The Best Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes — 🍫❤️ One bowl, no mixer, so easy! The warm, gooey, fudgy chocolate lava cake center is heavenly! Better than any restaurant versions! Best chocolate cake EVER!!
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Easy Chocolate Lava Cake Recipe
These chocolate lava cakes are so rich, gooey, and fudgy! They blow any restaurant version I’ve ordered out of the water.
The molten chocolate lava cakes are rich, decadent, moist, robustly chocolaty, sweet enough but not too sweet.
The molten, barely-set chocolate that oozes from the center is my idea of heaven.
Ice cream and 10-Minute Homemade Hot Fudge aren’t required but yes, they are. They’re the final icing on these perfect little cakes that remind me of something you’d get at a fancy restaurant.
I followed the recipe exactly, other than I used semisweet chips, and just chopped them so theelted properly. Amazing, the cakes were a huge hit and I will most certainly make them again!!! — Roxanne
Ingredients in Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes
This is an incredibly easy lava cake recipe that calls for just 6 basic ingredients, plus the optional toppings. To make this recipe for molten chocolate cakes, you’ll need:
- Dark or bittersweet chocolate
- Unsalted butter
- Confectioners’ sugar
- Eggs
- All-purpose flour
- Instant espresso coffee granules – not regular ground espresso or ground coffee beans
- Ice cream and hot fudge, for serving
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make Chocolate Lava Cakes
When you find out how fast and easy these chocolate molten cakes are to make, you’ll never settle for a restaurant version again! Here’s an overview of the baking process:
- Melt butter with chocolate in one bowl, no mixer is needed.
- Stir in sugar, eggs, instant espresso, and flour, then pour into ramekins and bake. You want to bake these chocolate molten lava cakes until the edges are set but the centers are still soft. Whatever you do, do NOT over bake the lava cakes, otherwise they won’t have gooey centers.
- Let the molten chocolate cakes for about 1 minute before running a knife gently around the edges and inverting onto a plate. Top with ice cream and dig in!
Recipe FAQs
I used Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate Bar and recommend using your favorite dark chocolate bar. I prefer using bars or baking chocolate rather than chocolate chips because I prefer the flavor, texture, and they melt more smoothly, which is important for a recipe like this.
If you don’t have any ramekins, you could experiment with baking the chocolate lava cakes in a jumbo muffin tin or even a regular size muffin tin. It will be harder to invert the molten cakes onto plates, plus you’ll also need to adjust the bake time. (Use your best judgement!) Or, make this slow cooker chocolate fudge cake to make essentially one giant lava cake!
I’ll be honest, this is one of the very few desserts on my site that isn’t really suitable for making ahead. You have to make the batter, then bake it, then eat it, all in short order – or the molten chocolate lava cakes won’t turn out, or won’t turn out well.
Yes, but note that the instant espresso doesn’t make the cakes taste like coffee. It just serves to enhance the chocolate flavor! My favorite brand is this Medaglia D’Oro which is available in well-stocked supermarkets in the coffee aisle or on Amazon.
You can easily double or triple this lava cake recipe to feed a crowd. However, you’ll need to prep, bake, and enjoy the molten chocolate cakes immediately otherwise they’ll lose their gooeyness.
This really is easy and the best tasting results! I added a splash of vanilla and a small pinch of salt to ramp up the flavor that much more. — Rebecca Wynn
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The Best and Easiest Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes
Ingredients
- 2 ounces dark chocolate or bittersweet baking chocolate, I used Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate Bar; I prefer bars or baking chocolate to chocolate chips
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, 1/2 of 1 stick
- ½ cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk, discard white or save for another use
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon instant espresso coffee granules, optional but recommended (doesn’t make cakes taste like coffee and serves to enhance the chocolate flavor)
- ice cream for serving, optional but recommended
- hot fudge for serving, homemade or storebought, optional but recommended
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F and spray two ramekins (about 3-4 inches in diameter or about 4 ounces each) with cooking spray, place ramekins on a baking sheet; set aside.
- To a medium microwave-safe bowl, add the chocolate, butter, and heat on high power to melt, about 1 minute. Stop to whisk until smooth. If needed, return bowl to micro and heat in 15-second increments until chocolate can be whisked smooth.
- Add the sugar, egg, egg yolk, and whisk until smooth.
- Add the flour, optional espresso granules, and stir until just combined; don’t overmix.
- Pour batter into prepared ramekins, divided evenly.
- Bake for about 12 minutes, or until edges are set but center is still soft; don’t overbake. Baking times will vary based on oven, ramekins, and climate variances; bake until as done as desired.
- Allow cakes to cool in ramekins for about 1 minute, gently rim the edges of ramekins with a paring knife, and invert over serving dishes to dislodge cakes.
- Optionally top with ice cream, hot fudge, and serve immediately. Cakes are best warm and fresh.
Notes
- Recipe adapted from Kraft.
- If you’d like to make your own hot fudge, you can use my Homemade Hot Fudge recipe.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Originally published February 13, 2019 and republished September 22, 2022 with updated text.
Everything about these cakes are amazing!! Love the gooey greatness!!
Thanks for pinnning too :) Have a great holiday weekend!
Thanks for pinning and Happy Easter! :)
This definitely wasn’t a time for sharing…these look so good. I’ve never made lava cakes but you make it look easy so that may need to change.
One of the best things Ive made all year! Loved these and highly recommended!
Molten Lava Cake is heavenly. It satisfies the worst cravings imaginable. :D
Hubba, hubba! These *do* look perfect. I bet I couldn’t eat just one :)
I wanted to eat both :)
You do not include in the ingredients list the flour amount. Please let me know. Thanks.
Please re-read the recipe, it’s there. 3 tbsp.
I used to not like lava cakes (I know, right) but now I’m totally a fan. I just pinned your recipe, it’s going on my to-do list soon :)
Thanks for pinning!
These cakes look amazing! Can I make the batter for two and bake one at a time? How long would the unbaked serving keep in the fridge?
I haven’t tried it that way so not sure what to say.
Wow! These look so decadent and rich. Love how it only makes two so I’m not tempted to eat the entire batch! I can’t wait to try this recipe, love how easy it is!
My husband love molten cakes. I’ll have to surprise him with this easy homemade version. Thanks for sharing!
I’ve never bothered ordering molten lavas from a restaurant because I’ve been permanently spoiled by the homemade version! I’m the weirdo that doesn’t really like cake with ice cream (I know!) so I usually top mine with real whipped cream…Looks like you just set off a craving….
I love molten lava cakes! They are so chocolatey and gooey and delicious!
what a amazing lava cake and i loved the melt down where the lava cake was oozing out it was spot on it was so amazing and i learnt everything i have looked at. i also learnt how to cook lava cake and it was yummy
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you!
it would be lovely for you and jon
Oooh, these sound like an ooey, gooey treat. I may be expanding my baking repertoire sometime soon …
They are sooo good. One of the best things I’ve made in a long time!!
Coffee in my chocolate = YES. Molten lava center = DOUBLE YES. These look amazing… And like something I need to make ASAP. They’ve been on my list for awhile now! Time to get bubbling!
Oh, NO. You cannot have made these so easy! Now I’ll bake and eat a bazillion. This is a new fave of mine, Averie!
I had no idea I could have a lava cake within 15 min but it looks like a short time in a hot oven makes it possible!! Ice cream and hot fudge on top are almost a necessity for me. These look too easy and so good!
They’d be perfect for you and Jon. And so easy! One of the best things I’ve made in ages!!
Molten chocolate is heaven! And hey- they’re pretty small, so devouring a whole one isn’t *too* bad. That’s what I try to tell myself, anyways.