Chocolate Lava Cake

In this recipe

No casserole dish? No problem!
How not to overbake the lava cakes
Delicious variations
plan ahead
Storage Instructions

Chocolate Lava Cake is an individual sized cupcake. The center is intentionally slightly undercooked, resulting in a gooey, melty, and decadent treat that squirts out when you cut into it.

Chocolate Lava Cake is the perfect romantic dessert for Valentine’s Day or when you’re trying to impress. It requires only seven pantry ingredients and comes together in under 25 minutes, making it an easy last-minute treat when you’re looking for indulgence.

The melted lava cakes are baked in six-ounce ramekins. If you don’t have any, bake them in a muffin pan. Standard muffin pans are smaller than the cups, giving you enough batter for six lava cakes instead of four. Also reduce the cooking time to 9 minutes.

If you’re baking the lava cakes in a muffin tin, you can turn them out all at once onto a large cutting board after baking. Use an offset spatula or butter knife to lift each cake and transfer it from the cutting board to dessert plates.

How not to overbake the lava cakes

I recommend baking the lava cakes for 11 to 12 minutes. Since every oven is different, start checking after 9 to 10 minutes.

When you’re done, the edges will be tight and the mids still soft and wobbly. To test, gently poke your finger in the center of a cake. If it’s still runny (you have wet batter on your finger), bake for another 1 to 2 minutes

Have you baked your lava cakes? Unfortunately, you can’t go back and bake them. The center won’t runny, but they’ll still be delicious! Next time reduce the baking time by 1 to 2 minutes.

Delicious variations

I love this recipe because it’s very customizable. Here are some tasty ideas:

Make this a peanut butter lava cake by adding a teaspoon of peanut butter to the center of the batter in the casserole dish before baking. The cooking time will be the same.
Add 1/2 teaspoon of orange extract, lavender extract, or peppermint extract to the batter.
Are you a matcha lover? Dust your lava cakes with matcha powder.

plan ahead

Chocolate lava cake does not store well after baking. The center begins to harden as it cools. I don’t recommend baking them ahead of time.

plan ahead: Prepare the batter, spoon into greased ramekins, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Just add a minute to the baking time.

Storage Instructions

Leftover lava cakes can be stored in the refrigerator for up to three days, individually wrapped in plastic wrap. Before serving, heat them in the microwave for 30 seconds. The center won’t be as sticky, but I’d still enjoy it!

Looking for decadence?

Triple Chocolate Cheesecake
Whiskey Chocolate Truffle
Chocolate ganache cake
Chocolate Layer Cake
Double Chocolate Cupcakes

preparation time
10 mins

cooking time
12 minutes

total time
22 minutes

portions
4 servings

8 tablespoons (113G) unsalted butterplus more for greasing the molds
1 cup (6 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup (50G) sugar
2 big eggsat room temperature
2 big egg yolkat room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon Salt
3 tablespoons (29G) all purpose flour

Optional toppings

Vanilla Ice Cream
powdered sugar
cocoa powder
fresh berries
Chopped nuts
whipped cream
Caramel sauce

4
6-ounce ramekins

Preheat the oven:

Preheat oven to 450°F. Use your hands to lightly grease the inside of four 6-ounce ramekins with butter.
Melting chocolate and butter:

Fill a medium saucepan with about 2 inches of water. Set on medium-high heat to bring the water to a gentle boil. Place a medium heatproof bowl on top of the pot. The boiling water should not touch the bottom of the bowl. This is called a double boiler.

Add the chocolate chips and butter to the bowl and mix with a rubber spatula until melted. Leave to cool for 5 to 10 minutes.
Combine the wet ingredients:

In a separate medium-sized bowl, whisk together the sugar, eggs, egg yolks, vanilla, and salt. When the chocolate mixture is cool to the touch, scrape it into the egg mixture. Stir to combine.
Add flour:

Stir in the flour until just combined. The batter will become thick, so you can switch to a rubber spatula if needed.
Bake:

Divide the batter evenly among the prepared ramekins and place the ramekins on a baking sheet. Bake 11 to 12 minutes, until edges are set and center is still soft. Carefully and gently prick the center of a lava cake with a finger. It should wiggle, not fully set. If it’s still runny (you have wet batter on your finger), bake an additional 1 to 2 minutes.
Surcharge:

Allow the lava cakes to cool for 3 minutes before serving.

To invert the lava cake: Cover a casserole dish with an inverted dessert plate. Gently turn the casserole dish over and let it stand for a few seconds. Lift the ramekin to loosen the lava cake. Repeat with the remaining lava cakes while they are still warm.

I recommend eating your lava cakes warm as soon as they come out of the oven. The molten center begins to solidify as it cools.

The lava cakes can be served à la mode with vanilla ice cream, dusted with powdered sugar or cocoa powder, or with other toppings such as fresh berries, chopped nuts and caramel sauce.