Easy Chocolate Molten Lava Cake Recipe

These lava cakes are an impressive Valentine’s day recipe too. You can prep these cakes in just 15 minutes, only using one bowl, and these cakes can be made ahead too! The recipe can also be adapted to be made gluten free, sugar free, and dairy free. What’s not to love? February also happens to be my birthday month, and I’m down for some luscious chocolate deliciousness, from chocolate cake, chocolate cupcakes and chocolate torte to chocolate crepes, chocolate truffles, chocolate marshmallows, chocolate cream puffs, chocolate tarts and more! This chocolate molten cake is a foolproof recipe, mostly because it’s foolishly simple. I’ve made it hundreds of times, and it comes out perfectly every time. And now I want to share it with you guys too! This divine chocolate dessert has a prep time of just 15 minutes, and you can get it on the table (or in your mouth) in under 30 minutes, from start to finish. Or if you’d like to, you could even pour the batter into the ramekins and freeze them for later.

What is molten chocolate lava cake?

This cake goes by many names. Chocolate lava cakes, molten lava cakes, molten chocolate cakes, chocolate fondant cakes, they all refer to these delightful mini chocolate cakes. They are made with a chocolate cake batter, then poured into mini pans or ramekins (or even a muffin pan / cupcake pan), and baked until the outside is set, with a divine, luscious liquid center. The gooey liquid center oozes out (like molten lava!) when you cut into the chocolate fondant cake. They are a stunningly impressive and delicious chocolate dessert, but here’s the kicker – they are also ridiculously easy to make! Really. As far as easy dessert recipes go, it’s nigh impossible to beat this.

Why you’ll love this recipe

So easy. They are truly one of the simplest chocolate recipes to make. Since you make individual portions, these lava cakes are perfect as a valentines day recipe for a romantic dinner, or to be made as a quick sweet treat for yourself whenever you get a craving. Amazingly deep and luscious chocolate flavor. This recipe takes less than 30 minutes from start to finish. Can be made ahead of time too! Freezer friendly recipe, and can be stored in the fridge. I’ve even tested this chocolate lava cake recipe with cupcake pans with perfect results, so that you can make mini chocolate lava cakes.

Chocolate lava cake ingredients

Semisweet chocolate

I use semisweet chocolate chips for this recipe. This gives me the best balance between chocolate flavor and sweetness for my taste. However, if you’d like your molten chocolate cakes to have an even deeper flavor of chocolate, you can use bittersweet chocolate instead. Semisweet chocolate usually contains about 40 – 65% cocoa content. I use 55% semisweet chocolate here. Bittersweet chocolate contains between 65 – 80 % cocoa content. Usually around 70%.

Butter

For this recipe you can use unsalted or salted butter. This adds the rich flavor for the cake and the molten center. Plus, it contributes to the silky mouthfeel of the chocolate center. In a pinch, you can absolutely use a vegan butter to make this a dairy free lava cake instead of regular butter too.

Vanilla extract and salt

Both vanilla extract and salt are added to enhance the flavor of the cakes. However, vanilla extract is optional. You can also add coffee extract (or water + instant coffee), for some coffee flavor. Or, for an adult version, add some bourbon or rum! Salt is absolutely necessary in my opinion. Add just a little to give your lava cakes more depth of flavor. Add a little extra to give your chocolate cakes a little sweet and salty treatment.

Sugar

While sugar adds sweetness to the recipe, it also helps with the texture of the cake. Even if you use bittersweet chocolate, do not skip the step of adding this small amount of sugar to these cakes.

Eggs

Eggs play an important role. As there is very little flour, the eggs provide structure to the cakes. The egg yolks add flavor and richness as well.

Flour

The small amount of all purpose flour provides a little structure to the cakes. Since the sides of the cakes must set, the flour (and eggs) provide that structure as the cake bakes.

How to make chocolate molten lava cake

From prepping your baking ramekins, to getting them in the oven, it only takes 15 minutes to make these chocolate fondant cakes! Here’s how it works.

Step 1 – Prep the baking ramekins first

Use your fingers, or a pastry brush or even butter wrappers to coat the 6-ounce ramekins with butter. I like to use softened butter, because that way I can get a generous coating of butter on the ramekins. This helps the cakes slide right off when they are done baking.

Step 2 – Dust each ramekin with cocoa powder instead of flour

So that you don’t end up with nasty white streaks on your finished chocolate molten lava cakes.

Step 3 – Make the cake batter using just ONE BOWL

Simply, place the bowl on a weighing scale, and weigh the ingredients directly into that bowl as you go. You can use a microwave to melt the chocolate and butter, so you don’t have to mess around with a double boiler. Melt the butter chocolate mixture in a microwave-safe bowl in 30 second increments.

Step 4 – Add the sugar and eggs straight into the melted chocolate

You don’t have to whisk egg whites and yolks separately using another bowl.

Step 5 – Add the flour

This recipe uses only 2 tbsp of flour, just to give the chocolate lava cakes some structure as they bake.

Step 6 – Pour the batter into the prepared ramekins and bake

The batter will still be runny, and will thicken as it cools down further. So, it’s easy to pour it into the ramekins. Just divide the batter between 4 ramekins, and then these decadent chocolate molten cakes are ready to be baked! All this takes just 15 minutes! You don’t have to place extra chocolate truffles in the middle, or whisk eggs separately, or other cumbersome steps that most other chocolate molten lava cake recipes use. All you’d have to clean afterward is the bowl, a spatula, and the whisk. However, please note that if you do use volume measurements, or like to have the ingredients pre-weighed (like I have done for the recipe video in this post, just for presentation purposes), then you will be using more dishes. And with a baking time of 11-12 minutes, this delicious chocolate dessert will be ready in under 30 minutes!

How to make lava cakes in cupcake pans / muffin pans

It’s crucial to serve the cakes while they are still fairly hot, so that the chocolate center flows out when cut open.

Can I double this recipe (or make half a batch for two)?

This recipe makes four portions. It can be halved so you can make lava cakes for two, or it can be doubled for a crowd. It’s very versatile. I make these chocolate molten lava cakes in these metal ramekins that you can buy here. I like the shape of these, and because they are metal, they conduct heat more evenly, for more consistent results. But you’re welcome to make these in glass or porcelain ramekin dishes too if that’s what you have. However, you will need to increase the baking time by 1-2 minutes, because glass/porcelain ramekins are thicker than these metal ones.

How to make this recipe ahead of time (storage instructions)

If you’re making these chocolate lava cakes for a romantic dinner or for special occasions, I assure you this dessert is not something you will have to stress about. You can make these cakes a day ahead of time, or a week, or even a month! You can freeze these chocolate molten cakes for up to a month in the freezer, or refrigerate them for up to 3 days. The cakes are best stored before baking. Pour the batter into the individual ramekins and then cover with plastic wrap or foil.

Fridge

Place the covered cake batter in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Freezer

Place the lava cakes in the freezer for up to 1 month.

Baking cakes from fridge or freezer

These cakes can be baked from frozen or from the fridge. Add about 30 – 60 seconds more bake time for cakes that are being baked from the fridge. Add 60 – 75 seconds extra for cakes that are being baked from frozen. However, these times will vary depending on the size of the cakes (cupcake vs regular), and if the cakes are wider or taller, or if they are baked in metal ramekins vs glass ramekins.

Reheating already baked cakes

You could reheat them in the microwave just until they are hot enough, but NOT to cook the cakes further. To do this, you will need to heat the cakes in 5 – 10 second intervals (depending on how powerful your microwave is), until the cake is warm and still soft to the touch when you squeeze it gently. HOWEVER, in my experience, it’s kind of hit or miss to get the reheating time just right, so I wouldn’t recommend doing this. It’s much easier and more reliable just to freeze unbaked cakes, and then bake them fresh when you need them.

More expert tips for this recipe

Use a chocolate that you love to eat to make these cakes. Since the cake flavor is dependent on the chocolate, make them with a chocolate you like. Metal baking cups are better than glass ramekins. Metal pans conduct heat better and set the outsides better than glass pans.

Serving suggestions

These chocolate lava cakes are perfect just as they are! Perfectly sweetened, with a deep, decadent chocolate flavor, these are a great after-meal chocolate dessert, or for celebratory occasions. But if you’d like to dress them up some more, here are a few simple options.

Dust them with confectioner’s sugar. A dollop of whipped cream or clotted cream. Serve with some fresh strawberries or raspberries. A scoop of ice cream (vanilla ice cream, cereal milk ice cream, strawberry shortcake ice cream, lemon ice cream, butterscotch pecan ice cream are all great choices!). A drizzle of chocolate sauce, berry sauce, or peanut butter sauce. Pair this dessert with my butter lobster risotto or Maine lobster rolls or cajun chicken sausage pasta or a dressed up shoyu chicken ramen for a romantic and scrumptious dinner for two.