Chocolate Molten Lava Pie with Walnut Whipped Cream

I adapted this recipe for Hot Fudge Pudding Cake from Beverly Lynn Bennet’s The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Vegan Cooking.  A totally easy and delicious pie to make for company with a surprising technique.  It doesn’t look like anything before baking (or after, see photo below) but inside is a delicious vegan molten lava pudding cake! Serve topped with my walnut whipped cream.

Chocolate Molten Lava Pie
1 cup pastry flour
5 tablespoons cocoa powder
3/4 cup vegan cane sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon vanilla powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup almond milk
2 tablespoons sunflower oil

Pie Topping
4 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 3/4 cups boiling water

Preheat oven to 350.

Sift flour and 5 tablespoons cacao powder into a big mixing bowl.  Add sugar, baking powder, baking soda, vanilla powder, salt and chopped walnuts.  Mix well.

Add milk and oil and, using a wooden spoon, mix to combine.  Note: this is a thick batter.  Use a spatula and spread the batter into the pie pan.

To make the topping, boil the water. Sift 4 tablespoons cocoa powder into a bowl and mix with brown sugar.  Sprinkle mixture over the batter covering the entire pie.  Pour the boiling water right on top.  Do not mix!  Just place it right into the oven and bake for 35 minutes or until the top springs back slightly when pressed.

Walnut Whipped Cream
1 cup walnuts
1/2 cup almond milk
2 tablespoons agave
1/4 teaspoon vanilla powder
Pinch of salt

Toast the walnuts for 7 minutes in a 350 oven.  Let cool.

Drop into food processor and process walnuts to a fine powder.  Add the rest of the ingredients and process for a minute until creamy.

To serve, cut a piece of pie and try to get the molten part on the plate.  Top with walnut whipped cream and top with a raspberry.  Enjoy!