Vegan Chocolate Lava Cake
By: Nikki Brown
Published: Saturday, September 23, 2017 - 6:17am

Ingredients




94g/3.25oz gluten-free baking mix
62.5ml/2fl oz maple syrup
25g/10z unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ tsp. salt
½ tsp. baking powder
1/3 tsp. baking soda
185ml/6.5fl oz coconut milk
62.5ml/2fl oz coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
22g/0.75oz dark chocolate chips

Preparation

1 Preheat oven to 160C/325F. Coat muffin tin with non-stick spray. 2 In a bowl, whisk together gluten-free baking mix, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. 3 Whisk in maple syrup, oil and vanilla extract. 4 Gradually add milk until batter is well combined. 5 Pour the batter into muffin tin, filling each hole ¾ up. 6 Drop a chocolate chip in the centre of each mould. 7 Bake for 20-25 minutes. 8 Cool for 5 minutes. 9 Loosen edges by running a knife around each mould.

About

Chocolate is usually thought of as a guilty pleasure but for the Maya civilisation and their ancestors it was a daily staple; the Mayans murals and ceramics capture the abundance of chocolate available to them. Chocolate is made from the seeds of the cacao tree which flourished in southern Mexico. Recent studies found that cocoa extract, Lavado, could have a positive effect on cognitive decline, other studies indicate chocolate could help lower the risk of developing heart disease. Let’s celebrate the history and the benefits of chocolate with this enticing, vegan, recipe on the 13th September  – National Chocolate Day.