Chocolate lava cakes are a fabulous dessert with an oozing dark chocolate inside and a crispy brownie outside that melts in your mouth. Plus, you won’t believe how quick and easy they are to make!
Chocolate lava cakes are one of the most fabulous desserts I know of with their gooey dark chocolate centers and crispy brownie-like outsides. It’s serious chocolate goodness all wrapped up in an elegant presentation when baked in ramekins.
But – would you believe it if I told you that they take about 10 minutes to make and just 14 minutes to bake? It’s true! Goodness – that something so good should be so easy is like a little chocolate miracle, right?
It’s because of that combo of quick yet special that lava cakes are my go-to dessert recipe for entertaining. I have made these many, many times and they remain a family (and whoever is at our table) favorite.
There are fussy recipes out there which have you shape balls out of ganache for the centers, or fill a pan with water to cook the ramekins in, but you can probably guess that my recipe is not like that. I’m all about simplicity, and I regularly look for the easiest route to an end product- as long as it doesn’t affect that end product.
And I can tell you, with conviction, that the simpleness of this recipe does not affect the end product at all…no sireee.
Individual Chocolate Lava Cakes
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The recipe makes four half-cup sized ramekins. I used to make larger cakes, but they are really rich, so I cut the recipe down to fit into half-cup sizes. (You can use larger sized ramekins if that’s what you have, the batter will only come to 3/4 or half full, but will bake and unmold the same if well prepared.)
One of my secrets to making it easy to unmold the cakes after cooking (which isn’t really a secret- just good practice) is to generously brush the insides of the ramekins with butter – making sure to get ALL the crevices. Then dust the cups with cocoa powder (not flour) so that there are no white particles when the cakes are released after cooking.
And more chocolate is always a good thing in my book.
After prepping the ramekins, continue with the recipe, mixing the batter and dividing it between the cups. Bake until the top looks set – just make sure to bake the cakes right before you want to eat them, as they are gooiest when warm.
Make-Ahead Tip: Since there’s no baking powder in the recipe, you can make the batter about an hour in advance and leave them on the counter while you prepare the meal. As you are sitting down to eat dinner, pop the cakes into the oven to cook so that they are perfectly warm when it’s time for dessert. You can also cover the ramekins with plastic wrap and refrigerate for longer before baking – even overnight.
Unmold the cakes by inverting the ramekins onto individual dessert plates within about 5 minutes of removing from the oven. Lift off the ramekin carefully using a hot pad – but as long as you butter and dust the insides of the cups, they’ll just come right out. They really are easy all the way around!
I like to dust with more cocoa powder – you could use powdered sugar or drizzle with homemade chocolate syrup as well. Sometimes we even add a scoop of ice cream- but really not very often, as these are so rich.
They’re so unassuming when served, but as soon as the hidden center “lava” is opened, the oohs and aahs start. And when the first bite is taken…
Well, let’s just say you better be ready with the recipe!
Click the arrow for the full printable recipe!
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Jeanne says
February 13 at 2:12 pmJami
Trying to cut down on sugar so in a lot of my baking, I’ve been using the stevia-sugar baking blend. Do you think that would be ok for your lava cake recipe?
Jami says
February 14 at 4:56 pmI haven’t tried that, Jeanne – let us know how it works if you do!
Lila says
February 7 at 8:19 pmI plan to put a little less than double the batter for each cake but almost double considering mines a 7 oz. I couldn’t find any recipes for my ramekin size, but I was hoping I could use this and change the baking time. I don’t want to overbake it though because it might not ooze out.
Lila says
February 5 at 7:43 pmI don’t have 4 oz ramekins- I have 7 oz. Is that okay? How long do you think I should bake these then? I tried a different recipe and failed…my lava cake wasn’t coming out of the cup even though I sprayed it well, so I hope this one works well it looks delicious 🙂
Jami says
February 6 at 4:36 pmHmm, Lila, that’s a big size difference and will make the baking time a lot different. I would divide between them and then check at the 10 minute mark. They’ll still be good if they’re overcooked, they just won’t have the ‘lava’ centers. You might have to do a couple run-throughs to get a time that works with your bigger ramekins.
Lila says
February 6 at 7:46 pmThanks for the quick reply. So you think it would be baked for less time like under 10 minutees? I plan to fill up 3/4 of the 7 oz ramekin. I’m new to baking here 🙂
Jami says
February 7 at 11:52 amI don’t know exactly, Lila – are you doubling the amount of batter? If you’re using the recipe for 4-oz ramekins and putting it in 7-oz then they will be thinner and won’t need as much cooking time. When you’re adapting recipes, there will always be trial and error – it’s part of learning to bake. 😉
mehwish says
September 25 at 10:37 amhi
i have a question is the butter salted or unsalted
Jami says
September 25 at 5:00 pmEither will work – I usually use salted because that’s what I have on had most of the time.
amna says
July 26 at 4:01 ammy sister is 12 year ol and she made it correctly for me it was soo yummy. By the way is it necessary to use the semisweet choclatechips? we use sweetened.
Stephanie says
July 22 at 6:42 pmJust wanted to say thank you! I made these yesterday in 4 oz canning jars (leaving 1/2 inch headspace) and they turned out perfectly at 16 minutes (could be my oven). They did puff up out of the jars but didn’t make a mess and settled back down nicely inside after cooling. They are delicious and exactly what I’ve been looking for. My husband got hooked on Arby’s lava cakes but I wanted a better alternative. He told me he couldn’t eat the ones from there any more now that he’d had these. They are soooo much better. Thank you!!
Jami says
July 23 at 12:56 pmWhat a fabulous idea, Stephanie, to use the canning jars! Great alternative to ramekins. And you’re welcome – we think they’re the best, too. 😉
Maha K Ansari says
July 11 at 10:51 amHey I was wondering if I could use a cupcake tray instead of ramekins?
Jami says
July 11 at 1:44 pmSure, Maha, the cupcake tins are a bit smaller, though, so I’d just be careful how full I’d fill them. And of course getting them out when they’re warm will be a bit of a challenge, but if that’s your only option, I’d go for it. 🙂
Cameron says
July 1 at 3:57 amI just have to say that this recipe is OUT OF THIS WORLD! thank you for this.:) I made this last night for my friends and they couldn’t believe how great it was. definitely giving an A++
Jami says
July 1 at 9:50 amWow, so happy you like it, Cameron – it really is in our family’s regular rotation of dessert ideas. 🙂
Alice Seba says
April 16 at 9:16 amThis was amazing..thank you! My husband has been recovering from surgery and hasn’t eaten much in days. When he declared he wanted lava cake at 10:45 pm last night, I wasn’t too thrilled about it…but wanted to bring some cheer to his bedridden days. Most lava cake recipes take soooo long to prepare, so this recipe was absolutely perfect and delicious.
Jami says
April 16 at 9:27 amGlad you liked it, Alice! I feel the same way about it, too – it’s definitely a recipe that makes people feel special yet is so easy to do. Those are my favorite recipes. 😉