This chocolate lava cake is so rich, fudgy, and downright indulgent. You won’t believe how easy this heavenly chocolate dessert is to make!
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here. This recipe was originally posted on Feb 20, 2015, we’ve tweaked it a bit since then.
The best part about this chocolate lava cake is that it can be made hours in advance, and refrigerated until ready to serve. If you want to impress your guests with a warm dessert, this chocolate lava cake recipe is ready in a matter of minutes!
How to make a chocolate lava cake
- Melt the butter and chocolate chips over a double boiler. Then, in a separate bowl, beat the eggs until they become foamy and add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and melted chocolate.
- Now sift the flour in and whisk all the ingredients together until the chocolate batter is smooth.
- Pour the chocolate lava cake batter into the greased 4oz ramekins and bake at 410 degrees Fahrenheit for 8 minutes.
Try some of my other great chocolate desserts
How to remove chocolate lava cake out of ramekin
- The best way to remove the lava cake out of the ramekin is by making sure to grease it generously prior to filling with the lava cake batter. If you don’t, it will stick too much.
- The lava cakes will be super hot when you take them out of the oven, so don’t try to flip it with your hands at lightning speed (obviously, you’ll burn yourself). Instead, place a small plate on top of the ramekin, then grab the side of the ramekin with a kitchen towel and flip it over. And voila its all in one glorious piece, so you can go ahead and Instagram it.
- If you’re too impatient for this step, don’t even bother taking it out, just top it with some fine quality vanilla ice cream and berries, and eat it right out of the ramekin. We won’t judge 🙂
Can I make chocolate lava cake ahead of time?
- Sure thing! Once you pour the batter into the greased ramekins, cover each lava cake with cling wrap and place in the refrigerator. Once you’re ready to bake the lava cakes, bake at 410 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes.
How long can I keep chocolate lava cake in the fridge?
- You can keep the lava cakes refrigerated for up to 2-3 days before baking.
Can you freeze molten lava cakes?
- Yes, you can. Cover each molten lava cakes with cling wrap and keep frozen for up to 3 months. Bake the frozen lava cakes at 410 degrees Fahrenheit for 11 minutes.
Watch here for Chocolate lava cake VIDEO
Chocolate Lava Cake
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
8 mins
Total Time
23 mins
Decadent molten chocolate lava cake that goes perfectly with a scoop of ice cream.
Course:
Dessert
Cuisine:
American
Keyword:
chocolate lava cake
Servings: 7 lava cakes
Calories: 420 kcal
Ingredients
- 7 4 oz ramekins
- 12 oz semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 1/2 stick of butter
- 3 eggs
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 3/4 cup flour
Instructions
-
Preheat your oven to 410 degrees Fahrenheit. Over a double boiler, melt butter and chocolate chips . Keep stirring until it reaches a smooth silky consistency.
-
In a bowl, lightly beat the eggs and egg yolk. Then beat in the powdered sugar, vanilla, and melted chocolate. Sift the flour with a mesh strainer and whisk it into the chocolate mixture.
-
Spray each ramekin with nonstick spray and fill with the batter. Make sure NOT to fill each one all the way to the top. I used 4 oz ramekins.
-
Place each filled ramekins on a baking sheet and bake for 8 minutes.If you refrigerate your lava cakes, bake them for about 10-12 minutes.
-
Once they're done, flip them over onto a plate. Or you can always eat them straight out of the ramekin if you prefer not to flip them. Serve warm with berries or ice cream.
Nutrition Facts
Chocolate Lava Cake
Amount Per Serving
Calories 420
Calories from Fat 189
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 21g
32%
Saturated Fat 11g
55%
Cholesterol 101mg
34%
Sodium 35mg
1%
Potassium 315mg
9%
Total Carbohydrates 48g
16%
Dietary Fiber 4g
16%
Sugars 30g
Protein 7g
14%
Vitamin A
3.3%
Calcium
4.6%
Iron
22.7%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Cesarina says
May 31, 2019 at 1:48 amHello! Thank you for sharing this recipe.
I wanted to ask if is possible to half bake them and finishing them up in the microwave.
I’m looking for a faster way to serve them, I’m planning my birthday and I won’t have an oven and the time to bake time at the moment.
Thank you for helping
simplyhomecooked says
May 31, 2019 at 9:44 amHi Cesarina, I’ve heard of people making mug cakes similar to lava cakes in the microwave but I have never tried it for myself. So I am not too sure how long you would need to microwave the cake to ensure it gets baked properly.
Mariam says
May 30, 2019 at 3:29 pmHi can i use aluminum cups instead of ramekins??
And how long should i bake them?tnx
simplyhomecooked says
June 5, 2019 at 10:36 pmHi Mariam, you can use aluminum cups, which are thinner than ramekins so the chocolate lava cake will bake faster. I have never tried them in aluminum cups so I am not sure how long exactly they will bake for.
Elen P says
April 25, 2019 at 7:21 pmCan I use a non stick muffin pan instead of ramekins?
If yes, for how long should I bake and temperature?
simplyhomecooked says
April 26, 2019 at 6:46 pmHi Elen, I’ve never tried using this method so I can’t say too much on how to results will be. If you do use a muffin tin, the lava cakes will bake faster since the metal is thinner than a ramekin. Sorry, I’m not much help.
Jennifer says
October 31, 2018 at 7:33 amCan i use baking chocolate (like the Ghiradelli bars) instead of chocolate chips?
simplyhomecooked says
October 31, 2018 at 2:32 pmHi Jennifer, yes you most definitely can.
Teju says
January 20, 2018 at 5:30 amI plan to bake the cake for about 200 guests. My place where I plan to bake it is a distance to the events place where the guests will be. How do I go about this in order to keep it warm. If I may ask, must the cake be served warm? Also if possible can you give me the recipe for 100guests? Thank you
simplyhomecooked says
January 23, 2018 at 12:12 amHi Teju, these lava cakes are meant to be served warm. I’m not too sure how you would keep them warm when you have a distance to drive. If you multiply the recipe by 15 you should have about 100-105 lava cakes. Hope that helps 🙂
Karen says
December 30, 2017 at 1:51 pmCan I use 3 oz ramikins? I have 8 that size. How will that change the cooking time?
simplyhomecooked says
December 31, 2017 at 9:20 amHi Karen, yes you can use 3 oz ramekins but they will bake faster. I’m not too sure how much faster though.
Zahida says
October 5, 2017 at 4:46 amHi
How many grams is 1 1/2 stick of butter
simplyhomecooked says
October 9, 2017 at 10:41 am170 grams = 1 1/2 sticks butter
Sangeeta says
July 8, 2017 at 7:01 amLoved your recipe…very easy to try and I am sooo happy i could finally find an easy and exact recipe for lava cakes …kids loved them! Thank you!!
simplyhomecooked says
July 9, 2017 at 1:10 pmThank you Sangeeta! Glad your kids loved the lava cakes 🙂
Jamie says
May 28, 2017 at 4:06 pmJust now made them. Omg they came out amazing and tasted amazing as well. Perfect quick luscious dessert.
simplyhomecooked says
May 30, 2017 at 6:12 pmThank you for such a wonderful review Jamie!
Peggy says
May 29, 2019 at 12:45 amCrazy question… How does this happen? And is the lava part unbaked cake?
simplyhomecooked says
May 29, 2019 at 2:55 pmHi Peggy, the way you get the molten center in a lava cake is by baking it almost completely. If your’e worried about it being raw in the middle, salmonella dies at 150 degrees Fahrenheit so it should be safe to eat. If that still worries you, you can always use pasteurized eggs 🙂 Hope that helps.
Rachel says
February 8, 2017 at 7:15 pmI promised a student I would bake these for them. I teach all day & there is no way I could bake them right before class. Could I bake the lava cakes & then refrigerate them? Maybe let them come to room temp or put them in the Mike just to get them warm?
simplyhomecooked says
February 9, 2017 at 1:14 amHi Rachel, since you are teaching all day, refrigerating and microwaving later would probably be your best option. I’ve never tried microwaving lava cakes before, so I can’t say they will taste just as good. But theoretically your method should work.
Trish says
January 15, 2017 at 10:21 amIf you make them in advance, do you pre-bake them and refrigerate, then bake again for 10-12 minutes when ready to serve? Or do you refrigerate the batter in the ramekins, then bake them?
simplyhomecooked says
January 16, 2017 at 1:52 amHi Trish, if you want to make them in advance, refrigerate the batter in the ramekins unbaked.
Bob213 says
September 20, 2016 at 12:54 pmCan I make these in foil cupcake liners? How much would you reduce cooking time?
simplyhomecooked says
September 22, 2016 at 4:05 pmYou can bake the lava cakes in the foil cupcake liners, but you would have to eat them right out of the liner. Otherwise if you try removing the lava cake from the liner, it will fall apart. Baking time should be the same. Hope that helps 🙂
Grace says
July 19, 2016 at 2:50 pmIf I refrigerate them, how long should I heat them up for?
simplyhomecooked says
July 22, 2016 at 12:34 amHi Grace, in step #4 I mentioned that you will need to bake it for 10-12 minutes if you refrigerate them before.
Simona says
June 5, 2015 at 7:13 amThis is one of my favourite dessert. I’m looking forward to making this recipe soon.
simplyhomecooked says
June 5, 2015 at 7:15 pmSimona, let me know how it turns out 🙂
Valentina says
May 29, 2015 at 4:14 pmLol. Yes I asked my mamma about you guys and your parents were at my wedding. Small world 🙂
simplyhomecooked says
May 29, 2015 at 6:07 pmNo kidding! That’s so awesome 🙂
Sharon says
May 11, 2018 at 3:09 amI love how by food and recipes you connected to family! Just going through recipes for a dinner party tomorrow so fingers crossed this works for me. I’m a wedding cake baker but come to finicky deserts such as hoping it is gooey I’m all fails! Lol
simplyhomecooked says
May 12, 2018 at 3:29 pmLet me know how it turns out Sharon!:)
Valentina says
May 28, 2015 at 2:49 amLol that’s too funny. I am a Rusev as well! I used to live in South Carolina but got married and now live in Everett. I have a ton of family in Tacoma that I haven’t met.. who knows you might be one of them! Lol I made this the other day and it turned out amazing! Thank you for the recipe!
simplyhomecooked says
May 28, 2015 at 9:11 pmI just asked my mom about you… your dad and my mom are cousins! And our moms were best friends. How awesome is that? I’m so happy you enjoyed the lava cake Valentina 🙂
Valentina says
May 24, 2015 at 1:48 amI only have 4 ramekins and was wondering if I can pour the batter into the the ramekins and keep the rest in a bowl until my first batch is complete? Also if I was to make this ahead of time and refrigerated would it take longer to bake if the batter is cold? On your about me section you mention Bulgarian food. Are you Bulgarian?
simplyhomecooked says
May 25, 2015 at 4:13 amValentina, you can definitely make the first batch ahead of time and reserve the rest in a bowl. but you don’t want to keep it refrigerated for too long because the batter will get really thick. The cold batch will take a little longer to bake. And yes I am half Bulgarian. My mother is full Bulgarian. Her maiden name is actually Rusev 🙂 Where are you from?
Kim says
March 20, 2015 at 10:27 pmyour recipe states not to fill to the top, so how full should I fill it percentage wise? 80%? 90%? using 4 ounce ramikins
admin says
March 21, 2015 at 2:11 amFill each 4 oz ramekin to about 90%