Chocolate Lava Cakes Molten (Print)

Rich chocolate lava cakes with a soft, gooey center, perfect for elegant dessert occasions.

# What You Need:

→ Chocolate Mixture

01 - 4 oz high-quality dark chocolate (60–70% cocoa), chopped
02 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing

→ Batter

03 - 2 large eggs
04 - 2 large egg yolks
05 - 3/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted
06 - 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
07 - 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
08 - Pinch of salt

→ For Serving (optional)

09 - Powdered sugar, for dusting
10 - Fresh berries
11 - Vanilla ice cream

# How To Make It:

01 - Preheat oven to 425°F. Generously butter four 6-ounce ramekins and dust with cocoa powder or flour, tapping out excess.
02 - Using a double boiler, melt dark chocolate and butter together, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
03 - Whisk eggs, egg yolks, and powdered sugar in a separate bowl until thick, pale, and foamy, approximately 2 minutes.
04 - Gently whisk the melted chocolate mixture into the egg mixture until combined. Add vanilla extract and salt.
05 - Sift flour over the batter and fold in gently until just blended; avoid overmixing to maintain texture.
06 - Divide batter evenly among prepared ramekins, filling each approximately three-quarters full.
07 - Place ramekins on a baking sheet and bake for 11 to 13 minutes until edges are set but centers remain soft and slightly jiggly.
08 - Let cakes cool for 1 minute, then run a knife around the edges, invert onto serving plates, and remove ramekins.
09 - Dust with powdered sugar and serve immediately with fresh berries and vanilla ice cream, if desired.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The molten center oozes out warm and silky, turning every bite into something that feels like a quiet celebration.
  • These bake in under fifteen minutes, so you can pull off an impressive dessert without spending your whole evening in the kitchen.
  • They look fancy plated with berries and ice cream, but the recipe is forgiving enough that even your second attempt will turn out beautifully.
02 -
  • Timing is everything—underbake slightly if you want a gooey center, but even one extra minute can turn them into regular chocolate cakes.
  • Buttering and dusting the ramekins well is not optional; I skipped it once and had to scrape the cake out in pieces.
  • Room temperature eggs whisk faster and blend into the chocolate more evenly, which gives you a smoother batter.
03 -
  • Use ramekins that are all the same size so the cakes bake evenly—mismatched sizes mean some will be underdone and others overbaked.
  • Watch for that gentle jiggle in the center when you shake the pan; that's your sign the molten core is perfect.
  • Let the cakes rest for exactly one minute before inverting, or they'll collapse, but any longer and they start sticking to the ramekins.

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