Queso Lava Cakes
featured in Cheese-Stuffed Recipes To Drown Your Problems In
It’s a volcanic eruption of molten cheesy lava! Prepare the queso balls the day before for easier preparation. After baking, grab your favorite garnishes to serve up what’s sure to be a delicious natural disaster.
Tasty Team
February 14, 2020
80% would make again
Total Time
1 hr 45 min
1 hr 45 min
Prep Time
20 minutes
20 min
Cook Time
25 minutes
25 min
Total Time
1 hr 45 min
1 hr 45 min
Prep Time
20 minutes
20 min
Cook Time
25 minutes
25 min
Ingredients
for 4 servings
Queso
- 4 oz cream cheese (115 g), room temperature
- 4 oz american cheese (115 g), room temperature
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup shredded monterey jack cheese (50 g)
- ¼ cup pico de gallo (65 g), drained
Lava Cakes
- nonstick cooking spray, for greasing
- 1 ¼ cups all purpose flour (155 g), divided
- ½ cup yellow cornmeal (75 g)
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ cup whole milk (180 mL)
- ¼ cup canola oil (60 mL)
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons fresh chives, sliced
- 1 tablespoon chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, drained and diced
For Garnish
- ½ cup sour cream (120 g)
- ½ lb chorizo (225 g), cooked
- 4 fresh cilantro leaves
- ¼ cup hot sauce (60 mL)
Nutrition Info
- Calories 1071
- Fat 81g
- Carbs 48g
- Fiber 14g
- Sugar 7g
- Protein 37g
Estimated values based on one serving size.
Preparation
- Make the queso: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese, processed American cheese, butter, and Monterey Jack cheese and mix with an electric hand mixer on medium speed until smooth and combined. Add the drained pico de gallo and mix with a rubber spatula to incorporate.
- Using a ¼ cup measure, scoop out 4 heaping portions of the queso onto the prepared baking sheet. Freeze for at least 2 hours, up to overnight, until completely hardened.
- Make the lava cakes: Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Arrange 4 10-ounce ramekins on a baking sheet. Grease with nonstick spray and dust each with 1 tablespoon of flour, rotating until the ramekins are well coated and tapping out any excess.
- In a large bowl, stir together the remaining cup of flour, the cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, salt, milk, canola oil, egg, chives, and chipotles with a rubber spatula until well combined.
- Fill each ramekin with 2 tablespoons of the batter and place 1 frozen queso ball in the centers, making sure to keep at least ¼ inch of space between the queso and the sides of the ramekin. Divide the remaining batter between the ramekins.
- Bake for 20–25 minutes, until puffed and golden brown on the top. Let cool for 5 minutes before inverting onto plates.
- Garnish each lava cake with a dollop of sour cream, chorizo crumbles, a cilantro leaf, and a drizzle of hot sauce, then serve immediately.
- Enjoy!
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