Ever made Chocolate Lava Cake? Me either! Maybe it’s because they’ve always looked really difficult, but alas, they are super easy! And so delicious
It was my son’s 16th birthday this week and I wanted to make a quick dessert to go with our dinner before we headed out to the movies. I had printed this recipe off awhile back as one of my “try soon” recipes and it didn’t disappoint. The original which I tweaked slightly is from Sally’s Baking Addiction. This was perfect! To say he liked it would be an understatement! I’m pretty sure he licked his plate.
Perfect for a special event, birthday, elegant dessert, Mother’s or Father’s day, Christmas, Valentine’s or Easter treat!
How to Make Individual Chocolate Lava Cakes
Preheat oven to 425° and prep your ramekins*.
Using spray oil; spray ramekins well and then dust using unsweetened cocoa powder, I used dark cocoa powder for mine. I used oven safe, 6 oz or 8 oz ramekins (3/4 cup).
*If not using ramekins, spray 6 cups in a 12 count muffin tin and dust with cocoa powder.
PRO TIP | Place on parchment lined quarter sheet pan, for easy baking, removal and clean-up.
How to Make Chocolate Lava Cakes
- Coarsely chop chocolate, I used 4 oz bittersweet chocolate and 2 oz of semi-sweet*.
- Chop cold butter into rough chunks as well and place butter in a medium microwave safe bowl, toss your chocolate on top.
- Microwave on high in 20 second intervals, stirring well after each interval until completely smooth. Set aside and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes.
*Use a good quality chocolate (I used Ghirardelli baking bars), chocolate chips will not melt the same; you will still get a nice cake, but not nearly as lava-y as you will using a chopped chocolate bar.
In a small bowl, whisk together all purpose flour, powdered sugar, and salt.
In another small bowl crack in your eggs and egg yolks (awe, it made a cute smiley face) and whisk until combined.
Once chocolate has cooled slightly, pour the flour mixture and eggs into the bowl of chocolate.
Gently fold the chocolate into the egg and flour/sugar mixture until combined. If there are any lumps, gently whisk until they disappear. The batter will be thick!
Spoon evenly into 4 or 6 ramekins or muffin tins, depending on how large you want the cakes.
MAKE AHEAD TIP #1
Simply make up the batter ahead of time, store in fridge and when ready, pour or spoon the batter into prepared ramekins* and bake. In just 12 short minutes you will have warm, ooey-gooey, dark, rich and chocolatey lava cakes. Simple enough for a weeknight, elegant enough for a fancy dessert.
*Be careful if you pour into ramekins and refrigerate and then go straight into the oven, many glass products will shatter with big temperature changes. If you pour into ramekins and store in fridge, then remove and allow to come to room temperature for 15-20 minutes before baking.
MAKE AHEAD TIP #2
If desired, bake the lava cakes, cool completely and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to serve, allow to thaw at room temp for 20-30 minutes, then reheat in microwave for 20-30 seconds until warmed through.
Place ramekins onto a baking sheet, baking for 12-14 minutes until the sides are firm (dull) and the tops are a bit glossy.
If baking in muffin tin, bake only 8-10 minutes.
Remove from oven and allow to cool for 1 minute. Place serving plate over top of ramekin and using a hot pad, invert ramekin onto plate, you might need to give it a little jiggle to get it out. *Muffin tin | Using a spoon, gently release cake from muffin tin, turning upside down onto serving plate.
Sprinkle on a little powdered sugar…
Or place a scoop of your favorite ice cream on top of the hot cake, watch people swoon. Do people still do that?
Look at that ooey-gooey lava like mess! You may need a fork and a spoon for this dessert!
More satisfying chocolate recipes!
- Chocoholic Dream Torte
- Chocolate Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake (copycat Nothing Bundt Cakes)
- Basic Fudge Brownies with Frosting Option
- Traditional Italian Tiramisu
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Chocolate Lava Cakes
Rich chocolate cake, filled with warm, soft, gooey molten "lava" chocolate center.
Ingredients
- unsweetened cocoa powder for dusting
- 6 oz high quality semi-sweet chocolate (I used Ghirardelli 4 oz bittersweet 60% and 2 oz semi-sweet), rough chopped
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold, cut into chunks
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 2 large egg yolks
Instructions
- Using spray oil, spray each ramekin (4-6 depending on how large you want them) well with spray.
- Dust ramekins with cocoa powder, turning until entire ramekin is dusted in cocoa powder. Or spray and dust 6 cups in a 12 cup muffin tin.
- Preheat oven to 425°.
- Coarsely chop chocolate and cold butter. Place butter first in medium microwave safe bowl, then place chopped chocolate on top. Heat in 20 second intervals in microwave on high, stirring well in between each interval until completely smooth. Set aside and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes while prepping rest of ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk flour, powdered sugar and salt together. Set aside.
- In another small bowl, crack 2 whole eggs and 2 egg yolks, whisk until thick and combined. Pour flour/sugar mixture along with eggs into the bowl of chocolate and stir gently until smooth. If needed, use whisk and gently whisk until smooth. The batter will be thick!
- Pour or spoon batter into prepared ramekins or muffin* tins evenly. Place ramekins onto parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 12-14 minutes until sides are solid (dull) and centers are soft (glossy). If baking in muffin tins, only bake 8-10 minutes.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool for 1 minute. Cover ramekin with serving plate and invert (using a hot pad, ramekins will be hot) upside down onto plate. Shake or jiggle gently if not easily coming out. If you used a muffin pan, use a spoon to gently release the cake from tin and invert onto serving plate.
- Add a sprinkle of powdered sugar, a scoop of your favorite ice cream, berries or chocolate syrup.Serve the gooey-chocolatey deliciousness immediately.
Notes
This recipe was adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 396Total Fat: 29gSaturated Fat: 16gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 198mgSodium: 156mgCarbohydrates: 32gFiber: 2gSugar: 25gProtein: 8g
The nutritional information is estimated and may not be entirely accurate, at times it pulls information for suggestions and options which may increase calories, etc.
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These were easy to make for our early Mother’s Day celebration (quarantine style!). Thanks for the delicious recipe
YES! quarantine style, glad you enjoyed them Debi!
OK Kathleen, I’m addicted! So yummy!
LOL! This is not a bad addiction to have!
Hummers…HAPPY EASTER!!!!!!
I know, I know, you don’t like cake, or chocolate, or…have no fear another 30 minute meal coming up this week!