milk as needed to make it creamy and a "molten" consistency (whatever that means... hopefully you know). Take the cakes out of the cupcake molds and pour the molten mixture into each one, filling up almost to the top. Now carefully press the tops onto the cakes, gently pressing together the edges. Flip over and decorate with cacao nibs and goji berries. Eat da lava, mohn. 

A few substitution options: to make these gluten-free, use buckwheat groats instead of oats. If you don't want to use cacao, use coconut oil instead of cacao butter and carob instead of cacao powder.