Chocolate Molten Lava Cake

Molten Chocolate Lava Cake topped with vanilla ice cream and fresh berries.

This Chocolate Molten Lava Cake recipe is rich, elegant, and surprisingly easy. It’s the ultimate dessert when you want maximum wow with minimal effort.

No ratings yet

Print Pin

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 10

Total Time: 25

Servings:

Calories: 454kcal

Author: Alexandria Ulmer

Ingredients

Instructions

Heat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
Use a stick of softened butter to coat 6 ramekins or 6 muffin tins with butter. Dump a bit of cocoa powder into each, and tilt the ramekin/tin until cocoa coats the entire thing.
Create a double boiler on your stove. To do this, place a medium pot on a stove and fill it with water. Bring this water to a boil. Place a glass bowl on top of the pot so that the bottom is heated by the steam but is not touching the water.
Melt ½ cup unsalted butter in the glass bowl. When melted, add 6 oz chocolate. Stir together until chocolate is completely melted and combined with the butter.
In a separate bowl, use an electric mixer to combine 3 eggs, 2 egg yolks, and ¾ cup granulated sugar.
Hand mix in chocolate/butter mixture, ¼ cup all purpose flour, and ⅛ tsp salt.
Pour into the prepared ramekins. Place in the oven and cook for about 10-12 minutes, until edges are set, but the middle still jiggles when shaken.
Remove the lava cakes from the oven and allow them to rest for 5 minutes before turning onto a plate. Serve with ice cream and raspberries. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

Recipe copyright The Domestic Spoon. For educational or personal use only.

Butter: Unsalted butter is perfect for baking and gives this cake the perfect texture and flavor.
Cocoa powder: I chose unsweetened, but you can also use sweetened if you prefer!
Chocolate: I use chocolate chips, but also recommend a high quality chocolate bar if you want to get a little fancier. If using a chocolate bar, splurge a little. Cheap chocolate may not melt the way you want it to. I like semi-sweet chocolate the best but you can also use dark chocolate!
Granulated sugar: I tried this recipe with powdered sugar and the center baked through way faster, and had a fluffier texture (not what you want in a gooey lava cake!) than with granulated sugar.
Prepare the ramekins thoroughly. Butter plus cocoa powder (not flour) ensures easy release and adds extra chocolate flavor. You could use non-stick spray but it may leave some yellow residue on the edges of your cake. This shouldn’t affect the flavor!
Be careful when you measure your flour. Too much flour will make your cakes stiff and not gooey.
Be sure and beat your egg mixture until light and fluffy. This will give your cake a lighter texture once baked!
Don’t overbake. The key to a molten center is removing the cakes while the centers still jiggle slightly. The cakes will continue to cook in the ramekins during the 5 minute resting period, so remove them when they are slightly more jiggly than you want them to be.
Use good-quality chocolate. Since chocolate is the star, better chocolate equals better flavor.
Let the cakes rest for 5 minutes before turning out. This helps them hold their shape and also release slightly from the ramekin.
Stick to the sugar amount listed. More sugar causes stickiness, making the cakes harder to remove cleanly!

Nutrition