Ever made Chocolate Lava Cake? Me either! Maybe it’s because they’ve always looked really difficult, but alas, they are super easy! Just like when facing life’s challenges, I shy away from them because they are an unknown. Suddenly realizing that my fears and concerns were unfounded! How many chocolate lava cake experiences have I wasted?? I could have been enjoying these simple, amazing warm chocolate cakes all along?

Chocolate Lava Cakes

Name: Chocolate Lava Cakes
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 14 min
Total time: 24 min
Yield: 4-6 servings
Cuisine: Chocolate Cake
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

These are fast, simple, easy, gooey, warm, quick, rich, decadent and oh-so chocolatey!

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, 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 (3/4 cup) [amazon_textlink asin=’B01L6DDGFU’ text=’glass ramekins’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’hefreshcoo0a-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’c9759723-337f-11e8-8dfb-c93b4643f405′]. These are not exactly like mine, but similar, mine have lids as well, which I love and I liked their volcano like shape, perfect for these molten chocolate lava cakes.

*If not using ramekins, spray 6 cups in a 12 count muffin tin and dust with cocoa powder.

TIP | Place on parchment lined pan, for easy baking, removal and clean-up.

Coarsely chop your chocolate, I used 4 oz bittersweet chocolate and 2 oz of semi-sweet*.

Chop your 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 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 your 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, simply pour or spoon the batter into prepared ramekins* and bake. In just 12 short minutes you will have warm, ooey-gooey, dark, rich and chocolately 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!

Like this recipe? Give these other dense and rich chocolate recipes a try:

Chocoholic Dream Torte
Rich Chocolate Cupcakes with Ganache Filling and Raspberry Buttercream
Basic Fudge Brownies with Frosting Option

Recommended for this Recipe!

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