Brownie Batter Lava Cake

Ingredients

• 330 g Cake Flour (sifted)
• 218 g Dutch-process Cocoa Powder (70g (cake) + 40g (lava) + 60g (squares) + 68g (buttercream))
• 2½ tsp Baking Powder
• ½ tsp Baking Soda
• 3½ tsp Sea Salt (1 tsp (cake) + 0.5 tsp (lava) + 0.5 tsp (squares) + 1.5 tsp (buttercream - estimated))
• 460 g Organic Cane Sugar (360g (cake) + 50g (lava) + 50g (squares))
• 480 g Non-Dairy Milk (360g (cake) + 120g (lava))
• 2 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
• 120 g Plain Non-Dairy Yogurt (room temperature)
• 240 g Neutral Oil (grapeseed, canola, or sunflower)
• 5 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste (2 tsp (cake) + 2 tsp (squares) + 1 tsp (buttercream))
• 200 g Light Brown Sugar (100g (lava) + 100g (squares); packed)
• 499 g Non-Dairy Butter (70g (lava) + 90g (squares) + 339g (buttercream); room temperature)
• 160 g All-Purpose Flour (40g (lava) + 120g (squares))
• 193 g Non-Dairy Cream (80g (lava) + 33g (squares) + 80g (buttercream))
• 1 tsp Vanilla Bean Powder
• 210 g Non-Dairy Chocolate (70g (lava) + 70g (squares); ~50% cocoa, chopped)
• 510 g Powdered Sugar (sifted)

Instructions

1. 1

   Preheat oven to 350°F (345°F for high altitude). Grease and line three 8-inch pans with parchment.

2. 2

   For the cake: In a medium bowl, whisk cake flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

3. 3

   In a measuring cup, combine non-dairy milk and apple cider vinegar; let curdle 5 minutes. Whisk in yogurt, oil, and vanilla.

4. 4

   In a large bowl, whisk sugar into the wet mixture until dissolved, then fold in dry ingredients until smooth.

5. 5

   Divide batter evenly into pans and bake 22-25 minutes. Cool 10–15 minutes, remove from pans, wrap, and chill.

6. 6

   For the lava: Melt butter with sugars until glossy but still slightly gritty. Whisk in cocoa and flour, then stream in cream. Add vanilla and salt. Cool 5-7 minutes, then fold in chopped chocolate and thin with milk to desired consistency.

7. 7

   For the squares: Cream butter with sugars. Mix in cocoa, flour, salt, vanilla, and cream to form a stiff dough. Fold in chocolate. Press into parchment-lined pan, chill 30 minutes, then cut into squares.

8. 8

   For the buttercream: Beat butter until creamy, then whip in powdered sugar, cocoa, salt, vanilla, and cream until smooth and fluffy.

9. 9

   Assembly: Place first cake layer, pipe a buttercream dam, fill with brownie lava and scatter squares. Repeat for second layer, add final cake, frost outside, and garnish.