Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly spray eight oven-safe large ramekins or custard cups and place on a cookie sheet.
For the molten center: In a small, heavy pot, combine the chips, cornstarch, and soymilk. Stir constantly over medium-low heat until the chips are melted and the mixture is smooth. Turn off heat and set aside.
For the cake: In a blender or food processor, blend together the spinach, soymilk and zucchini to a smooth puree. Add the agave, maple syrup, oil, flax, coffee substitute, apple cider vinegar, and vanilla, and blend to combine. Set aside while you measure the dry ingredients, or for at least two minutes.
In a large bowl, sift together the flours, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry and whisk together to combine.
Scoop about 1/4 cup cake batter into each ramekin, then place a large spoonful (about 2 Tbsp.) of filling over it (try not to touch the sides of the ramekin). Cover with more batter to fill the ramekin about 2/3 full.
Bake cakes in preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, until a tester inserted in the edge comes out dry (the middle will remain moist, as that’s where the molten filling is). Remove from oven and allow to cool ten minutes.
Turn the cakes out onto serving dishes. Serve immediately. Garnish with fresh raspberries and whipped “cream,” if desired. Makes 8 servings. Recipe may be halved.
Variation: Omit the molten centre and gently stir 2/3 cup chocolate chips into the batter before filling the pans. May be baked as cupcakes.
I thought I’d add a note in response to some questions/feeback about the recipe I’ve either received or seen. Because this recipe is a bit fussy, if you want your molten center to remain separate from the cake (and not be absorbed by it), it’s important to ensure that the filling doesn’t touch the side of the ramekin and is covered completely with batter before you bake this; the amount of filling used in each cake also seems to play a role. I’ve found that if the filling spreads, you end up with a layer of chocolate across the middle, but not a concentration of it. My HH actually liked these better the next day, as the cake takes on a more fudgy texture. And if you’re more accustomed to “traditional” sweets with white flour or sugar, be warned that these are simply not like that. They have spinach and zucchini in them, after all ;). ]