Flash back to the 70’s and cue one of my favorite tv commercials for Reeses peanut butter cups. Two people walking down the street; the sun is shining, they are each lost in their own little unicorn world, and BAM!!  both oblivious they serrendipitously bump into each other coming around a corner.

The first person is holding a rather plain chocolate candybar as the second person with an open jar of peanut butter crashes into him, his candybar falls into the open peanut butter jar. The candybar man retorts  “You got peanut butter on my chocolate!” The peanut butter jar person exclaims “You got chocolate in my peanut butter!” After a Hmmpf! is exchanged between the two of them they each taste the mistaken calamity (in perfect slow motion tv unison) and quickly pronounce with a huge corny smile what a genius they are as the point man cues the Reeses peanut butter cup…

You almost immediately forget what idiot walks around with an open peanut butter jar on the street?

Chocolate and peanut butter ever colliding into sweet bliss. Yes it was super cheesy. Did we like it? You betcha. Some of the corniest commercial are the ones we remember. A real life Don Draper was smiling and knocking back a neat scotch I’m sure when that little nugget was produced. Chocolate and peanut butter will always be colliding–even on purpose. If you are more of a purist and like your chocolate cake flowing with an oozy chocolate center then leave out the peanut butter and instead insert a big square piece of chocolate in the cake batter instead. I won’t mind.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Lava Cakes

recipe adapted from Donna Hay

yield: 4 individual cakes

200 gm dark chocolate, chopped (I used Ghiradelli bittersweet bars)

100 gm unsalted butter, chopped

2 Lg eggs

2 egg yolks

1/2 Cup castor sugar

1/4 Cup all-purpose flour

8 teaspoons smooth peanut butter

1. Preheat oven to 400° F or 200° C. Generously butter 4 dariole molds. If you don’t have dariole molds I think a popover pan would also work fine. (Note her original recipe calls for using 1 cup capacity molds but mine were 3/4 cup and it worked perfectly).

2. In a saucepan over low heat melt the chocolate and butter until smooth–stirring constantly to avoid burning.

3. Place the eggs, yolks and sugar in a bowl and whisk until combined. Slowly add the chocolate mixture while whisking until smooth. Using the whisk stir in the flour until combined.

4. Spoon 2/3 mixture into each dariole mold. Spoon 2 tsp. dollops of peanut butter into each cup and gently press the dollop into the chocolate. Spoon the remaining chocolate batter evenly into each cup using up all the batter. Using the back of a spoon level off the batter in each cup. Place the cups on a tray and bake for 13-16 minutes until tops appear dry and are slightly puffed. Do not overbake. Cakes can have a slight crack on top but not too much cracking. Let cakes rest for about 2 minutes until warm enough to handle and turn out onto a plate for serving and dust generously with cocoa powder.