How To Make Chocolate Lava Cake

More Lava Cake Recipes

Since sharing this chocolate lava cake recipe Ive made quite a few other lava cakes. Here are some reader-favorites to try, too.

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease the interior of two 8-ounce ramekins with cooking oil spray.
• In a medium bowl, add eggs and heavy cream and whisk until mixed.
• Add in melted butter and vanilla . Whisk until evenly combined.
• In a separate medium bowl, add cocoa powder and sugar. Whisk to evenly combine, making sure to break up any cocoa clumps.
• Add dry ingredients into the wet ingredient bowl. Whisk until batter is smooth. Divide batter evenly between the two prepared ramekins.
• Place ramekins onto a baking sheet. Place into the middle of the oven and bake for about 13-15 minutes or until the edges of the cake are set and the center is still jiggly. I recommend you start watching and checking on the cake after 12 minutes.
• Use a thin spatula or knife to loosen the edges of the cake. You will want to remove the cake from the ramekin while it is still hot, otherwise, the cake will continue to cook. Place a plate on top of the ramekin. Press the plate to the ramekin and swiftly flip upside down, so that the plate is now at the bottom and the ramekin is upside down. Gently tap the ramekin to ensure cake has slid onto plate. Lift up ramekin. Make sure to do this all while using oven mitts as the ramekin should still be very hot. Serve immediately with your choice of toppings.

Can I Make Chocolate Lava Cake In Advance

Yes, certainly you can. This cake batter can be refrigerated for up to 2 days. So you can make this batter in advance, and refrigerate.

To refrigerate, cover the bowl tightly with a plastic wrap and keep it in the refrigerator. Just bring it to room temperature before baking. You can also bake the cake directly from the refrigerator, but then you need to increase the baking time. An additional 2 minute baking time should be enough.

Expert Tips And Variations

• Make sure to use quality chocolate. The chocolate is the stand-out ingredient, and if your chocolate is not quality your cakes will lack.
• Dusting the ramekins with cocoa powder will help to ensure easy removal once done. That way you dont break the cake as it comes out.
• Consider adding in some orange zest, raspberry extract, etc. This will add a nice punch of flavor.
• If you use a different size of ramekins know that the baking time will vary. So watch the lava cakes as they bake and pull when they are done.

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Can Molten Lava Cake Be Made In Advance

Yes! Not only is lava cake easy to prepare but you can actually make the batter ahead of time and refrigerate it for up to 1 day. To do so, simply fill your greased ramekins or custard cups and cover them with plastic wrap. Before baking them, let them warm up a little at room temperature.

If you wish to store the batter slightly longer , keep it in the mixing bowl and refrigerate it, tightly covered. Let it come to room temperature while greasing the ramekins when you are ready to bake.

I wouldnt recommend baking the lava cakes in advance as youll lose a bit of the molten center. But if you happen to have some leftovers , you can store them, tightly wrapped in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat them for a few seconds in the microwave before serving.

And thats it! Its super easy to make and so tasty! Every time my husband catches a whiff of the lava cakes in the oven, he shows up with a bowl of vanilla ice cream! I hope you will love them too!

In case you missed it, head over to the crème Anglaise baking calendar to see what well be learning this month.

Homemade Chocolate Molten Lava Cakes Recipe

Now, if you think Chocolate Molten Lava Cakes are only something you can have at a restaurant because they require some kind of chef magic to make, youre wrong! They are so easy to make at home, and not only thattheyre fast too! Seriously, the hardest part is probably melting the chocolate.

I put these on the menu for Valentines Day this year and I thought Id share my Chocolate Molten Lava Cake recipe here too so you can make them for your Valentine! Whether youre making them for a romantic date night or your whole family, everyone will get a kick out of having a restaurant-style dessert made from scratch.

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Ingredients For This Slow Cooker Lava Cake

Below is a list of the simple ingredients youll need to gather to make this recipe. Scroll all the way down for the full recipe card.

• FLOUR All purpose white flour is what I tested with.
• BROWN SUGAR Youll need brown sugar for the cake mixture and the topping. I used light brown.
• COCOA POWDER Unsweetened cocoa powder.
• BAKING POWDER Baking powder is a leavening agent for rise.
• SALT Salt helps to enhance the flavor in chocolate cake.
• MILK I used 2% milk because thats what we usually have on hand but whole milk will work as well.
• OIL Vegetable oil adds richness, moisture, and tenderness to baked goods like cakes and quick breads. It ensures a moist chocolate cake here.
• VANILLA Pure vanilla extract for the best flavor, not imitation.
• CHOCOLATE CHUNKS I used dark chocolate chunks but your favorite semi-sweet chocolate chips will work just the same.
• CINNAMON Cinnamon goes really well with chocolate.
• HOT WATER You will pour hot water over the chocolate cake batter before baking/cooking. The hot water enhances the chocolate flavor by hydrating the cocoa powder and reacts with the baking powder to release carbon dioxide bubbles for fluffy cake.

What To Serve With Chocolate Lava Cake

Your cakes are almost ready to eat! Remove them from the oven, let them sit for about a minute in the mold and then invert them onto your serving platter. Dont leave the cake in the mold or else the heat of the mold will keep cooking it and your molten center will disappear! Well, unless you filled it with chocolate ganache!

You can now dust the cakes with icing sugar, add fruits such as raspberries, drizzle some crème Anglaise or caramel sauce on top. Or enjoy them with cold vanilla ice-cream that melts with the warm chocolate!

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How To Make A Molten Lava Cake

This Chocolate Lava Cake Recipe is SO easy to make! Here is a breakdown of the steps for perfect lava cakes every time:

Storing And Freezing Instructions

• How to store: Store baked and completely cooled chocolate lava cakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave, oven or air fryer at 300F for about 5 minutes until warmed through.
• How to freeze: Freeze baked and completely cooled chocolate lava cakes in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. To reheat, place in the microwave, oven or air fryer at 300F for 5-10 minutes until warmed through.
• How to make ahead: Make the batter in advance and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. To bake the cakes, place the bowl of batter on the kitchen counter and allow it to come to room temperature, about 20 minutes. Then, divide into greased ramekins and bake.

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Ramekins Versus A Muffin Pan

We highly recommend using 6-ounce ramekins for these lava cakes theyre the perfect size for these single-serving desserts. Plus, you can use the same ramekins for chocolate fudge cakes for 2, chocolate soufflé, peanut butter chocolate lava cakes, and lemon pudding cakes.

If you dont have ramekins, you can use a muffin pan. Grease 6 muffin pan cups and dust with cocoa powder to prevent the lava cakes from sticking. Since your lava cakes will be slightly smaller, youll get 6 lava cakes instead of 4. Bake at 425°F for 8-10 minutes. Use a spoon to release the cakes from the pan and place each upside down on plates.

Molten Chocolate Cake Batter

Start the batter once the ganache is firm:

A splash of colour and freshness is always nice, whether it be strawberries, raspberries or perhaps some little edible flowers for looks.

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How Do You Know When Chocolate Molten Lava Cake Is Done

Taking your Chocolate Lava Cakes out of the oven at the correct time is crucial for lava success. You will know your chocolate molten lava cake is done when the edges are cooked all around and the center has risen but is not too puffy and is set up but still slightly soft, yet not jiggly.

You can double check the doneness by inserting a toothpick into the sides of the cake- it should come out with a few moist crumbs and then the center it should still be wet.

Tips And Variations To Make Your Best Lava Cake:

Pair suggestions:

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How Do I Bake My Prepped Lava Cakes From The Refrigerator

Before baking your Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes from the refrigerator, place them on your kitchen counter and allow to come to room temperature. Check the temperature often. You do not want the batter to sit out longer than needed because it does have dairy and egg in it.

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
• If batter is still in mixing bowl, fill greased ramekins.
• Place room-temperature ramekins on baking sheet and bake for 12-13 minutes.
• Remove from oven when edges are firm while center is soft but not jiggly.
• Enjoy!

The Easiest Chocolate Lava Cake Ever

With my experience as a baker and as a certified cake enthusiast, I do not use the words easiest ever recipe lightly. BUT this Chocolate Lava Cake recipe undoubtedly snags that title! This recipe is done without freezing the batter, using eggs, dusting the ramekin, and double boiling. You also wont be using an electric mixer! Like I said, this is one the easiest Lava Cake recipe that you will surely fall in LAVA with!

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What Is A Lava Cake

This luscious French dessert is a cross between classic chocolate cake and a soufflé. It is also called Molten Chocolate cake because the centre of the cake remains liquid after baking and trickles out of the baked outer layer exactly like molten lava, thus the name. The classic recipe usually contains eggs, but this recipe is equally moist and light without them.

What Is The Difference Between A Souffle And A Molten Lava Cake

Before we dive into this lava cake recipe, what exactly is a chocolate lava cake? What is the difference between a soufflé and a lava cake?

• Soufflés and molten lava cakes are similar in appearance, share many of the same ingredients and are even served with similar toppings, all of which leads many to believe that they are the same dessert. The differences lie in the texture of the desserts as well as the presentation.
• A soufflé is fully cooked, whereas a lava cake maintains a runny, chocolatey liquid center.
• This does not mean that soufflés are the same consistency as say, cake. A soufflé is definitely moist in the center, much more so than a slice of regular cake would be.
• The soufflé has a merengue appearance on top and a light texture. It comes in a variety of flavors like chocolate, lemon or even cheese.
• Molten lava cake features one flavor- chocolate! It is denser than a soufflé and, as previously mentioned, boasts a river of chocolate lava that oozes from its center once cut into.
• While soufflé is typically served in its cooking container, molten lava cakes are often scooped out of their ramekins and served atop a plate where all of that gooey goodness can flow freely. Arent you just dying to dive into a chocolate molten lava cake right now?

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Pro Tips For The Best Molten Chocolate Cake:

• Do not over-bake. If you overbake, the center will stiffen and wont have that signature lava consistency. Take them out of the oven when they are dry on the sides and have just a slight jiggle in the center when you jolt the pan.
• Run a test batch to figure out the exact baking time for your specific oven to ensure you have your desired molten center.
• For extra insurance that you will have a molten center, you can also dust some chocolate chunks in flour and place them into the center of the batter before baking. The flour will keep them from sinking to the bottom and will ensure a gooey middle.

What You Need For Lava Cakes

Heres what you need to make Molten Chocolate Cakes:

• Dark chocolate / semi-sweet chocolate chips for both the cake batter and the chocolate ganache filling. Anything up to 50% cocoa will work here. Do not use chocolate with a higher cocoa %. The cake isnt as soft and also its quite hard to make a small batch of ganache with a high cocoa % chocolate

• Flour A surprisingly small amount, just 2 tablespoons for 4 cakes! Are you shocked? These babies are literally mostly chocolate and were all very happy about that!!

• 4 eggs Were using 2 whole eggs and 2 yolks

• Sugar White caster sugar / superfine sugar. The finer grains make it easier to incorporate into the batter

• Butter Unsalted and

• Cream Heavy / thickened cream to make the ganache filling.

If youre short on time, you can just use Lindt balls instead of making your own ganache!

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