This Molten Chocolate Lava Cake is an all time favorite! Decadent and delicious, a rich chocolate cake with an ooey gooey center just doesn’t get any better. From start to finish, this dessert can be made and ready to indulge in just half an hour. It’s the most perfect treat for a cozy date night or a fun girls’ night in!
Try topping your lava cake with our silky smooth Cherry Vanilla Ice Cream. You can also serve it alongside fresh Strawberries and Mascarpone Whipped Cream for a dreamy and romantic dessert!
Chocolate Lava Cake
Molten Chocolate Lava Cake is the answer to your Valentine’s Day dessert needs! A rich, perfectly baked chocolate cake has an ooey gooey melted chocolate center. Who needs to bother going out to a fancy restaurant and fighting the crowds for your favorite dessert when you can make your own in under half an hour?
It’s similar to a souffle, but less hassle when it comes to baking (no need to worry about this dessert falling flat), it’ll be love at first bite! It’s the perfect dessert to serve after a nice Chicken Piccata, Chicken Caprese, or Lemon Linguine dinner.
How To Make Chocolate Lava Cake
- Preheat your oven to 425°F. Spray six ramekins with baking spray and set aside.
- In a microwave safe bowl, add in the chocolate chips. Heat in 15 second intervals for 1 minute (stirring after each interval). If needed, microwave in additional 15 second intervals until completely melted. Let cool slightly.
- Now, in a large mixing bowl, use a hand mixer (or stand mixer) to beat the eggs and egg yolks until fully combined. Mix in the powdered sugar and vanilla extract until fully incorporated.
- Pour in the butter and slightly cooled melted chocolate until well blended. Use a spatula to stir in the flour, salt, and espresso powder until just combined.
- Divide your batter equally between ramekins (about ½ cup if using 6 ounce ramekins) and place them evenly spaced apart on a baking sheet.
- Bake the lava cakes for 12-14 minutes or until the edges are firm but the cakes are soft and not quite set in the middle.
- Remove the chocolate lava cakes from the oven and allow them to cool slightly before carefully inverting onto a small plate. Serve while hot and molten and enjoy!
Tips and Variations
- Depending on your particular oven and ramekin sizes, the cook time for your chocolate lava cakes may vary. Start checking them around the 10 minute mark to make sure they don’t overbake. The edges should be completely cooked while the middle is just slightly set. If they do over bake, you’ll end up with just a regular cake, which isn’t the end of the world… just not what we’re going for.
- Try topping off your homemade lava cake with a dollop of whipped cream, a sprinkling of powdered sugar, slices of fresh fruit, or even some ice cream!
- If you leave the chocolate lava cakes in their ramekins for too long, sometimes they can be difficult to turn out and plate. If this happens, simply use a knife alongside the outside edge to help them release. Of course, these molten lava cakes can also be eaten straight from the ramekins as well.
- We recommend using a cooking spray with flour to help prevent sticking.
- Good quality semi-sweet or even bittersweet chocolate can be used instead of the chocolate chips, but we’ve found the chip versions melt better.
- Depending on your preference, you can leave out the espresso powder. It does enhance the deep chocolate flavor though, so we highly recommend keeping it in!
Storage and Reheating
Storage: Any leftover chocolate lava cake can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for 3 days. You can make the batter up to a day in advance and keep it in the refrigerator until ready to bake. As the batter will be chilled, your baking time may need to be adjusted slightly.
Freezing: You can freeze cooked lava cakes (although they really are best when eaten fresh) by wrapping them individually in plastic wrap and storing them in a freezer safe container. They will stay fresh for up to 3 months if stored properly.
Reheating: While this dessert is best enjoyed just after baking (the longer they sit the less molten the middle becomes) you can reheat them. Place the cake(s) on a lined baking sheet and reheat at 350°F for about 8-10 minutes. If frozen, let thaw before reheating.
More Desserts to Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth:
Chocolate Lava Cake
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Ingredients
- ½ cup bittersweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 2 large eggs
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- Pinch kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon espresso powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425℉. Butter or spray six (6 ounce) ramekins with baking spray. Set aside.
- Add the chocolate chips and butter to a medium microwave safe mixing bowl. Heat for 1 minute while stirring in 15 second intervals. If needed, microwave an additional 15 seconds, until the chocolate is melted. Cool slightly.½ cup bittersweet chocolate chips½ cup unsalted butter
- In a large mixing bowl, use a hand mixer to beat the eggs and egg yolks until fully combined. Mix in powdered sugar and vanilla extract until combined.2 large eggs3 egg yolks1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract1 cup powdered sugar
- Pour in the cooled butter and chocolate mixture until well blended. Then use a spatula to stir in flour, salt and espresso powder, by hand, until just combined.⅓ cup all-purpose flourPinch kosher salt½ teaspoon espresso powder
- Divide batter equally between ramekins (about ½ cup if using 6 ounce ramekins) and place them, evenly spaced apart, on a baking sheet.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes or until edges are firm but cakes are soft and not quite set in the center.
- Remove the cakes from the oven and allow them to sit for a minute before carefully inverting onto a small plate. Serve and enjoy!
- See post for storage options.