In September, the Baking Club tackled Lava & Pudding cakes, after being inspired by the mug cakes that have become so popular on Pinterest. I got hooked on the simplest chocolate mug cake recipe (just powdered sugar, cocoa powder and an egg!) - and may have made it almost every night for a few weeks, even serving it for dessert for guests who stopped by! All of us in the baking club had different interpretations and results from the recipes we chose - but we all agreed - they're best served immediately from the oven, while the lava or pudding filling is still gooey and oozy.

KLARE: Chocolate Lava Cake (via Huffington Post) & Lemon Pudding Cake (via Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook)

Klare brought two dishes to our meeting: a chocolate lava cake and a lemon pudding cake. The chocolate lava cakes are made in small ramekins and slightly underbaked, so that when you serve them right out of the oven, they'll spill out some ooey gooey chocolatey-ness! The lemon pudding cake was made in a larger baking dish (though, you could make it in individual ramekins) and is sort of a magic cake - you pour in the batter and during the baking process, a gooey pudding layer is created on the bottom of the cake. When you scoop into the dish, you reveal the pudding layer underneath!

GINA: Raspberry Chocolate Lava Cake & White Chocolate Lemon Lava Cake

Gina also brought two dishes to the meeting: a raspberry lava cake - where the raspberry jam was mixed into the batter - so every bite had a fruity, chocolatey taste; and a white chocolate lemon lava cake - the white chocolate was subtle, but the lemon shined through nicely.

LIBBY: Apple Pudding Cake with Cinnamon Butter Sauce (via Betty Crocker)

In my search for a recipe, I came across this apple pudding cake - and with it being the fall, a spiced apple cake sounded delicious. Wasn't sure how pudding-y it was going to be, though, but decided to go with it any way. Well, the cake didn't exactly have a lava or pudding element to it (it had more of a bread pudding consistency) - but what it did have was a delicious caramel sauce that was poured over the top. And Oh. Yum. G. This sauce is crazy good. If I never make this cake again (and I would), at least I got the caramel sauce recipe out of the deal!

BONUS: Chocolate Lava Mug Cake

And as a bonus - here is the chocolate lava mug cake that I've made so many times (and will definitely make much more in the future!) Chances are you already have all the ingredients in your pantry!

In a mug, mix 1/4 cup powdered sugar, 2 Tbsp cocoa powder, 1 pinch of salt, splash of vanilla and one egg. Mix thoroughly until fully combined. Optional: add a tablespoon of cold hot fudge (from a jar) or a tablespoon of peanut butter - let sink to the bottom - but don't stir - this is how you'll get the "lava" on the bottom! Cook in the microwave for 1 minute. The cake will rise above the rim of the mug - but don't worry, it won't over flow. When done, invert the cake into a small bowl or plate, letting the gooey lava of the fudge or peanut butter flow over the cake. Serve with whipped cream and/or ice cream, if desired.