One of my m0st favorite desserts to make for Valentine’s Day or special occasions are molten lava cakes. If you’re not familiar with these special chocolate cakes you’re in for a real treat. Each cake is baked in individual cups (or cupcake tin) and served warm with a melt in your mouth chocolate liquid center (lava).
Don’t let the photo intimidate you from making these miniature decadent chocolate cakes from heaven. This recipe is really easy, quick to prepare and bake, forgiving, and will make you look like a rock-star. As a warning, if you dust them with a little powdered sugar, whipped cream, or a scoop of vanilla or mint ice cream, you may earn a reputation as a “Dessert Diva” and will be required to make these every time company comes over. And if you are a guy making this for your sweetie… trust me on this, chocolate is the way to a woman’s heart.
These cakes are as good as the ones you order in fancy restaurants not to mention for a lot less expensive. So if you’re looking for a great easy chocolate cake dessert to serve for your next romantic dinner or dinner may I suggest these molten lava cakes? Enjoy!
- 10 tablespoons (1¼ stick) butter
- 8 oz (1 cup) chocolate chips (any type of chocolate chips will work but I recommend semi-sweet or a combination of bitter and semi-sweet)
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1½ cups confectioners' (powdered) sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- OPTIONAL : 2 tablespoons coffee liqueur (Kahlua) OR 1 tsp. instant coffee powder
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Spray 6 -6 ounce custard (ramekin) cups or cupcake tin. In a medium microwavable bowl, melt chocolate chips and butter in the microwave for 60 seconds and then in 30 second increments until smooth (about 1.5-2 minutes total). Add flour and sugar to chocolate/butter sauce. Stir in the eggs and yolks until smooth. Add vanilla and coffee liqueur/instant coffee and mix everything until combined. Divide the batter evenly among the each cups. Place cups on top of a cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes. The edges should be firm but the center will be runny. Run a knife around the edges to loosen and invert onto dessert plates or you can serve each molten lava cake still in the cup.
Lisa says
I made this yesterday and they were perfect. I did add a tad more chocolate and a dash of salt. When I served this I did what I had been given on a cruise. I melted vanilla ice cream and poured it over the top. I then put a scoop ice cream on the side with a fanned out strawberry and a dollop of whip cream on the side. This was such a hit even my picky Mother in Law loved it and said it was what she had at a 5 star restaurant. Follow the cooking and temp it turned out perfectly I also made them in cupcake tins and re-heated them in the microwave I did two for 29 seconds and they were perfect. Beautiful presentation, thanks for the recipe.
Kristine says
can i use self- rising flour instead of all purpose flour? will it make a difference?
Angely Monagas says
I made these, and they were delicious! They were quick and easy to make, and not too messy or finicky. The only thing I would change was the cooking time, my oven tends to cook things faster, so they turned out more fudge like than molten lava. But they were still amazingly delicious and quite rich so a small serving is enough!
Guacamolefairy says
This is one of my favorite desserts, served alongside some vanilla or green tea ice cream. I lived this recipe. My family enjoyed it and raved about it. This recipe will go in my book of recipes for a lifetime!
cookie girl says
I loved the molten lava cakes. They were so fudgey and delicious. They are quick and easy to make. Especially, if you are hosting a party because you can make the mix before the party and when its time for dessert you can pop them into the oven for just 10 minutes. This recipe is easy to make looks great and tastes amazing! Don’t be afraid to be a little generous with the sugar and the chocolate.
Chloe says
No. It would ruin the recipe.
James says
I made this today and they were very good. I only had 5 eggs so I used 3 eggs + 2 yolks. It still worked but was likely less set-up then it may have been with 3 yolks. This recipe is very rich and also very good. I will make it again.
Melissa says
Mmmmmm i made these today…. And OMG are they delish!!!!! I made the recipe with chocolate chips, margarine and instant Starbucks mocha soooooooo good (hubby thinks so too lol) DEF making these again!
Liz says
I’ve always wanted a recipe for these, because I love eating them but hate spending so much money on the pre-made ones. I was so happy to come across this recipe — I had all the ingredients on hand and gave it a go. FANTASTIC! They taste exactly the way I was hoping. I scaled the recipe down to 2 and they worked perfectly in our little ramekins. Thank you so much for sharing it. 😀
Shae says
this recipe was good but it sucked
Caitlyn100 says
cucumber syrup!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Grace says
How long can this cake be preserved in the refrigerator if I do not plan to eat it soon?
Kate says
Hi! Quick question: i made this using a non stick cupcake tin and only a few came out good- the others stuck to the pan and caved in…I did use spray too….any suggestions on how to get them out in one piece??
Thanks!
Cailin Bailey says
This is the most amazing recipe ever!!! I make it every time I have guests!! Everyone loves it!
Kate says
This recipe was easy to follow… However, I had a hard time getting the chocolate to smooth.I think next time instead of chips, I will use a bar.
Other than that, it was very yum!
Caitlyn says
Faizaan February 1, 2012 at 6:19 pm
This recipe is GOLD!!!
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Rachel February 8, 2012 at 9:18 pm
I’ve been racking my brain to figure out what to make for my husband’s birthday dinner coming up this Sunday! I think I hit the jackpot here! Thank you, Alice!
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Kara February 9, 2012 at 2:39 am
These did not work out well for me. Sorry, I really wanted to love them. They just….weren’t very flavorful at all.
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Jenn February 9, 2012 at 3:33 pm
I made these for a practice round for Valentine’s Day and they came out perfect. I served it with vanilla ice cream and my husband said this was the best dessert I’ve ever made. Thank you so much for this recipe!
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Adelyn February 12, 2012 at 2:39 am
My husband made this for us for our Valentine’s Day Celebration – perfect with some ice cream and strawberries! Thanks for sharing.
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Cookie Monster February 13, 2012 at 12:17 pm
I ♥ Molten Lava Cakeee ☻ . It Is Delicious If You Serve It With A Ice – Cream Float .
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Byam February 16, 2012 at 12:30 pm
This recipe turned out perfectly! The outside was moist, but firm and the inside was perfectly filled with molten chocolate. I baked them for exactly 10 minutes using cupcake tins, which made 10 total cakes. Would love to try it with dark chocolate next time!!
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Joe February 23, 2012 at 10:34 pm
Three large eggs AND three egg yolks? No idea how that is different from six eggs! Help!!!
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M.S. February 24, 2012 at 4:33 pm
Really? 3 large and 3 yolk …3 yolk means JUST the yolk..not the white.
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Cupcake May 5, 2012 at 3:40 pm
1 egg consists of 1 egg white and 1 egg yolk.
Therefore, 3 large eggs means 3 egg whites and 3 eggs yolks.
Now split 3 more eggs and discard the whites. Add this to the other 3 eggs and you’ll have the 3 eggs and 3 egg yolks!
Good luck!
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M.S. February 27, 2012 at 1:03 pm
THIS IS A KEEPER, I can’t wait to make them again!! It was so easy, I literally made them while my guests were in the living room chatting, I whipped it all together, put them in the oven and Oh Man! They were a huge hit. I do have to work on my presentation a bit….but no one cared what they looked like once they took their first bite. I just served them with Ice Cream…match made in heaven!
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M.S. February 27, 2012 at 1:05 pm
P.S. I remember thinking it was very “eggy” while i was mixing it…but it’s the way it’s supposed to be…trust the recipe!
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Kerin March 5, 2012 at 11:52 am
Another wonderful recipe – thank you. I made these two nights ago for my family and it was easy and delicious. Very very rich, which I love. There were two leftover and I put them in the refrigerator until the next night and warmed them for about 25 second each in the microwave and they were perfect. It’s nice to know that they could be made ahead of time and still be amazing for guests if I’m not able to make them while the guests are here.
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opal March 10, 2012 at 10:37 pm
theses are amazing! i’d been experimenting fw/ different recipes for awhile, and this is the best one!
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Kinnera March 11, 2012 at 6:47 am
Fantastic recipe. Its utter simplicity and swiftness belies the decadence of outcome. Thank you for sharing it.
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TO March 24, 2012 at 1:56 am
Great recipe. Very easy and delicious. However, I just didn’t know what to use to spray the cups. I wasn’t able to invert the cakes into dessert plates. Any suggestions?
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Cassie June 10, 2012 at 3:39 pm
Pam with flour! Works great for me and a lot easier than greasing then flouring a pan!!
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Val May 8, 2012 at 9:13 pm
could you change powdered sugar to brown sugar?
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Kyla June 26, 2012 at 8:48 pm
Amazing recipe, just the warm liquid center I was hoping for! Was concerned about the number of eggs, but they turned out perfect, follow the recipe.
Covered in powdered sugar and served with strawberries and a little scoop of vanilla ice cream, it was the perfect dessert for our anniversary dinner.
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Micheal August 2, 2012 at 6:50 pm
Its was so good I can’t wait till I try it!!!!
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Micheal August 2, 2012 at 6:52 pm
I mean I can’t wait till I try it again! 🙂
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Nancy August 9, 2012 at 11:24 pm
I put them in the oven for 10 minutes, when I took em out they were still liquidy.. what should I do?
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Charles August 28, 2012 at 8:15 pm
This was truly a great recipe. I made this for my wife for her birthday and she was overwhelmed. She watches a lot of cooking shows and said it looked like “Top Chef” quality. I used rum extract which gave it a bold flavor all in all this is a great recipe will be doing it again and again and again.
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joe August 29, 2012 at 2:32 pm
this recipe is awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!yo!
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Caitlyn August 29, 2012 at 2:38 pm
this is a great recipe, i served it with raspberry’s and vanilla ice-cream
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Caitlyn August 30, 2012 at 5:07 pm
i s8cketh strawbewrries are blue and unicorns rock
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Caitlyn August 30, 2012 at 5:08 pm
ps i did notwrite that comment sierra did this recipe is excelent i would definately recommend it
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Caitlyn August 30, 2012 at 5:09 pm
ps i did notwrite that comment did this recipe is excelent i would definately recommend it
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Caitlyn August 30, 2012 at 5:11 pm
pink fluffy unicorns dancing on rainbowssgr7ybtvunighrvkblsyeguetkbv
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← Previous Comments
L
Caitlyn says
pink fluffy unicorns dancing on rainbowssgr7ybtvunighrvkblsyeguetkbv
Caitlyn says
ps i did notwrite that comment did this recipe is excelent i would definately recommend it
Caitlyn says
ps i did notwrite that comment sierra did this recipe is excelent i would definately recommend it
Caitlyn says
i s8cketh strawbewrries are blue and unicorns rock
Caitlyn says
this is a great recipe, i served it with raspberry’s and vanilla ice-cream
joe says
this recipe is awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!yo!
Charles says
This was truly a great recipe. I made this for my wife for her birthday and she was overwhelmed. She watches a lot of cooking shows and said it looked like “Top Chef” quality. I used rum extract which gave it a bold flavor all in all this is a great recipe will be doing it again and again and again.
Nancy says
I put them in the oven for 10 minutes, when I took em out they were still liquidy.. what should I do?
Micheal says
I mean I can’t wait till I try it again! 🙂