Molten Chocolate Lava Cake

So rich and decadent, this homemade Molten Chocolate Lava Cake is surprisingly easy to make. Cut open one of these and have the warm melty centre, ooze out and melt in your mouth.

A lava cake cut opened with a scoop of ice cream on top.

A few words I’d use to describe this molten chocolate lava cake: warm, gooey, fudgy, and delicious. These little desserts are a popular choice at restaurants but did you know you can easily make this at home? It might look complicated but trust me, with only a handful of ingredients, you’ll be making this lava cake in no time.

Want more delicious dessert recipes? Try my Cheesecake Brownie Fudge Bars or my Double Chocolate Chip Muffins.

Why You’ll Love This Chocolate Lava Cake Recipe

No fancy equipment needed. You don’t even need a mixer for this recipe. Just some good old fashioned elbow grease as you mix everything together by hand.
No fighting over the cakes! Since they’re all individual portions, if you have little ones, it cuts down on fighting over the larger piece or the piece with more chocolate or the piece with more of this or that. Since they’re all the same size baked inside of a ramekin, they’re all exactly the same.
The molten center is to die for! The molten, barely-set melty chocolate that oozes out when you cut open the lava cake is the absolute best part of a molten chocolate lava cake!

What You’ll Need For This Molten Chocolate Lava Cake

Overhead image of ingredients needed to make a lava cake.

Chocolate chips
Butter — make sure to get unsalted butter.
Eggs
Granulated sugar
Vanilla extract
All-purpose flour — if you have the time, you can sift it first so mixing it is easier later.

How To Make Homemade Lava Cakes

Prepare the oven and ramekins: Preheat the oven to 375°. Prepare 4 ramekins by spraying with nonstick spray. You can also dust with cocoa powder if desired.
Melt the chocolate and combine with butter: In a small, heatproof bowl combine the chocolate chips and butter and place it over a small saucepan of simmering water. Stir occasionally until fully melted and combined. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
Combine the rest of the ingredients: In a medium bowl whisk together the eggs, sugar, and vanilla until fully combined and thickened. Add the flour and mix until just combined. Then fold in the chocolate mixture.

Multiple ramekins dusted with powder and 2 filled with batter.

Bake the molten chocolate lava cakes: Divide the batter evenly between each of the ramekins. Place on a sheet pan and bake for 10-12 minutes or until only the center is still jiggly. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a couple of minutes.
Serve the cakes: Place a plate on top of each ramekin and carefully flip over. Serve immediately.

Overhead photo of three recently baked cakes in ramekins.

Tips and Notes

Your time will vary based on the skin of your ramekins. I suggest you test bake a single molten chocolate lava cake to see what the perfect timing is before baking a large batch.
If you want to make this taste even more chocolate-y, if you have instant espresso hanging around, you can add some to your batter.
It’s important to make sure you cover your ramekins with nonstick thoroughly. Since they get flipped over to be served, you want them to slide out seamlessly. Not even nonstick and the cake can stick to the ramekin and tear open as it gets flipped out.
If you’re worried about flipping your molten chocolate lava cakes out, run a small knife around the cakes in the ramekins to help loosen them up before flipping.

A chocolate molten lava cake with ice cream on top.

FAQs

Can I make this ahead of time?

You most certainly can! Make your batter and after you’ve portioned them out between your ramekins, wrap them up tightly with plastic wrap before storing it in the fridge. When ready to bake, allow the batter to come back to room temperature and then bake. You can make the batter up to two days ahead of time.

Can I double this recipe?

You can half, double, triple, etc this recipe. My recipe makes 4 molten chocolate lava cakes so if you have enough ramekins, you can increase the recipe. However, keep in mind that if you bake this in multiple batches, to not let the molten chocolate lava cakes sit for long as you want to make sure the center stays gooey.

Can I make this in a muffin tin?

You can but be sure to adjust the time accordingly as the size might be different. The material of the muffin tin is different as well so it’ll be faster in a muffin tin.

Molten cake with ice cream on top, cut opened.

What Can I Serve My Lava Cakes With?

I love to top mine off with some ice cream or fresh berries. Here are some of my favorite ice cream recipes:

More Desserts You’ll Love

I hope you enjoy all the recipes I share with you, including this delicious Molten Chocolate Lava Cake recipe. I hope you try it, enjoy it, rate it and share it with your friends and family!

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