HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY - SAY IT WITH CHOCOLATE LAVA CAKE FOR TWO

Some photos I took today.  They are a bit better and give you more of idea of how delicious this Chocolate Lava Cake is.  The 4 photos below depict half the chocolate lave cake with some Apricot Orange Ice Cream (recipe below - ice cream remains scoopable - read why that is).  The cherries are simply for decoration.  By the way, the white flower is jasmine - it smells so good.  It is not yet properly opened.








 Apricot Orange Ice Cream (cross between ice cream and a sorbet - still very creamy - see recipe below.)

JIFFY CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER LAVA CAKE, APRICOT ORANGE ICE CREAM AND STRAWBERRY SAUCE
It's Valentine's Day tomorrow and you don't have a lovely treat for your sweetie? Don't panic. How about this one - it's made in a jiffy and tastes fantastic!  It won't take much time and if you don't have ice cream {you can use commercial low-carb ice cream (watch the sweeteners as some cause intestinal upset - sorbitol is a big one)} or simply serve with a strawberry sauce or fresh, sliced strawberries.

Serve with IceCream Custard (one of the most popular recipes on my blog in the summertime), page 75, Low-Carbing Among Friends, Volume-1 and Strawberry Sauce, page 26 of volume 1, if desired, OR see Apricot Orange Ice Cream below.  Yummy!  The flavors take this simple, but super tasty dessert over the top. Obviously those additions need to be made ahead of time.  My son, Jonathan, loved this recipe. I served it with the ice cream and strawberry sauce.  My daughter-in-law loved this recipe too.  She had an upset tummy and could not have milk for a day or two, so I made this chocolate cake with 3 tbsp of almond milk instead of the cream and water and served it with frozen strawberries, thawed in the microwave oven and mashed with a little sweetener.  It is a lovely soft cake with ooey gooey chocolate sauce.  It tastes more of chocolate than it does of peanut butter.

My ice creams of late have remained scoopable.  Here is the scoop on that.  I use cream that is found on the shelf in cartons - i.e. not fresh cream.  For whatever reason, I think it is why my recent ice creams remain scoopable without using alcohol or food-grade glycerin.  I just made some apricot orange ice cream and it was scoopable as well (see photo above) - even a week later!  I was amazed.  See the recipe below..

2 eggs
3 tbsp smooth peanut butter, (45 mL)
  (sugar-free)
Liquid sucralose to equal 1/4 cup (60 mL)
  SPLENDA® Granular, OR to taste
2 tbsp granulated erythritol (30 mL)
2 tbsp heavy cream (30 mL)
1 tbsp water (15 mL)
1 tsp vanilla extract (5 mL)
1/4 cup Hershey’s® cocoa (60 mL)
3/tsp baking powder (3 mL)

In food processor, process eggs.  Add peanut butter, liquid sucralose, OR SPLENDA® Granular, erythritol, heavy cream, water and vanilla extract; process.  Add cocoa and baking powder and process again.  In medium, microwaveable bowl, pour batter (which will be quite thin) and microwave 1 minute.  Serve immediately with suggestions below the title of the recipe or on its own with a tablespoon or two (15 to 30 mL) of heavy cream.

Helpful Hints:  My microwave oven is 1200 Watts.  You may need to cook yours a little less or a little longer depending on the wattage of your microwave oven.  This cake becomes more brownie-like if you eat it later.  It’s very good.

Yield: 2 to 3 servings
1 serving 
285.8/191.2 calories
13.8/9.2 g protein
22.3/14.9 g fat
6.4/4.3 g net carbs

APRICOT ORANGE ICE CREAM
This ice cream has a delightful orange flavor.  The apricot flavor is much more subtle than the orange but together the flavors mingle nicely.  I suspect one could leave out the apricots and get a creamier, plain orange-flavored ice cream that is lower in carbs.  The apricot orange ice cream is between the texture of creamy ice cream and a sorbet; very pleasant indeed. This ice cream remained scoopable and by the 7th day it was still scoopable.  I cannot normally justify buying fresh cream over here.  First of all, it costs a fortune - like $10 for 1 pint (2 cups) and second of all, it goes bad very quickly, even when refrigerated immediately.  It might not be as big a deal these days as I had my refrigerator fixed recently and it runs a bit colder nowadays.  I have not put it to the test yet. 
81/2 oz can apricots, drained (241 g)
3 cups chilled whipping cream (750 mL)
  (the kind that sits on the shelf)  
Liquid sucralose to equal 1 cup (250 mL)
  SPLENDA® Granular
2 tbsp powdered erythritol (30 mL)
1 tsp orange extract (5 mL)
1/4 tsp xanthan gum (1 mL)

In blender, blend apricots.  Add cream, sucralose, OR SPLENDA® Granular, powdered erythritol, orange extract and xanthan gum.  Place in ice cream maker and follow manufacturer’s directions. Place in a deep container, seal and freeze.

Yield:  12 servings
1 serving
191.6 calories
1.5 g protein
19.2 g fat
3.7 g carbs