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This easy Chocolate Molten Lava Cake is a delectable dessert that is sure to impress! Serve it with a scoop of ice cream, chocolate drizzle and some fresh berries.

one lava cake sitting on a white plate with a sliced strawberry on top
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If you love warm, gooey, chocolate desserts then you’re going to love this molten chocolate lava cake. They are subtly sweet and made with basic ingredients. A gooey chocolate center is surrounded by a warm chocolate cake. Prep them in 15 minutes, bake and enjoy a warm and gooey chocolate dessert.

They are the perfect dessert for Valentine’s Day, birthdays or even dessert during the week. You can even prep them in advance and reheat just prior to serving.

Serve them with an impressive dinner like Steak and Lobster Surf and Turf!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

  • These chocolate molten lava cakes are the perfect individual dessert.
  • If you love chocolate or chocolate cake, then you will love these.
  • The entire dessert comes together in less than 25 minutes with only a 10 minute bake time.
  • Kids and adults love them!
ingredients for molten lava cake

Ingredients You Need

  • Chocolate: You can use semi-sweet chocolate or bittersweet chocolate. If you prefer them to be sweeter, then use semisweet chocolate. Otherwise, use bittersweet chocolate. Chocolate baking bars that are chopped into small pieces work best. You can also use chocolate chips.
  • Cocoa Powder: Either natural or dutch processed cocoa powder work. Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa powder is a great choice.
  • Eggs: You will need two whole eggs and two egg yolks.
  • Butter: Unsalted butter works best. You can substitute with salted, if needed.
  • Flour: You will need all purpose flour for this recipe. You can substitute with a gluten free 1:1 all purpose flour, if desired.
  • Sugar: You will need granulated sugar for this recipe.
  • Vanilla: Use pure vanilla extract.
  • Salt: You will need a small pinch of salt.
ingredients to make lava cakes

Steps to Make Molten Lava Cakes

  1. Preheat oven and prep ramekins – Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Spray four 8-ounce ramekins with baking spray and place on a baking sheet.
  2. Melt the butter and chocolate – Pour 1 cup of water in a small saucepan and place over medium heat. Set a small glass or metal bowl over the top of the pan and add the butter and chocolate. Stir occasionally as the mixture melts. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
  3. Mix together eggs and sugar – In a separate bowl, use an electric mixer or whisk to combine the eggs, egg yolks and sugar until foamy and pale yellow.
  4. Stir in chocolate and vanilla – Add the cooled chocolate mixture and vanilla, whisking until well combined.
  5. Add remaining ingredients – Stir in the flour, cocoa powder and salt until a batter is formed.
  6. Bake – Divide the mixture evenly among the four ramekins. Bake until the sides are firm but the centers are soft, about 10 minutes. Cool for 1 minute before inverting on individual plates while warm.
  7. Serve the chocolate molten lava cakes – Serve with scoop of vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, chocolate sauce, peanut butter sauce or caramel sauce and fresh strawberries or raspberries. You can also dust the tops with powdered sugar.

Ramekins work best for this chocolate lava cake recipe, but if you don’t have them, you can bake these in a muffin tin. Spray the muffin pan and fill each tin about 3/4 full and bake for 8 to 10 minutes. The sides should be firm and the middle slightly soft.

lava cakes before and after the oven

Expert Tips

  • Grease the ramekins before baking. Be sure to grease the ramekins, otherwise the cake will stick to them and will not come out once inverted.
  • To melt the chocolate and butter, use a double boiler or a glass or metal bowl set over a saucepan filled with one cup of water.
  • Cool the chocolate slightly before adding to the egg mixture. This ensures it mixes together smoothly.
  • Bake until the sides are firm but the centers are soft. They are usually perfect after baking in the oven for 10 or 11 minutes at 425 degrees F. If you bake longer, then the center will bake more and you won’t have the gooey center.
  • Use 8 ounce ramekins. If you use smaller ramekins, the mixture may overflow.
two molten lava cakes sitting on plates with scoop of vanilla ice cream and chocolate drizzle

FAQs

Is molten lava cake undercooked?

You don’t need to worry about the insides being undercooked. Baking them at 425 degrees F will ensure the center batter is cooked to at least 160 degrees.

What can I use instead of ramekins for lava cake?

You can use a muffin pan. Make sure to grease the muffin cups to prevent them from sticking. If using a muffin tin, divide the batter between 6 cups instead of 4 ramekins.

How long can I keep molten lava cake?

Molten lava cakes taste best when eaten immediately. However, if you have leftovers, wrap them in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Can you reheat a lava cake?

While chocolate molten lava cakes taste best when baked fresh, you can reheat them in the microwave. Cover the cakes with a damp paper towel and microwave until warm and the center is soft.

Why does lava cake have a gooey center?

The batter bakes like a soufflé so the edges with firm up while the center is soft. This helps create the perfect gooey dessert.

a bite taken out of a chocolate molten lava cake

These little lava cakes are great to enjoy as a single serving or share with someone. Try them and let us know what you think!

Other Chocolate Dessert Recipes

Did you try this Chocolate Molten Lava Cake recipe? If so, leave a recipe rating and review below.

a bite taken out of a chocolate molten lava cake
5 from 7 votes

Chocolate Molten Lava Cake

By Ashley C.
These easy chocolate molten lava cakes are made with a few basic ingredients to create a delectable chocolate dessert.
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 25 minutes
Servings: 4 cakes
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Ingredients 

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  • 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
  • 2 whole eggs
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 3 tablespoons cocoa powder, (extra dark or regular)
  • 1/8 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • Vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce and fresh berries, for serving

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Spray four ramekins with baking spray and place on a baking sheet.
  • Pour 1 cup of water into a small saucepan and place over medium heat. Set a small glass or metal bowl over the top and add butter and chopped chocolate. Stir occasionally as the mixture melts over the heat until well combined. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
  • Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, use a handmixer or whisk to combine eggs, egg yolks and sugar until foamy and pale yellow. Add the cooled chocolate mixture and vanilla, whisking until well combined. Stir in the flour, cocoa powder and salt until a batter is formed. Divide the mixture evenly among the ramekins.
  • Bake until the sides are firm but the centers are soft, about 10 to 12 minutes. Cool for 1 minute before inverting on individual plates while warm. Serve with vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce and fresh berries.

Notes

INGREDIENT NOTES:
  • Chocolate: You can use semisweet or bittersweet chocolate. If you prefer them to be sweeter, then use semisweet chocolate. Otherwise, use bittersweet chocolate. Chocolate baking bars that are chopped into small pieces work best.
  • Cocoa Powder: Either natural or dutch processed cocoa powder work. Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa powder is a great choice.
TIP FOR INVERTING ONTO PLATE: The outside of the cake is baked while the inside remains gooey. To flip them, place a plate upside down over the ramekin, flip and gently shake to remove the cake from the ramekin. 
STORAGE:
Cover leftovers with plastic wrap and store in the fridge for up to 3 days. To reheat, cover the cakes with a damp paper towel and microwave until warm and the center is soft. 

Nutrition

Calories: 526kcal, Carbohydrates: 47g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 37g, Saturated Fat: 22g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 162mg, Sodium: 12mg, Potassium: 243mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 36g, Vitamin A: 856IU, Calcium: 42mg, Iron: 3mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Tried this recipe?Mention @spoonfulflavor or tag #spoonfulflavor!

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5 from 7 votes (3 ratings without comment)

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7 Comments

    1. Yes, you can prep the batter in advance and store in the fridge for up to 2 days. If you store them in the ramekins, add a ramekin size piece of parchment paper to the bottom of the ramekin and spray the ramekin with baking spray to prevent the batter from sticking since it will be sitting for a few days.

  1. Delightful. ย Easy. ย Very rich and much enjoyed by chocolate lovers. ย My ramekins were smaller so I got 5 out of this recipe. ย Baked for 11 minutes, might have been fine be to go to 12 – depends on what proportion of โ€œlavaโ€ to cake you want. ย 11 minutes was about 60% lava.

  2. Molten cake is one of my favorite restaurant desserts and I haven’t had it in so long! I’ll have to give it a try at home.