These decadent chocolate molten lava cakes are the perfect small batch dessert! They’re incredibly easy to make and ready in minutes!
Top this rich dessert with some homemade vanilla bean ice cream and come salted caramel chocolate sauce for a real treat!
Swoon Worthy Dessert
Whether you need an individual sized dessert for a date night in, or a small gathering, these chocolate molten lava cakes are the perfect fit!
They are a breeze to whip up and only take 8 minutes to bake. You can even place the filled ramekins into the fridge for a few hours before you plan on baking them, and then pop them into the oven right after dinner.
Nothing beats a freshly baked gooey molten cake topped with ice cream and a drizzle of chocolate sauce! These will make you swoon!
How to Make Molten Lava Cake
So how do you make these decadent little cakes? They really do come together in a jiff!
PREP. First, you’ll want to butter and dust four ramekins with cocoa powder. I used 6 ounce ramekins.
MELT. Next, grab a stick of butter and melt it in the microwave. Whisk in 4 ounces of chopped chocolate (I prefer semisweet) until it’s silky smooth.
MIX. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk 2 eggs, 2 yolks and granulated sugar until the mixture turns pale and thickens. If you want to add a splash of vanilla extract you can, I always love a little hit of vanilla, even in my chocolate desserts, but it’s totally optional.
COMBINE. Add the egg mixture and flour to the melted chocolate, beat until combined.
BAKE. Divide the batter between the ramekins. Place in the oven and bake at 450 degrees for 8 to 9 minutes.
This is the nerve wracking part. You want the edges and tops to be set without the center being over-baked. The easiest way for me to gage doneness was to check if the tops were set (or looked like they were no longer batter) but still jiggly.
COOL. Remove the cakes from the oven and let them cool for 1 minute before inverting onto individual plates. Let the cakes sit for about 10 seconds before lifting up the ramekins. The goal is to get them out without breaking them… just be careful, they’re fragile!
SERVE. Serve them immediately with a scoop of ice cream, a drizzle of chocolate sauce and some fresh fruit. They will be devoured in seconds!
What to serve with?
- Try topping these cakes with our homemade vanilla bean ice cream
- Drizzle on a fruit reduction
- Top with fresh fruit
- Powdered sugar
- Cocoa powder
Making Ahead + Storing Leftovers
After you store a lava cake it ends up ruining the “lava” part of the dessert and it is instead just a chocolate cake. So my advice would be to make this recipe when they can all be eaten right after serving.
If you want to MAKE THEM AHEAD, you can make the batter, pour it into ramekins and let it sit in the fridge overnight. This shouldn’t affect the time it takes to bake the next day.
Or, pour the batter into the ramekins and then FREEZE from there. Cover each ramekin tightly and freeze for 2 weeks. Let them thaw and reach room temperature for 30 minutes to 1 hour before baking. You may need to add an extra 2-5 minutes to the bake time.
Although it’s not recommended, when you do want to STORE them, wrap them in plastic wrap and put them in the fridge for 2-4 days.
You can reheat the lava cakes in the oven upside down at 350 for about 10 minutes
For more chocolate cake recipes, try:
- Perfect Chocolate Cheesecake
- S’mores Layer Cake
- Everyday Chocolate Cake
- Chocolate Blackout Cake
- Texas Sheet Cake Skillet
Chocolate Molten Lava Cakes Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter - (+1 tsp for ramekins)
- 4 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 4 oz bittersweet chocolate - OR semisweet chocolate, chopped
- 2 eggs
- 2 egg yolks
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract - optional
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tsp all purpose flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Using 1 tsp. of butter, grease and dust four 4 or 6 ounce ramekins with cocoa powder. Tap out the excess cocoa powder; set aside.
- In a medium microwave-safe bowl, add ½ cup butter. Place in the microwave and melt. Whisk in the chopped chocolate until smooth.
- In a separate medium mixing bowl add the eggs. Add the vanilla (if desired) and sugar, whisk until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Add the egg mixture and flour to the melted chocolate; beat until combined.
- Divide the batter between the ramekins. Place in the oven and bake for 8 to 9 minutes. The tops should look set but still be jiggly. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 1 minute before inverting onto plates. Let the cakes sit for 10 seconds before lifting up the ramekins. Serve immediately, with ice cream, chocolate sauce and fresh fruit.
I’m going to make double chocolate cup cakes to night, tomorrow I’ll let you guys know how delicious they are.
Hope you like them!! Thank you!
Oh my goodness, these are incredible!! My husband loves chocolate so he was thrilled!
I love me some lava cake! This was so fun to make (and serve). I actually loved your recommendation to have a Nutella filling.