Chocolate Lava Cake is a soft chocolate cake with a warm chocolate center. They are made with five simple ingredients and can be ready to eat in less than 25 minutes! They are a great easy, quick, and satisfying dessert.
The love of Chocolate Lava Cake is universal, right? Like, there cannot be a language where a soft chocolate cake filled with warm chocolate doesn't sound delicious. Top it with vanilla ice cream, or any kind of ice cream for that matter, and it's a no-brainer.
If you're looking for more delicious and simple chocolate recipes check out these Fudgy Brownies, S'mores Donuts, or Chocolate-Filled Cookies.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Chocolate Lava Cake requires simple ingredients. You only need five ingredients and I would be willing to bet that you have all of them in your kitchen already!
- You don't need a mixer. Unlike other recipes, this one is easily made by hand.
- There isn't a long baking time, so no waiting around for these delicious cakes!
- These cakes have a perfectly rich, chocolatey flavor.
- They have a warm, gooey center that is irresistible.
Ingredients
- I always make sure to use unsalted butter when baking because there is no “standard” for the amount of salt they can add to butter. So if you add salt to a recipe and then use salted butter you could end up with a very salty end product.
- I prefer semi-sweet chocolate, but you can use whatever you prefer.
- It will be easier to incorporate the eggs into the batter if they are at room temperature.
- Egg Yolks. See above note.
- Granulated sugar will sweeten the chocolate lava cakes.
- Measuring the all-purpose flour correctly is very important. I suggest weighing your flour out. If you want to use a measuring cup, make sure you spoon the flour into the cup and level it off with a knife. Don’t use the cup to scoop directly from the flour.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions and Variations
- The flour can be left out to make the chocolate lava cake gluten-free. It will affect the texture of the cakes, but they will taste the same.
This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!
Step-By-Step Instructions
STEP 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (F). Prepare 4 small ramekins by spraying them with non-stick spray. Then pour a couple of spoonfuls of granulated sugar into one of the ramekins and spin around until the bottom and sides are coated. Pour the remaining sugar into the next ramekin and continue until all 4 are coated. This will make a crunchy sugar crust on the outside of the Chocolate Lava Cakes.
STEP 2: In a small saucepan combine the chocolate and butter. Place over low heat until melted. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
STEP 3: In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, and sugar until the mixture is slightly thickened.
STEP 4: Add the cooled chocolate mixture and whisk until thickened. Add flour and mix until combined.
STEP 5: Divide the batter evenly between the prepared ramekins. Place the ramekins on a cookie sheet and bake for 13-15 minutes or until the outside is set and just the very center is jiggly.
STEP 6: Remove from oven and turn the ramekins over onto a plate. The easiest way to do this is to place a ramekin on a potholder in your hand, flip a plate over on top of it and then turn the whole thing over. You might have to lightly shake the ramekin in order to get the cake out.
Expert Tips
- Watch the lava cakes closely while they bake. They can go from underbaked to overbaked quickly and you will lose the gooey chocolate center.
- Use an oven thermometer. Most ovens run either hot or cold. Using an oven thermometer ensures that you are baking your chocolate lava cakes at the perfect temperature.
- Don’t use cold ingredients. Ensure that all of your cold ingredients are at room temperature before making your cookies. The ingredients will combine much easier.
- Weigh your ingredients. One of the most common baking mistakes that I see is measuring incorrectly. The best way to get accurate measurements every time is to weigh them with a kitchen scale.
Recipe FAQ's
You can make them ahead of time and then refrigerate the batter after you divide it into the ramekins and then bake for 15-17 minutes when ready to serve.
Yes and no. While it is liquid at the center and technically unbaked the internal temperature still reaches 160 degrees (F), so it is safe to eat!
You can. I think they taste better warm, but you really can't go wrong with chocolate lava cake!
Storage Tips
Room Temperature
The cake can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days.
Refrigerator
If stored correctly in an airtight container the Chocolate Lava Cake will last up to 1 week in the fridge.
Freezer
I wouldn't recommend storing these in the freezer after baking, but you can freeze the batter in the ramekin. Store the ramekins in an air-tight container and they can stay in the freezer for up to 2 months.
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Recipe
Chocolate Lava Cake
Ingredients
For Cake:
- 1 stick (113 grams) unsalted butter
- ⅔ cup (113 grams) chocolate
- 2 large eggs
- 2 egg yolks
- ¼ cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon (8 grams) all-purpose flour
Instructions
For Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F). Prepare 4 small ramekins by spraying them with non-stick spray. Pour a couple of spoonfuls of granulated sugar in the sprayed ramekin and roll around so that it coats the bottom and sides. This will create a sugar crust on the lava cake.
- In a small saucepan combine the butter and chocolate. Place over low heat until melted. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, and sugar until slightly thickened. Add the cooled chocolate mixture and whisk until thickened. Add the flour and mix until combined.
- Divide the batter up evenly between the prepared ramekins. Place the ramekins on a cookie sheet and bake for 11 minutes or until the outside is set and the very center is jiggly. Note: you can also refrigerate the batter at this point and then bake for 13 minutes when you are ready to serve.
- Remove from oven and carefully flip the ramekins over onto a plate.
Notes
- The provided nutrition information is an estimate. The calorie accuracy is not guaranteed.
- Watch the lava cakes closely while they bake. They can go from underbaked to overbaked quickly and you will lose the gooey chocolate center.
- If you want to make these ahead of time you can place them in the fridge after pouring the batter into the ramekins. Remove when ready to bake and bake for 15-17 minutes.
GiAda says
Delicious and easy to follow recIpe!
Andrea says
A must try!
This recipe was iNcredibly easy to make in the moment but also super heLpful You can make it Ahead of time!
The sugar Coating Of the ramekin was a game changer AS it added texture to the Outside of the cake.
Niki says
I love chocolate so I had to try this recipe as soon as I saw it. It seemed so easy to make and it really was.
I just needed a few simple ingredients but the result is the pure chocolate heaven itself.
So thank you for the recipe, I love it!
Emilie says
I will never need another chocolate dessert recipe. foolproof and completely insanely delicious!!