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Chocolate Lava Cake is a supremely chocolaty, rich, decadent, gourmet dessert which is in an elegance of itself. It is astoundingly easy to make them at home!
You can make them for any special occasion or anytime you want to indulge in some fancy restaurant-grade chocolate desserts. Made from scratch and ready under 20 minutes from start to finish. It can be made ahead of time.
Table of contents
About Chocolate Lava Cake
Chocolate lava cake is a delight for chocolate lovers. It won’t be an exaggeration if I say that this cake is HEAVEN on earth because it certainly is.
These cakes are cakey on the outside with a seductive center of warm dark chocolate oozing through the middle.
Chocolate lava cakes might be one of my favorite things on the entire planet. For me this dessert is addictive and I just can’t stop at 1. So I usually make them in small batches — 4 lava cakes for the family of three. That’s a fair number I guess.
Everyone gets a little EXTRA this way. :)
Most of the time when we want something sweet, we don’t really want to make a huge batch. Isn’t it? Small-batch desserts like this chocolate lava cakes are best for a small family of 3-4.
This lava cake recipe makes 4 lava cakes. The good thing is that you can easily double or half this recipe depending upon your requirements.
These lava cakes might look too intimidating and complicated for some. But I don’t blame anyone, because these are some things people only get to indulge at a restaurant. Let me assure you, no matter how intimidating they appear, they are simple and quick.
You can’t get wrong if you follow the recipe precisely.
If you are still not convinced with the idea of making your favorite chocolate molten lava cake at home, then check out the video recipe on this page and see how straightforward they are.
The only thing you need to follow is the timing. For me, they always come flawlessly when I bake them for 11 minutes. For you, it might be 9 or 12. So keep an eye on them while baking. You certainly can not mess them up, unless you overcook or undercook these cakes.
If you are looking for a 2-minute chocolate lava cake, then you can check out my chocolate molten lava mug cake recipe.
This chocolate lava cake:
✓ is simple and quite easy to make and ready in under 20 minutes.
✓ is decadent and tastes ultra chocolatey.
✓ is a perfect special occasion dessert.
✓ can be paired with many things (berries, whipped cream, homemade vanilla ice cream and more.)
✓ is perfectly molten, ooey-gooey with ultra-rich and thick lava filling.
✓ looks like a fancy gourmet dessert.
✓ can be made ahead of time.
Other chocolate dessert recipes, you may love are:
Why would you love this chocolate lava cake?
There is a lot to love about these lava cakes. You will fall in love with chocolate lava cake because:
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This restaurant-style dessert is easy to make.
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It uses very basic ingredients.
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No extra preparation or fancy equipment needed to make this.
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Baking time is just too short.
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You don’t need to wait for them to cool before stuffing your mouth with its richness.
What are the ingredients you’ll need to make chocolate lava cake?
Chocolate Lava Cake is made with simple 6 ingredients. These are:
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All-purpose flour
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Bittersweet or dark chocolate
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Eggs
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Granulated sugar
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Salt
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Unsalted butter
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Vanilla extract
How to make chocolate lava cake?
Baking a molten chocolate lava cake at home is simple. Here are the steps:
**Step 1 - Preparation: **
Preheat the oven to 225°C (440° F). Butter and flour 4 ramekins. Set aside.
Step 2 - Melt Chocolate with butter:
Melt in some butter and chocolate together in the microwave, or use a double boiler to melt the chocolate. Once the chocolate is melted, keep it aside.
**Step 3 - Make the batter: **
Whisk eggs, egg yolks, and sugar until light and foamy. Whisk in salt, vanilla extract, and flour. Quickly fold melted chocolate into the egg mixture.
**Step 3 - Bake Cake: **
Pour the batter into the prepared ramekins and bake for 11 minutes, or until the edges of the cakes are firm but the centers are soft. Remove them from the oven, and let the cakes cool in the ramekins for 1 minute.
Carefully place a dessert plate over freshly baked warm lava cakes and then flip over. The flipping step can be a little tricky, so make sure to check the recipe video before you make this chocolate Lava cake.
Dust with confectioner’s sugar and serve with fresh berries.
You can get the detailed recipe in the recipe box on this page.
How to serve chocolate lava cake?
Chocolate lava cake tastes great alone. But if you want to go overboard then I would suggest pairing it with some whipped cream or vanilla ice cream drizzled. And a final touch of chocolate and caramel sauce.
I serve my chocolate lava cakes with some fresh strawberries and powdered sugar. You can also pair cake this along with some raspberries, mint leaves, whipped cream, caramel sauce, chocolate sauce or any of your favorite ice cream.
If you are a wine lover then pair your warm gooey and oozilicious chocolate lava cake with cabernet sauvignon wine. This is a match made in heaven. You can’t resist this combo if you love wine and chocolate both.
Love French desserts? Then you would also love crepes, and Chocolate Crepes.
Don’t have ramekins and still want to bake chocolate lava cakes?
Don’t worry. You can still make lava cake without ramekins. If you don’t have ramekins then you can also use a muffin pan or disposable aluminum foil muffin baking cups.
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.
Can I freeze chocolate lava cake?
Freezing chocolate lava cake is possible. In fact, this is a great way to satisfy your instant dessert cravings.
These baked lava cakes can be frozen for up to 3 months. Simply allow them to cool completely before freezing.
To freeze, arrange them in a single layer on a freezer-safe tray and freeze for 1 hour. Then wrap each cake delicately in a plastic wrap and then place them in a freezer-safe container. When you want to serve, reheat cakes in the microwave.
Tips and variations to make your best lava cake:
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When making lava cake, make sure to use the highest quality dark chocolate possible. Do not use chocolate chips for making lava cake, or else you won’t have much lava oozing out of the cake.
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You can either use baking chocolate bars or regular dark chocolate bars. They both work great here.
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I personally like to add 75% dark chocolate to my lava cakes. If you don’t like dark chocolate then you can replace it with semi-sweet chocolate.
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You can add 1 teaspoon of espresso powder or instant coffee powder to enhance the chocolate flavor.
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To add a boozy touch, you can also add about 1 tablespoon of flavored liqueur to the cake batter.
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Greasing and dusting ramekins is very important because it prevents the lava cake from sticking to the ramekins. So don’t skip this.
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For dusting I have used all-purpose flour. However, you can also use cocoa powder, and granulated sugar.
Chocolate Lava Cake (Step-by-step photo instructions)
Prepare ramekins //
- Preheat oven to 225°C (440°F). Generously butter 4 ramekins. (Mine was 9cm wide (200ml).
- Dust the buttered ramekin with all-purpose flour. Tap out the excess flour. Keep the prepared ramekins aside.
Melt Chocolate //
- Coarsely chop the chocolate.
- Add chopped chocolate and cubed butter to a heat-proof bowl. Microwave on high for 30 seconds. Stir well. And microwave again for 40 seconds. Stir well. By this time you should get perfectly melted and smooth chocolate. Microwave 10 more seconds, if chocolate is not melted completely.
- Set it aside. Alternatively, melt chocolate in a double boiler. To melt, place chocolate and butter bowl over a pan of simmering water. Cook, while stirring occasionally until chocolate is entirely melted and smooth.
Make Lava Cake Batter //
- In a medium bowl, beat the 2 large eggs with the 2 large egg yolks, vanilla, and sugar.
- Whisk vigorously until the mixture is thickened, foamy and pale. This would take about 2 minutes.
- Next, add salt, and flour. Whisk until smooth.
- Add the melted chocolate to the egg mixture and whisk gently until combined.
Bake Lava Cake //
- Place the prepared ramekins on a parchament paper lined baking tray.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared ramekins.
- Bake for 11 minutes or until the edges of the cake are firm, but the centers are still soft. Take the ramekins out of the oven and let them cool in the ramekins for a minute.
- Hold the hot ramekins from the bottom using an oven mitten or kitchen towel. Then place a dessert plate over the ramekin and carefully turn over.
- Remove the ramekin. When inverted the cakes should release easily from the ramekin. If the cake is not releasing easily then use a spoon or knife to release the cake from the ramekin.
- Dust the cake with confectioners’ sugar.
- Serve as it is or with some ice cream or whipped cream.
Recipe Card
Chocolate Lava Cake [Recipe]
★★★★★
(Rating: 5 from 34 reviews)
| Prep time 🕐 | Cook time 🕐 | Total time 🕐 |
|---|---|---|
| 18 mins | ||
| Category ☶ | Cuisine ♨ | Serves ☺ |
| Desserts | French | 4 |
| Nutrition Info ⊛ | Serving size ⊚ | |
| 371 calories | Per serving |
INGREDIENTS
For Chocolate Lava Cake //
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into cubes, plus more for greasing the ramekin
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 115 grams high quality bittersweet or dark chocolate, 70 to 74 percent cacao (do not use chips)
- 2 large eggs
- 2 large egg yolks
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the ramekin
- Pinch of salt
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Optional For Serving (choose any of the below) //
- Chocolate syrup
- Confectioners’ sugar or cacao powder
- Strawberries or raspberries
- Vanilla ice cream
- Whipped cream
INSTRUCTIONS:
Prepare ramekins //
- Preheat oven to 225°C (440°F). Generously butter 4 ramekins. (Mine was 9cm wide (200ml).
- Dust the buttered ramekin with all-purpose flour. Tap out the excess flour. Keep the prepared ramekins aside.
Melt Chocolate //
- Coarsely chop the chocolate.
- Add chopped chocolate and cubed butter to a heat-proof bowl. Microwave on high for 30 seconds. Stir well. And microwave again for 40 seconds. Stir well. By this time you should get perfectly melted and smooth chocolate. Microwave 10 more seconds, if chocolate is not melted completely.
- Set it aside. Alternatively, melt chocolate in a double boiler. To melt, place chocolate and butter bowl over a pan of simmering water. Cook, while stirring occasionally until chocolate is entirely melted and smooth.
Make Lava Cake Batter //
- In a medium bowl, beat the 2 large eggs with the 2 large egg yolks, vanilla, and sugar.
- Whisk vigorously until the mixture is thickened, foamy and pale. This would take about 2 minutes.
- Next, add salt, and flour. Whisk until smooth.
- Add the melted chocolate to the egg mixture and whisk gently until combined.
Bake Lava Cake //
- Place the prepared ramekins on a parchament paper lined baking tray.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared ramekins.
- Bake for 11 minutes or until the edges of the cake are firm, but the centers are still soft. Take the ramekins out of the oven and let them cool in the ramekins for a minute.
- Hold the hot ramekins from the bottom using an oven mitten or kitchen towel. Then place a dessert plate over the ramekin and carefully turn over.
- Remove the ramekin. When inverted the cakes should release easily from the ramekin. If the cake is not releasing easily then use a spoon or knife to release the cake from the ramekin.
- Dust the cake with confectioners’ sugar.
- Serve as it is or with some ice cream or whipped cream.
WATCH RECIPE VIDEO: Click the play button and video will load ...
NOTES:
- This cake batter can be refrigerated for up to 2 days hours. So you can make this batter in advance and refrigerate. To refrigerate, cover the bowl tightly 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 enough.
- You can freeze the baked lava cakes for up to 3 months. Allow them to cool completely before freezing. When you want to serve, re-heat cakes in the microwave.
- When making lava cake, make sure to use the highest quality dark chocolate possible. Do not use chocolate chips for making lava cake, or else you wont have much lava oozing out of the cake. You can either use baking chocolate bars or regular dark chocolate bars. They both work great here.
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Author: Anupama
Recipe Source Link: https://www.mygingergarlickitchen.com/chocolate-lava-cake/