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Ooey-Gooey Chocolate Lava Cake

Published: Aug 16, 2017 · Modified: Feb 7, 2022 by Steven Pennington · This post may contain affiliate links.

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When you're 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.

Chocolate lava cake
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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. Whether you’re enjoying it at home or ordering it at your favorite restaurant, there’s no doubt that chocolate lava cake is a delicious classic.

⬇️ Table of Contents
  • Chocolate Lava Cake
  • Ingredients
  • How To Make Chocolate Lava Cake
  • Recipes To Try
  • How To Video
  • 📖 Recipe Card

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.

    Chocolate lava cake melting butter with sweet and semi bitter chocolate over double boiler

    Once melted and smooth, add powder sugar, also known as confectioners sugar, or 10X sugar and combine.

  • Powder Sugar - 1 ½ cups
  • Chocolate lava cake mix in powder sugar

    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.

    Add all purpose flour in 3 stages to avoid lumps

    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
  • Whole cinnamon stick

    Special ingredient number two is local raw honey. Use what you enjoy!

  • Honey - 1 Tablespoon
  • The b sisters wildflower honey bottle

    We are baking, so often vanilla is welcomed to the party.

  • Vanilla - 1 teaspoon
  • Adams extract pure vanilla extract bottle

    Butter or spray ramekins with cooking spray. This step will ensure the lava cakes will come out cleanly for an excellent presentation.

    Repurposed stick of butter wrapper used to grease ramekins

    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.

    Ramekin filled two thirds the way up the side of the ramekin

    Bake for 13 minutes at 425 degrees. Every oven heats a little bit differently, which can affect baking times.

    Instruction bake chocolate lava cake at four hundred and twenty five degrees for thirteen minutes

    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.

    Freshly out of the oven chocolate lava cake still in ramekin

    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.

    Chocolate lava cake cut in half with fork with the ooey-gooey chocolate in the middle

    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.

    Recipes To Try

    Chocolate Chip Cookies - Le Cordon Bleu

    Peanut Butter Chocolate Butterfinger Bars w/ Dulce de Leche

    Peanut Butter & Macadamia Nut Cookies w/ Chocolate Drizzle

    Butterfinger Cheesecake Brownies

    Banana Bread Coffee Cake w/ Cream Cheese Stuffing

    How To Video

     

    📖 Recipe Card

    Chocolate lava cake recipe

    Chocolate Lava Cake

    Steven Pennington
    Elegant Dessert Designed To Impress
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 12 mins
    Cook Time 13 mins
    Total Time 25 mins
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine French
    Servings 4 Servings
    Calories 518 kcal

    Suggested Equipment

    1 Medium Large Pot
    1 Large Bowl
    4 Ramekins

    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.
      Melting butter with sweet and semi bitter chocolate over double boiler
    • 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.
      Mix in powder sugar
    • 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.
      Adding all purpose flour in 3 stages to avoid lumps
    • 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.
      Whole cinnamon stick
    • Special ingredient number two is local raw honey. Use what you enjoy!
      The b sisters wildflower honey bottle
    • We are baking, so often vanilla is welcomed to the party.
      Adams extract pure vanilla extract bottle
    • Prepping the Ramekins or Small Bowls: Using either the butter wrapper or using cooking spray, cover the inside of the baking dishes.
      Repurposed stick of butter wrapper used to grease ramekins
    • 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.
      Ramekin filled two thirds the way up the side of the ramekin

    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.
      Freshly out of the oven chocolate lava cake still in ramekin

    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
      Chocolate lava cake cut in half with fork with the ooey-gooey chocolate in the middle

    Notes

    Do not overfill the ramekins.
    Under-baking is better than over-baking to ensure the molten chocolate experience.
    Crack the eggs over a second bowl to make sure of zero eggshells before adding to the mix.
    For presentation, add powder sugar to the top and cover.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1gCalories: 518kcalCarbohydrates: 32gProtein: 9gFat: 40gSaturated Fat: 23gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 187mgSodium: 424mgPotassium: 234mgFiber: 3gSugar: 15gVitamin A: 1034IUCalcium: 58mgIron: 3mg
    Keyword Chocolate Lava Cake
    Try This Recipe, You'll Love It. Pin it!Mention @ButterNThyme or tag #butternthyme!

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    1. Jody

      September 09, 2017 at 1:20 am

      Looks awesome!

      Reply
      • Anna Rogers

        March 23, 2018 at 6:06 pm

        Could you use espresso powder

        Reply
        • Steven Pennington

          March 24, 2018 at 2:27 am

          Yes, that would be great. Deep coffee flavor. Expresso powder, depending on whos eating it could even work out better...Hope you enjoy

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