Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes

You don't need to go to a fancy restaurant to make molten chocolate lava cakes. They're surprisingly easy to make at home in less than 30 minutes, and the center is soft and gooey, super chocolatey and absolutely decadent. This recipe makes 2 perfect lava cakes, so treat yourself to a date night at home with your special someone!

If there's a chocolate lava cake on the menu, my husband is ordering it 9 times out of 10. It's his all-time favorite dessert, and thankfully, it's really easy to recreate at home!

There's nothing complicated about making these lava cakes, even though they look super fancy. The recipe starts in the microwave, as we melt the chocolate and butter together in 20-second intervals. Then, we beat an egg and an egg yolk with some sugar until fluffy, then mix the chocolate and egg mixtures together with a touch of flour.

The batter is then poured into ramekins and baked until the edges are set and the center is jiggly. This is definitely the toughest part of the recipe - you want to undercook the cakes to get a molten center, and they will continue cooking once removed from the oven, so don't worry if it looks super jiggly, it's probably just right.

With a little powdered sugar and some raspberries, this is the perfect dessert for Valentine's Day! These would also be fantastic topped with strawberry coulis.

Serve up your lava cakes with our signature strawberry vanilla Valentine's Day Cocktail for a special treat.

What You'll Need to Make This Recipe

• Bittersweet chocolate: We used 70% cacao baking chocolate, broken into smaller pieces to make microwaving easier.
• One egg and one egg yolk: The two yolks add fat and moisture to the batter, while the whites from one egg help to add structure and rise.
• Instant espresso powder: A touch of espresso powder really helps accentuate the flavor of chocolate. If you don't have any on hand, you can leave it out.
• Cocoa powder: This doesn't go into the batter, but we use it to dust our ramekins/cocottes so the lava cakes can be easily removed.
• Granulated sugar
• Unsalted butter
• All-purpose flour
• Vanilla extract

Equipment

You'll need 2 8oz ramekins or cocottes. We used Staub mini cocottes, which are made of cast iron. In a pinch, you could also make the cakes smaller and cook them in a muffin tin. Just be aware that your choice of cooking vessel will affect the cooking time. The cakes will cook faster in metal compared to ceramic.

How to Make This Recipe

Preheat the oven to 450°F / 230˚C. Prepare the ramekins or cocottes by evenly coating the interior with softened butter or cooking spray. Using a small strainer, dust evenly with cocoa powder, tapping the ramekin while it's upside down to remove any excess.

In a small microwave safe bowl, melt the butter and chocolate in the microwave in 20 second intervals, stirring in between. Once melted, stir to ensure they're evenly incorporated. You should have a silky smooth ganache-like mixture. Set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, beat the sugar, whole egg and egg yolk on high until slightly airy and pale, about 2-4 minutes.

Add the chocolate mixture, flour, vanilla, espresso powder, and salt to the eggs, and fold lightly until fully incorporated.

Divide the batter into the two prepared ramekins.

If using cast iron ramekins, bake for 9-10 min. If using ceramic ramekins, bake for 11-13 min. The lava cakes are ready when the edges are set and the center is still jiggly. Once out of the oven, let the cakes sit 2-3 for a few minutes to set up.

Use a small pairing knife to loosen up the edges of the cake.

Place a small plate on top of the ramekin, and flip upside down to release. You may need to tap on the top of the ramekin a few times to release the cake.

Garnish the cake with a dusting of powdered sugar, some fresh berries, or a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and enjoy!

Storage

These are best eaten straight out of the oven. If you somehow end up with leftovers (we doubt it!), let them cool completely to room temperature, then place in an airtight container and refrigerate for 2 days.

To reheat, place it on a plate and cover with a damp paper towel. Microwave for about 30 seconds (or longer) until warmed through.

These also store surprisingly well in the freezer, baked or unbaked. To freeze unbaked batter, prepare it in the ramekins, then wrap the ramekins tightly in plastic wrap or foil and freeze for 6 months.

Let them thaw in the refrigerator overnight before baking, or bake straight from the freezer and add an extra few minutes in the oven.

You can also freeze cooled, cooked lava cakes. Just make sure to wrap them tightly. They are more likely to become overcooked if reheated from frozen, so it's best to defrost overnight in the refrigerator before reheating in the microwave or oven.

Lexi & Beth's Best Tips

• How to tell when they're done: The lava cakes will rise a bit like a soufflé just to the top or slightly past the top of the ramekins. Once you see that they aren't rising any more, remove them from the oven and give the ramekin a jiggle. What you're looking for are sides that are set but a center that jiggles. You can also stick a toothpick into the top. If it comes out wet, you're probably good to go.
• Let the cakes set: Once they've been removed from the oven, let the cakes sit for 2-3 minutes. This helps them cool slightly but also gives the sides a chance firm up a bit.
• Make removal easier: To help ensure easy removal, grease the ramekins with a pat of butter or a touch of cooking spray, then dust the interior of the ramekin with cocoa powder, flour, or powdered sugar.
• Removing the cakes from the ramekins: Once they're out of the oven, you can carefully run a paring knife around the edge of the ramekin to help loosen the sides. Next, get a small plate, and put it on top of the ramekin, flip the plate and ramekin over, and the cake should release onto the plate. If it doesn't, give it a firm tap or repeat the paring knife step.

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