Molten Chocolate Lava Cake Recipe
This Molten Chocolate Lava Cake recipe is the perfect small batch dessert! Easy to make and ready in less than 30 minutes.
Do you ever have those moments when you want something sweet, but you don’t want to make a huge batch? Maybe it’s just you and one other person living in your home and you really don’t have a need for a lot of desserts.
That’s where small-batch desserts come in super handy. This chocolate lava cake recipe makes just two servings and is incredibly impressive, yet easy to make. It’s one of my favorite small batch recipes to date too (and that’s saying a lot given the number of times I’ve made my small batch chocolate chip cookies).
You can mix everything up for these lava cakes in one bowl and enjoy them in less than 30 minutes. They’re also a perfect treat for Valentine’s Day!
Recipe Ingredients
This simple dessert for two comes together with minimal ingredients. Here’s everything you’ll need to make these molten lava cakes:
- Unsalted butter: I recommend using unsalted butter since the amount of salt in salted butters can vary between different brands.
- Semi-sweet chocolate: I typically use either Bakers or Ghirardelli chocolate bars. I like to buy a 4-ounce bar of semi-sweet chocolate and save it for whenever I want to make these lava cakes. You’ll only need 2-ounces, so just cut it in half and save the other half for later.
- Powdered sugar: Be sure to use powdered sugar for this recipe and not granulated sugar. Granulated sugar won’t give you the same texture and the lava filling won’t be as smooth.
- Eggs: Note that this recipe calls for one whole egg and one egg yolk. You can save the egg white for breakfast the next morning or use it to make candied pecans or angel food cake.
- Vanilla extract: Use pure vanilla extract for the best flavor.
- All-purpose flour: Just 1/4 cup of flour is all you need in this recipe. Make sure that you measure your flour correctly with the spoon and level method. If you’re not sure what that means, I have a blog post on how to measure flour.
- Instant espresso powder: I prefer using Medaglia d’Oro or King Arthur espresso powder. The espresso powder just enhances the chocolate flavor in these cakes, it won’t make them taste like coffee. You may also replace it with instant coffee or omit it from the recipe.
How to Make Chocolate Lava Cakes
- Add the butter and semi-sweet chocolate to a large microwave-safe bowl and microwave until the mixture is completely melted and smooth.
- Add the powdered sugar and whisk or stir until just combined.
- Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and mix until fully combined.
- Lastly, add the flour and espresso powder and mix again until just combined. Make sure not to over mix the batter at this point, otherwise they won’t turn out as soft.
- Evenly divide the batter between two greased 6-ounce ramekins and smooth it out.
- Bake at 425° (218°C) for 12 to 14 minutes or until the edges are firm, but the center is still slightly soft. Remove them from the oven and allow to stand for one minute before inverting each lava cake onto a serving plate.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, it’s not. You do remove the lava cakes from the oven before the center is fully “set”, but it’s baked long enough to fully cook the eggs and make them safe to eat.
Yes, you can use a muffin pan instead of ramekins for this recipe!
Simply grease four cavities of a muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray and divide the batter between each one. Bake at 425°F for 8 to 10 minutes or until the edges are firm, but the centers are still soft. Allow to rest for one minute before you invert the lava cakes onto a serving plate.
Absolutely! After you fill the ramekins, cover them tightly with plastic wrap, and store in the refrigerator for one to two days.
When you are ready to bake, place them on the counter and let them come to room temperature, then bake as directed.
Baking Tips
- Room temperature eggs are best for this recipe. If you need to bring your eggs to room temperature quickly, place them in a bowl of warm water for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Make sure not to over mix the batter. You only want to mix in each ingredient until just combined.
- I typically just spray my ramekins with nonstick cooking spray. However, if you’re worried about them sticking you can also lightly dust each ramekin with some cocoa powder.
- You can top these with anything that you prefer. I personally love to add some no-churn ice cream and hot fudge sauce, but salted caramel sauce is delicious too.
Molten Chocolate Lava Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- ¼ cup unsalted butter (60 grams)
- 2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chopped (57 grams)
- ½ cup powdered sugar (60 grams)
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk at room temperature
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour spooned & leveled (32 grams)
- ½ teaspoon instant espresso powder optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (218°C). Spray two 6-ounce ramekins well with nonstick cooking spray and place on a baking sheet. Set aside.
- Add the butter and semi-sweet chocolate to a large microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 20 to 30 second increments, making sure to stir well after each increment, until melted and smooth.
- Remove from the microwave and whisk in the powdered sugar until well combined, then add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and mix until fully combined.
- Add the flour and espresso powder and mix until just combined, making sure not to over mix the batter. Evenly divide the batter between the two prepared ramekins.
- Bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until the edges are firm and the center is slightly soft. Remove from the oven and allow to stand for 1 minute. Carefully invert each ramekin onto a small plate, serve, and enjoy!
Adapted from The Pioneer Woman
Hi, I made this lava cake and it was so delicious but I had teeny tiny problem, the lava was slightly thick and when one of them cooled off, the lava was gone, am I doing something wrong ? If so, how can I rectify it ?
It sounds like it may have been slightly overbaked, I would try reducing the baking time 1-2 minutes next time. Also, keep in mind that as these cool off the residual heat will continue to cook the middle and it will firm up.
Simply incredible and easy recipe! Taste huts all my chocolate taste buds! This is a go to recipe!!!!
Glad you liked the lava cakes, John!
Do you fill the ramkins to the top or leave space to bake ?
I leave a little space at the top.
i don’t have an oven at home. can i use the microwave?
I’m not sure, I haven’t tried it.
I made these cakes for my family and they loved them so much! I’ve made a couple recipes from your blog and they’ve turned out perfect!! Keep blogging, you’re awesome 🙂
So happy to hear that, Aysha! Thank you! 🙂
I tripled the recipe. I baked them in a jumbo muffin tin.
Can you use Splenda instead of powdered sugar?
I haven’t tried it, so I’m not sure. I would suggest sticking with powdered sugar for best results.
I made these tonight, and they were fantastic! I had a lot of mouths to feed, so instead of using ramekins, I baked them in a cupcake pan for 8 min. Came out perfect!
Definitely a good idea to bake them in a cupcake pan, Naomi! Thanks for sharing about the baking time too, that will be helpful for others who may need to do the same.
made these last nite, doubled the recipe and everyone LOVED them! so easy too!!
So glad you liked the lava cakes, Roxanne!
Fabulous recipe and so easy. Made them 2 nights ago and am doubling the recipe today for company.
Thankks for sharing.
Janet
So glad you liked the lava cakes, Janet!
Thank you for the recipe. I was awesome.love it.
Glad you liked the lava cakes!
My go to chocolate lava cake recipe!
Thank you for the great recipe. I just made it for my husband’s birthday. It was perfect! I’m looking forward to baking with you again. I love the recipe for two.
What a fun treat for your husband’s birthday! I’m glad you liked the lava cakes!
Hi Danielle 🙂
Greatly thanking you for this recipe- I just made it and served it to my partner and his son – they loved it 🙂 🙂 :). They said it was like in the posh restaurant – the nuts :). I look forward to baking more with you :). Thank you for helping me to discover the beauty of baking.
Magdalena
So sweet of you to make these for your partner and his son, Magdalena! I’m so happy to hear that everyone loved them!
Fantastic! Followed the recipe exactly as written (did leave out the coffee because we aren’t coffee drinkers) and it turned awesome! I cooked it for 12 minutes because I was worried about overcooking. It was probably a little underdone but that wasn’t a problem – it was extra gooey! Next time I’ll probably add another 2 minutes so it solidifies a little bit more. Added vanilla ice cream and chocolate shell on top (trying to be like the restaurant that has a chili on their logo, lol). Husband loved it and practically licked the plate! Will ABSOLUTELY make this again!
The chocolate shell on the ice cream is a fantastic idea, Katie! I’m glad you both liked the lava cakes!
Worked great, except I used 1/2 C flour instead of 1/4 C made the cake a wee bit dry. Still chocolate is chocolate, even if I did use cocoa powder .
Glad to hear you liked the lava cakes, Fred!
Thank you for the easy and tasty recipe. My husband and I made this together – I made him separate the egg with his fingers. 🙂 It was fun and added to the dessert experience. 12 minutes was perfect for us. Note: the batter really fills up the cup – don’t worry, it comes out perfectly.
So fun that you made these lava cakes together, Heather. I’m glad you liked them!
Oh my gosh!! I made these delectable pots of goodness for our Valentine’s Day dessert and they did not disappoint! I used ghirardelli 60% cacao chips and they were mouthwatering delicious! Thank you for adapting this recipe for two! ❤️❤️
I’m so glad you enjoyed the lava cakes, Anita!
I am not a baker and not only was this delicious but was easy as well! Thank you for a great Valentine’s recipe! I too left it in maybe a minute too long, getting used to my new oven — doh! But, if I’d paid more attention to your instructions I’d have known to take them out earlier as you clearly specify they’re done when the edges look firm while middle is soft — at 12 minutes that’s how it was, should’ve listened to you!
Only change was I added a cocoa powder dusting over the butter in the ramekins (made no difference I’m sure) and I had no espresso powder. One tip: I should’ve run a knife around the edges before attempting the flip 🙂 I’ll be making this again soon and I know it’ll be perfect then, 2nd time’s a charm.
I’m glad you liked the lava cakes, Kerry!
If there’s anyone out there more hesitant about the espresso powder, I just made these with some instant coffee powder from Starbucks. It comes in individually sealed packets so it’s always fresh and it disolves completely in the recipe. I’ve used their flavoured coffee packets before too for extra vanilla or hazelnut flavour. A good alternative if you don’t want a bag of espresso powder going stale in the cupboard/freezer.
That’s a wonderful suggestion, Krystyna!
Delicious!! Just enough for hubby and I – although I could have eaten more – thanks!!
I’m glad you liked the lava cakes, Patti!
I always thought molten lava cakes were difficult to bake and this recipe deffinitly changed my mind! I made them last night and they were awesome! Tonight I’m making them again with dark chocolate instead of the semi sweet. I prepared mine ahead of time and left them covered in the fridge until baking time and they turned out perfect. Thanks for the great recipe. Can’t wait to impress my friends with this one!
I always thought they were difficult too until the first time I made one, Beverly. The dark chocolate would be fantastic in these too! I hope everyone enjoys them 🙂
Very easy to follow and came out wonderful.. This would be the second time im makin it. The first time i left it in the oven a bit too long but still tasted lovely.
So glad you liked the lava cakes! 🙂
I made these last night for me and my husband. Ummmmm yum is all I have to say!!! Thank you so much for this delicious and simple recipe. They blew restaraunt lava cakes out of the water!
So glad you enjoyed the lava cakes, Jen!
I let mine bake a little too long, but this is delicious, even without the lava effect!
So glad you enjoyed the lava cakes, Sam! 🙂
I doubled it was great. This was so easy and tasted yummy
So glad to hear you enjoyed the lava cakes, Linda!
I made the lava cupcakes with my 4th grade grandson, and they came out perfectly! He didn’t wait long to sample his cupcake and, when I asked about the taste, I got a “thumbs up”. Thanks for this easy recipe that gave me quality time with my precious grandson !!!!!!!!!!!
I’m so glad you and your grandson enjoyed the lava cakes, Terri! 🙂
For the Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes For Two. If I wanted to prepare more than two (2). One would have to double the ingredients correct?
I haven’t tried doubling the recipe yet, but I think it would probably be okay if you’re wanting to make more.
I doubled the recipe and they turned out perfectly! My family loves these ?
So glad to hear they turned out great!
Can the batter sit for a little while before baking? I want to prepare the batter before dinner and bake after dinner.
I haven’t tried it yet, but I think it may be okay in this recipe since there’s no baking soda/powder. I would cover it and refrigerate the batter until you’re ready to bake it. If you give it a try, I’d love to hear how they turn out!
I’ve done it before and it works perfect to have the batter done even the night before and pouring it in the ramekins when were ready to enjoy.
Thank you for sharing, Haley! Glad to know that it works great to prep these ahead of time!
Oh my word, Danielle, these cakes look INSANE – in the best kind of chocolate-filled way. WOW! Love that it just does two and lava cakes always intimidated me but these don’t look too tricky – will have to try.
They use to intimidate me too, but they’re so easy! Thanks, Jess!
I’ve never made molten lava cakes and have no idea why, because I’m a huge chocolate lover! These sound too easy not to make and I love that it’s a nice small batch. These look just delicious Danielle!
Thank you, Marcie!