The first of five parts. 
Lava on the Mountain and Lava in the Cake 

Maui "lava" dirt

            If I were a clever writer, I might be able to connect Lava Cake and, Kilauea (Kill-uh-way-uh),  the active volcano in Hawaii that belches lava continually, even now.  It all started thirty years ago in January, 1983, when we lived in Hawaii. Kilauea started living up to its name which means “spewing.” Sometimes a lot, sometimes a little, it has spewed out two-thousand degree magma, called lava, once it hits the surface nearly all that time. It has now reached homes.
  At first, I checked listings for a volcano holiday. Then I thought, get real. You don’t honor something that happens every day. Like you carry out the trash every day, but we don’t have Trash Day.  I take that back. Our trash day is every Wednesday. But we don’t honor eggs or black shoes, even stilettos. Maybe it is because volcanoes are boring to some. You cannot accessorize, nor  go to lunch with one. The most provocative thing Kilauea does is run off at the mouth all the time. We all deal with people doing that without making a holiday for such people. We don’t even want to crack that door, or, in this case, crater floor and observe anything like that. That’s like having a Pick Your Nose Day. It is disgusting, and people may do it, but you do not want to make it legal and let them celebrate it.  But we will join Kilauea and cake. It seems only reasonable.  My first experience with Lava cake came from a plaid Betty Crocker cookbook many moons ago. It seems I started looking for new and exciting recipes to try on my newly married husband. The notation I have next to that recipe says, “Husband doesn’t like this.” So much for chocolate cakes with innards that belch out goo when you poke fork into them.  But I shall try again in honor of the longest running show on earth. Kilauea. And if it comes out funny or misshapen, it’s ok. It’s a lava cake.   

Page 2

 4-3-2-1  Kilauea Crater cake a.k.a. Chocolate Pudding Cake

Preheat your oven to 350°. We’re baking cake here, not producing  molten lava. 
 This is a blow-by-blow to make your own lava cake. Since it  is  lava cake,  no one’s has to look like Martha S’s, because this is your own creation!

Combine these four ingredients and ¼ teaspoon salt in 1-9 inch pan.

Mix 1 cup all-purpose flour, ¾ c. sugar, 2 Tablespoon cocoa powder (unsweetened) 2 teaspoon baking powder. 
Combine these three ingredients and add to dry mix, mixing thoroughly. Mix in  ½ c. milk, 2 T. oil and 1 t. vanilla.
 Spread evenly in pan (This stuff will look like brown paste! It has the consistency of Play-doh.)Optional : If you want to add ¼ c. coconut, that will be your plants your lava picked up as it traveled in your oven.
 Mix these two ingredients and sprinkle over paste.Mix 3/4 c. 

packed brown sugar and ¼ c. cocoa powder (unsweetened). 
Sprinkle over brown paste. (It does looks like dirt, does it not?)

  Don’t forget to pour 1 ½ c. boiling water over batter. Don’t mix in, just leave it alone. 

My "lava" dirt without hot water-Add it. 

Bake at 350° F (175 °) for 40 minutes.  Let rest for 15 minutes.  (See rest on next page.)