If you’re looking for a dessert that’s both elegant and simple, you’ve found it: molten chocolate lava cakes. With a gooey chocolate center wrapped in a fully baked exterior, this is a dessert that’s decadent without being overindulgent. Perfect for treating yourself when a late-night craving hits or for a special night in, these lava cakes come together quickly but deliver maximum wow factor.
Light, airy, and gooey, molten chocolate lava cakes are what happen when premium ingredients meet a very simple method: a dessert that’s incredibly easy to make, impossibly rich, and served in a perfectly sized package that will leave you wanting more.
This is the kind of treat I resort to when it’s ten at night and I’m desperately craving something sweet. The batter comes together in about 20 minutes, and bakes in less than 15. The point here is not to serve raw batter, but rather a cake that’s fully baked on the outside and underbaked in the middle, baked to a safe temperature that gives you a gooey, custardy center.
Baked in individual portions, you’ll have just enough to satisfy any late-night craving, and if you don’t want to end up with leftovers, here’s the good news: these lovely cakes can be frozen in the ramekins and then transferred straight to the oven when you’re ready to serve.
They’re so rich you won’t need more than a light dusting of powdered sugar for serving. To balance out the richness, a dollop of whipped cream would suffice, or, as I did here, some fresh berries. A scoop of vanilla ice cream is also a great idea. The gooey center acts as both the filling and the topping here.
In the end, you can’t really beat a dessert that’s so easy to put together you don’t even need a hand mixer. So quick to bake, you’ll barely have time to do the dishes. And so convenient that it can be frozen until the craving hits again.
Before You Start: What to Know
As part of our 12 Days of Christmas Desserts series, Day 4 is perhaps the easiest dessert so far. The beauty of this molten lava cake recipe is that it can be made for two for a romantic night in, but it can also be easily doubled or tripled to feed a crowd. It can be made days ahead and stored in the freezer, making it an excellent choice to serve at a dinner party or, in our case, after a Christmas feast.
Adapted from Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s original recipe, I’ve been making this one for years. It’s the kind of recipe that quickly becomes a staple in your kitchen for being so good and pretty much foolproof. Anyone who can whisk eggs and measure ingredients can make it. Over the years, I’ve tried different methods: using a whisk, using a hand mixer, chilling the batter before baking, baking immediately, baking from frozen, etc. So I’ve collected some useful tips that I’m happy to share with you in a second.
But first, let’s quickly understand the science behind these magical molten lava cakes, why they work, and how to get that perfectly gooey center every time!
What Makes This Lava Cake Work
Molten lava cakes are about precise timing and heat transfer: a rich, underbaked center contrasts with a fully set, cakey exterior. That is achieved by baking at high heat in small ramekins so the edges solidify quickly while the center remains gooey.
Key factors in that equation are the ingredient ratios: unlike regular cakes, molten lava cakes feature a high butter-and-chocolate-to-flour ratio, expanding air/steam, and stopping the heat diffusion just right so the center stays molten but not raw.
So basically, the batter is more fluid than a standard cake, and the amount of flour is just enough to give it some structure.
Unlike a standard cake batter that uses chemical leavening agents like baking powder, molten lava cakes rely on mechanical leavening for rising. That’s achieved by whisking eggs and sugar together until they double in size and become light and fluffy. That process incorporates air into the batter, which, along with the liquids, turns to steam, helping the cake rise and develop a light exterior.
The melted chocolate added to the batter causes the egg proteins to set, forming structure without scrambling them. Every ingredient has a purpose here.
Finally, unlike regular cakes, the batter in lava cakes is intentionally underbaked so the center stays liquid. That’s how you get that wonderful lava! Instead of a steady bake at moderate heat, the key is high heat and a short time. You want the center of your cakes to be jiggly, and a toothpick inserted in the center should come out with batter.
Tips from the Kitchen
It’s essential to thoroughly butter and lightly flour the ramekins so the cakes come out without any issue. Instead of using flour, which can leave a small white residue, I always dust my ramekins with cocoa powder. That way, your cakes will come out looking a uniform color.
This recipe uses the bain-marie method of melting the chocolate and butter, which takes a bit of time. If you’re not up for that, using the microwave is perfectly fine — just do it in short increments, stirring each time so the chocolate doesn’t burn.
When beating the eggs and sugar, make sure to do so until they double in size and are light and fluffy. That’s what gets the cakes to rise and makes the batter light. You can do this by hand using a whisk — it will take a few minutes and isn’t exactly fun, but you’ll live. Using a hand mixer makes things a lot easier, though it’s not necessary.
You can bake the batter immediately after folding in the flour, but for a more foolproof method, you can chill the ramekins in the fridge for about half an hour. The cold batter will take slightly longer to bake, so the center won’t set as quickly. If you do chill them, add a minute or two to the baking time. Remember, you want the sides to be firm but bounce back slightly, and the center to still be very soft.
Allow them to sit for 3–5 minutes before removing them from the ramekins so the center has time to set a little and thicken before you cut through it.
If baking from frozen, bake in a 400ºF oven for roughly 15 minutes.
The fully cooked molten chocolate cakes can be refrigerated for up to three days or frozen for up to one month in an airtight container.
You Might Also Like…
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Chocolate Budino: The Italian version of an ultra-smooth and decadent chocolate pudding.
Hazelnut Sandwich Cookies: Crunchy, tender, nutty cookies with a silky chocolate filling that’s impossible to resist.
If you make these molten chocolate lava cakes, please let me know in the comments! I’d love to hear from you. And don’t forget to come back tomorrow for Day 5 for another dessert to add to your holiday favorites!
Ingredients
113g (½ cup/ 4 oz) unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the ramekins
Cocoa powder, for dusting the ramekins (you can also use flour)
200g (1 ¼ cups/ 7 oz) bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
¼ cup granulated sugar
¼ tsp kosher salt
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
Icing sugar, optional, for serving
Fresh berries, optional, for serving
Directions
Preheat the oven to 450°F/ 230°C.
Butter and lightly dust four 6-ounce ramekins with cocoa powder or flour, tapping out any excess. Place the ramekins on a baking sheet.
Melt the chocolate and butter: fill a medium saucepan with about 1 inch of water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce to a simmer.
Place the chocolate and butter in a medium heatproof bowl and set it over the simmering water over low heat, making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water (a folded kitchen towel can help prop it). Stir occasionally until the mixture is fully melted and smooth. Remove from heat and set aside.
Meanwhile, beat the eggs and sugar: in a medium bowl, beat the eggs, egg yolks, sugar, and salt with a hand mixer or whisk on medium-high speed until thickened and pale, about 2–3 minutes.
Quickly and gently fold the melted chocolate mixture and flour into the eggs until fully combined and no streaks remain.
Divide the batter evenly among the prepared ramekins (about ½ cup each) and smooth the tops with a spatula or a spoon. Bake on the prepared baking sheet until the edges are set and spring back lightly when touched, but the centers remain soft and jiggly, about 10 minutes. You can also check for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center; it should come out with a small amount of wet batter.
Let the cakes cool in the ramekins on the baking sheet for about 3 minutes. Working one ramekin at a time, place an inverted dessert plate on top, carefully turn it over, and let it sit for a few seconds before lifting the ramekin to release the cake. Repeat with the remaining cakes.
Serve immediately, dusted with icing sugar and fresh berries, if desired.
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