This chocolate lava cake is the molten ramekin dessert: dark chocolate, butter, eggs, and a liquid center you time, not a frosting. It is not a fudge brownie, not a layer cake, and not a pudding cake. Those stay on their own URLs. This page is the two-ramekin lava cake.
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Chocolate Lava Cake
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 2 cakes 1x
Description
Molten chocolate lava cakes baked in ramekins until the edges set and the center stays runny. From Your Daily Hit.
Ingredients
- 4 ounces (113g) bittersweet chocolate (60–70%), chopped
- 4 tablespoons (57g) unsalted butter, plus more for the ramekins
- 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder, for dusting
- 2 large eggs
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon fine salt
- 2 tablespoons (16g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Powdered sugar or vanilla ice cream, for serving
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Butter two 6-ounce ramekins and dust with cocoa. Tap out the extra. Set them on a small sheet pan.
- Melt the chocolate and butter over a double boiler or in short microwave bursts. Stir until smooth. Cool 3 minutes.
- Whisk the eggs, yolks, sugar, and salt until slightly thick, about 1 minute. Whisk in the chocolate, then the flour and vanilla just until no dry streaks remain.
- Divide the batter between the ramekins. Bake 12 to 14 minutes until the edges are set and the centers still jiggle in a nickel-sized spot.
- Rest 1 minute. Run a knife around the edge, invert onto plates, or eat from the ramekin. Dust with powdered sugar.
Notes
Underbaked is the point. If you wait until the top is fully firm, you have a brownie. The batter can wait 2 hours in the fridge; add 1 minute to the bake.
- Prep Time: 12 minutes
- Cook Time: 13 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: French-American
Lava cake, not a brownie
Brownies are a sheet you cut. This is a timed ramekin with a liquid center. Keep the keywords on this URL.
Substitutions
Double the recipe for four ramekins. Semisweet chocolate works; milk chocolate sets too soft. Gluten-free 1:1 flour is fine in this small amount.
Mistakes to avoid
Do not skip the cocoa dusting or the cake sticks. Do not open the oven every minute. Do not bake until the top is dry.
Storage
Best the minute they come out. Leftover cakes refrigerate 1 day and reheat 20 seconds in the microwave — the center will be thicker.
Nutrition (estimated)
About 480 calories per cake. Estimate only.
FAQ
Why did my lava cake set all the way through?
It baked a minute too long. Pull it when a small circle in the center still jiggles.
Can I make the batter ahead?
Yes. Fill the ramekins, cover, and refrigerate up to 2 hours. Add 1 minute to the bake.
Is this the same as a brownie?
No. Brownies are cut from a pan. Lava cake is an individual molten center.
What size ramekin should I use?
6-ounce ramekins. Larger ones spread the batter thin and overbake.