When looking for the perfect sweet treat, there is nothing better than Chocolate Lava Cake! A dessert that is sweet but not too sweet.
Our dessert recipe is precisely that, along with an excellent smooth texture. The molten chocolate lava oozes out of the personally sized desserts, which becomes the star of the meal.
⬇️ Table of Contents
Chocolate Lava Cake
The history of chocolate lava cake is a bit murky, but it is thought to have originated in France or the United States. Some say that French pastry chefs created the dessert in the early 1990s, while others claim that American chefs invented it a few years earlier. Regardless of its origins, chocolate lava cake quickly became popular worldwide and remains a favorite dessert today.
This decadent treat features a warm, molten center made from bittersweet chocolate that oozes out when you cut into it. The rich chocolate flavor is complemented by a light and fluffy cake base, making for an irresistible dessert experience.
Ingredients
- All-Purpose Flour - ½ cup
- Semi-Sweet Chocolate - 2 oz (¼ cup)
- Bitter-Sweet Chocolate - 2 oz (¼ cup)
- Powder Sugar - 1 ½ cups
- 2 Whole Eggs
- 3 Egg Yolks
- Butter - 1 stick
- Vanilla - 1 teaspoon
- Sea Salt - 1 teaspoon
- Cinnamon - ¼ teaspoon
- Honey - 1 Tablespoon
- Secret Ingredient: 1 teaspoon of coffee grounds Enhances the chocolate flavor.
How To Make Chocolate Lava Cake
To make the best possible chocolate lava cake it begins with the selection of chocolates. Two things to consider first is the brand, second is the type of chocolate.
Our selection is semi-sweet and bitter-sweet chocolate. And the brand is Ghirardelli, which has become one of America's top brands.
Semi-Sweet Chocolate - 2 oz (¼ cup)
Bitter-Sweet Chocolate - 2 oz (¼ cup)
Butter - 1 stick
To melt the chocolate, use a double boiler, a pot filled with water halfway, then a temperature-safe bowl sits on top. The idea is the water never comes in contact with the bottom of the bowl. Use medium heat.
Start by melting the butter; in the photo below, you can see the butter beginning to melt before adding the chocolates. Add the salt at this point. Salt is a very important ingredient that brings flavor to the table. Melt until smooth.
Once melted and smooth, add powder sugar, also known as confectioners sugar, or 10X sugar and combine.
Powder Sugar - 1 ½ cups
Next comes the all-purpose flour. One thing very cool about this recipe is the low amount of flour required. Does that make this recipe low-carb?
All-Purpose Flour - ½ cup
Add the flour in 3 stages to avoid lumps. Sifting the flour beforehand is suggested.
The first of 3 special ingredients that make our chocolate lava cake recipe the best, fresh cinnamon, dry cinnamon also works well.
The magic of the cinnamon is the soft flavor notes it offers. It is like a backup singer, a significant role, but isn't loud yet improves the recipe.
Cinnamon - ¼ teaspoon
Special ingredient number two is local raw honey. Use what you enjoy!
Honey - 1 Tablespoon
We are baking, so often vanilla is welcomed to the party.
Vanilla - 1 teaspoon
Butter or spray ramekins with cooking spray. This step will ensure the lava cakes will come out cleanly for an excellent presentation.
Fill ramekins two-thirds the way up the sides. The cakes will puff up while baking. Overfill them, and you will have a mess on your hands.
Bake for 13 minutes at 425 degrees. Every oven heats a little bit differently, which can affect baking times.
When the ooey-gooey chocolate lava cakes are ready, they will look like this. You will see the molten chocolate almost poking its head out of the ramekin. Amazingness is on the way.
When unmolding the cakes, the top side of the cake will become the bottom on the plate. Turn the ramekin over on top of itself to release on the plate. Beforehand, run a knife around the edges to ensure an easy release.
Serve the chocolate lava cakes asap once out of the oven to guarantee the molten chocolate stays ooey-gooey. As it cools down, the chocolate will begin to set up.
📖 Recipe
Chocolate Lava Cake
Suggested Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup All Purpose Flour
- 2 oz Semi-Sweet Chocolate ¼ cup
- 2 oz Bitter-Sweet Chocolate ¼ cup
- 2 Whole Eggs
- 3 Egg Yolks
- 1 stick Butter
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- 1 teaspoon Sea Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Cinnamon
- 1 Tablespoon Honey
- 1 teaspoon Ground Coffee
Instructions
- Combined Ingredients: Start by melting the butter and chocolate.To melt the chocolate, use a double boiler, a pot filled with water halfway, then a temperature-safe bowl sits on top. The idea is the water never comes in contact with the bottom of the bowl. Use medium heat.Start by melting the butter, in the photo below you can see the butter just begins to melt before adding the chocolates. Melt until smooth.
- Next, add the powder sugar, then add in all the eggs. Adding the sugar first will make sure the chocolate isn't too hot, scrambling the eggs.Suggest cracking the eggs in a separate bowl to avoid any shells.
- Next comes the all-purpose flour. One thing very cool about this recipe is the low amount of flour required.Add the flour in 3 stages to avoid lumps. Sifting the flour beforehand is suggested.
- The first of 3 ingredients that makes our chocolate lava cake recipe the best, fresh cinnamon, dry cinnamon works well too.The magic of the cinnamon is the soft flavor notes it offers. It is like a backup singer, a very important role, but isn't loud yet improves the recipe.
- Special ingredient number two is local raw honey. Use what you enjoy!
- We are baking, so often vanilla is welcomed to the party.
- Prepping the Ramekins or Small Bowls: Using either the butter wrapper or using cooking spray, cover the inside of the baking dishes.
- Pour chocolate into ramekins making sure to not overfill. The lava cake batter will expand in the oven due to the eggs. If you overfill, the lava cakes will pop over the tops of your bakeware. Fill ⅔ the way up the sides.
Baking
- Preheat over to 425 - Bake for 13 minutes. Timing can vary from oven to oven. When they are ready to come out of the oven they will look similar. You can see the molten chocolate trying to poke its head out of the cake.
Plating
- Take a small knife and run it around the outside of the ramekins.
- Invert the ramekin over a small plate and the lava cake will come straight out.
- Cover with powder sugar for a nice garnish and presentation
Jody says
Looks awesome!
Anna Rogers says
Could you use espresso powder
Steven Pennington says
Yes, that would be great. Deep coffee flavor. Expresso powder, depending on whos eating it could even work out better...Hope you enjoy