What… 2017 already ? The last year passed by faster than I realised. And it was good to me. Really good ! Just one disappointment – an unmet dream , which I am hoping and praying will no longer be a dream in 2017 ! I am the kind of person who gets all excited about new year and makes plans and . It doesn’t really bum me out that most of my plans don’t see the light of day. New year is a time to reach out , undo and start afresh .
Speaking of fresh, I am kind of experimenting with looks for the blog. I was really into the dark and brooding look for a while but felt like something more cheerful and upbeat before I started posting for the year !
And I am starting with what I made for dinner on the first (I saved one to photograph the next day!) . I have lost count of the number of times people have asked me to share a recipe for one . Somehow I put it off although I have made this recipe by Kirsten Tibballs several times now.
A chocolate lava cake or a molten chocolate cake (or a fondant!) is quite the perfect dessert if you ask me . If you haven’t made it already, you must try it. Let me tell you why.
Its individual sized , you don’t need to worry about clean slices and equal portions !
It’s warm and fulfilling during these chilly evenings.
That oozing lava is fun enough for kids and it’s dark and seductive enough for adults!
And this recipe can be made for an intimate two, a cozy 4 or a festive eight.
And … you can make these up to 2 days ahead. So just preheat your oven as you sit down for dinner , pop them in as you start clearing the dinner plates and they will be done just as everyone continues in post-dinner idle chatter.
Everyone will of course take a pause when they break into their little cakes and that luscious lava oozes out – and thats the best reason to make it!
Chocolate lava cake
Ingredients
- 65 grams or about 1/4 cup dark chocolate
- 75 grams or 1/3 cup unsalted butter
- 10 grams or 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 2 eggs at room temperature
- 75 grams or 6 tablespoons caster or fine granulated sugar
- 32 grams or 1/4 cup all purpose flour
Instructions
- Grease 4 ramekins or moulds (about 1/2 cup capacity) well with butter and dust liberally with cocoa powder. Shake off any excess.
- Melt the butter , chopped chocolate and cocoa powder together in the microwave or a double boiler until smooth.
- In another bowl , whisk together the eggs and sugar for few minutes until frothy.
- Whisk the chocolate- butter mixture into the egg-sugar mixture until smooth.
- Sift in the flour and whisk it in until you can't see flour anymore.
- Divide the batter among the prepared ramekins (about 3/4 th cups full)
- Chill for atleast an hour to upto 48 hours.
- When ready to bake , preheat your oven to 180 C / 350 F .
- Bake the cakes for 10-15 minutes (will take longer , the longer you have chilled them ) until the tops are domed and slightly cracked.
- Invert carefully onto your serving plate or serve in the ramekins after they are comfortable to touch.
Notes
If you don't have caster sugar, grind your regular granulated sugar slightly (one pulse).
Its best to check one ramekin first so you are sure not to over bake the insides, as baking times vary slightly due to oven , ramekin size and chilling times. But if you can't, do wait until the tops are domed and cracked ( above picture for reference!)
The cake is just gorgeous. It’s a rich , decadent sponge and just sweet enough. I would suggest you bake a trial one so you know what’s the right timing for that molten centre. And the trial one is yours to eat of course!
Happy new year guys … hope you have a great one full of love and cheer ! And lots of baking !
PS.. is it a total waste of thought to even consider making a resolution to lose weight when one has a baking and desserts blog !
Affiliate links : Just so you know, I have baked these lava cakes in my trusty Morphy Richards 52 Litre Oven 
Happy baking !
Hi Akshata,
I am a big fan of yours. I love your no fail recipe and also your write ups. Keep writing,they are really great to read.
I have a query ,can the choco lava cake be done as a one big 1.5 kg cake? Does it work by doubling or tripling the recipe or it should be done as smaller portions only.
Thanks.sugandha.
Hi Sugandha!! Thank you for your sweet words. The choco lava cake is meant for small mini cakes only. The same batter in large size would mean raw batter in the centre. You could try the Swedish ooey gooey cake I have on the blog. That has almost molten insides. Hope this helps!
Hi, which dark chocolate to use? any specific brand you suggest? I have never worked with chocolates .. your inputs will be helpful 🙂 TIA
Hi, Thank you for the excellent dessert recipe, It is nice to find gems like this one on your website. I love making cake and treats for my father in the winter months and ice cream in hot summer days.
Thanks much for this excellent recipe. My quest for a good chocolate Lava cake recipe ends here. Thanks to you!!
Great !! thanks for letting me know Asha …. happy baking !
Hello, thanks a million for the amazing and well explained recipe. Made this yesterday and it came out very well. Can’t tell you how excited I am ☺️ Thanks again 🙂
Wow Nithya.. your excitement is contagious ! Glad the cakes came out well and thank you for sharing your feedback !
Hi, can you please suggest egg less version of above lava cake. Thanks
Hi akshatha, can I replace butter with oil??
Hey Gayathri… i don’t think oil would work here Gayathri ….
Hi Akshatha,
If I am chilling it for say more than a day , approximately how long do I need to bake ? Does the time fall in between 10 to 15 mins or more than that? Thanks !
Hey Keerthana.. it will be around 15 minutes only. But peep in and check for domed , dry looking tops with cracks. That will tell you its done!
Lovely! Thank you so much for your quick reply.. Having guests over at our place tmw… Will let you know how it comes ! Have a wonderful day !
Yes..please do let me know ! Have a great day too…Happy baking !
Hi Akshatha,
Sorry. One more quick question. I am using milk chocolate instead of dark chocolate, do i need to reduce the quantity of sugar ?
Just a little bit- couple of tablespoons. Your baking time may change so keep an eye on it!
Nice post, things explained in details. Thank You.
Thank you!
Can I prepare the lava egg in advance and warm it up in the micro just before serving
Hi Ana.. yes you can !
Any replacement for eggs? ???
Looking tempting. …can I make it in microwave????
On which mode -microwave or convection? ?
HI Pooja… sorry, havent tried an eggless version of these yet but you can make it in microwave – in the convection mode 🙂
Really gorgeous! I will do this in coming weekend! Thanks Akshatha!
Great Suneetha…cant wait to hear your feedback !
, planning to try your superb and scrumptious looking lava cake, but with some initial queries 🙂
1) can I use the electric blender till the end?
2) can I use my silicone muffin moulding instead of Ramekins?
Thanks in advance
Hey Bharati.. you can use an electric blender . But make sure after adding flour , you don’t beat it too much. Just until flour can’t be seen. And you can use silicon moulds. Place the moulds on a plate or tray while baking so they are easier to move. And un mould carefully… Let me know if u try !