Lava cake, this is THE perfect baking recipe to fit into the category of little effort, big effect! Surprise your loved ones with this scrumptious dessert after a lovely meal during the Holidays, a dinner party or even for Valentine’s day.
These molten chocolate lava cakes with their delicious gooey center are easy to make and a real crowd-pleaser!
Moulleux au chocolat
Lava cake, also known as moulleux au chocolat, is a chocolate cake with a gooey chocolate center. Lava cakes come in all shapes and sizes. They come with a chocolate center, but also with caramel, lemon and even peanut butter. Today we’re going for the classic chocolate, ’cause who doesn’t like chocolate?
Another great festive dessert is this gorgeous ice cream cake, very easy to make and guaranteed to impress your guests!

Perfect dessert for a chocolate lover
Lava cakes are often seen as a difficult dessert. However, the opposite is true, as it is actually quite an easy dessert to make. You really only need a few ingredients to make a delicious chocolate lava cake. The eggs are beaten with sugar, this method together with a bit of baking soda makes for a deliciously airy cake. You just have to make sure to get the oven time just right!
If it’s baked for too long you’ll have a firm chocolate cake (a tasty one, but without the gooey filling) and if it’s taken out of the oven too soon it will fall apart on your plate. My tip? Test the recipe. Especially if you are going to make lava cakes for a large(er) group of people for the holidays, every oven is different so it’s always a good idea to try it out beforehand!
Easy chocolate molten lava cakes
Keep an eye on the lava cake for the last few minutes of baking. When the cake is in the oven and has risen slightly (after about 13 minutes) and the top is just about cooked, the cake is perfect. The middle may be slightly runny but the edges should feel firm.
I like to use individual ramekins, you can use ceramic, glass or porcelain pots as long as they are oven-proof and have a diameter of about 10 centimeters / 4 inches. Serve them with a dusting of powdered sugar, fresh berries, or even some poached pears.. Don’t forget to add a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream and enjoy!


Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- 2 egg yolks
- 75 gram sugar
- 175 gram unsalted butter
- 175 gram dark chocolate chips
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 75 gram all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp baking soda
- Extra butter and cocoa powder for preparing the ramekins
Equipment
- Hand mixer
- Food processor
- Large bowl
- Spatula
- 6 Ramekins
INSTRUCTIONS (how to make this recipe):
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius / 390 Fahrenheit top and bottom heat.
- In a large bowl with a hand mixer or food processor, beat the eggs and yolks with the sugar for about 5 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Meanwhile, melt the butter, chocolate chips and vanilla extract au bain marie (or in a microwave with 10 second intervals).
- When the butter and chocolate have melted, take of the heat and carefully stir in the egg and sugar mixture.
- Finally, add the flour and baking soda until you have a nice batter.
- Grease the ramekins with a little butter and sprinkle some cocoa powder around the ramekins to make it easier to remove the cake after baking (I use cocoa powder because flour can leave a whitish film on the cake.) Pour the batter into the ramekins.
- Put the ramekins in the oven for about 13-14 minutes. Take them out of the oven, place a dish on top of the ramekins, turn them over and remove the ramekins. Repeat one by one.
- Serve with a little powdered sugar, a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side, whipped cream and/or some fruit. Enjoy!
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