Chocolate Molten Lava Cakes (Chocolate Fondant Cakes)

User Reviews

5.0

48 reviews
Excellent
  • Prep Time

    15 mins

  • Cook Time

    15 mins

  • Total Time

    26 mins

  • Servings

    4 servings

  • Calories

    641 kcal

  • Course

    Dessert

  • Cuisine

    European, French

Chocolate Molten Lava Cakes (Chocolate Fondant Cakes)

These chocolate molten lava cakes are ready in under 30 minutes, with only a 15 minute prep time. Easy, delicious and impressive chocolate desserts that can be made ahead of time and frozen for later too. With gluten free, dairy free, and sugar free options.EASY - Perfect dessert for novice bakers. Please use oven mitts when handling baked ramekins, since this dessert needs to be served while still warm. This recipe will make 4 regular lava cakes. OR about 7 cupcake-sized lava cakes. Please use weight measurements for accurate, consistent results. US based cup, teaspoon, tablespoon measurements. Common Measurement Conversions. 

I Made This!

Be the first!

Save this

Be the first!

Ingredients

Servings
  • 7 oz semisweet chocolate chips 55% cocoa content, approximately 1 cup + 3 tbsp
  • 4 oz unsalted butter 1 stick of butter, see DF substitutions in recipe notes below
  • ½ tsp sea salt or just ¼ tsp if you don’t like a hint of saltiness in your cakes
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract or bourbon or rum
  • 2.3 oz white sugar about ⅓ cup
  • 2 whole eggs large
  • 2 egg yolks from large eggs
  • 0.7 oz AP flour or 2 tbsp, see GF substitutions in recipe notes below
  • Extra butter and cocoa powder to dust ramekins I use 6 oz ramekins here
  • Confectioner’s sugar and berries to serve
Add to Shopping List

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 400°F / 205°C.
  2. Generously butter four, ½ cup ramekins, and dust them with cocoa powder. Set aside until needed.
  3. Place the butter, chocolate, and salt in a large microwave-safe bowl.
  4. Melt the ingredients in the microwave in 30 second increments, while stirring in between. This should take approximately 60 - 90 seconds. You can also melt the butter and chocolate in a double boiler.
  5. Stir the sugar and vanilla into the warm butter-chocolate mixture.
  6. Next, add the eggs and yolks, and whisk them in well. You should end up with a “gloopy” chocolate batter.
  7. Whisk in the flour.
  8. Pour the batter into the prepared ramekins. Make sure they are no more than ¾ of the way full, since they will rise as they bake. If you're not baking the cakes right away, cover the ramekins with plastic wrap and freeze / refrigerate for later. 
  9. Place the ramekins on a baking tray and transfer the tray into the preheated oven. The cakes will take about 11 minutes to bake in metal ramekins. In glass / porcelain ramekins, they may take about 12 minutes. (See recipe notes below for baking times for frozen cakes.)
  10. When the cakes are done, remove them from the oven, and let them rest for about 30 seconds (no more than a minute).
  11. Using a towel / cloth napkin, turn the cakes out onto serving plates (be careful, as the ramekins will be very hot, and may be slippery too). Tap the top of the ramekin with a spoon to loosen the cake, and gently remove the ramekin to reveal the cake underneath. Serve immediately while the cakes are still warm. 
  12. Dust the cakes with confectioner's sugar, and serve with raspberries or strawberries (or other toppings of your choice).

To make lava cakes in a cupcake pan

  1. Butter and dust cocoa powder in 7 to 8 cupcake cavities. Make sure that they are well coated so that the cakes come out easily and cleanly.
  2. Pour about 70 - 72 g of batter into each cavity (or until 3/4 of the way full).
  3. Bake in preheated 400°F / 205°C oven for 7 - 8 minutes.
  4. While the cakes are baking, get a parchment paper (to fit the half sheet baking pan), and the half sheet baking pan ready.
  5. Once the cakes are baked, remove them from the oven. Place the parchment paper over the cakes, followed by the baking pan (upside down).
  6. Using oven mitts, carefully flip over the cupcake tray and baking tray together. Then carefully remove the cupcake tray, and the cakes should now have been transferred onto the parchment paper.
  7. Use a thin metal spatula (large angular spatula, brownie spatula, or fish spatula) and slide it under a mini lava cake and carefully lift it off the parchment paper.
  8. Immediately transfer to your serving plate. Repeat with all the cakes.
  9. Serve immediately while still warm.

Notes

  • DAIRY FREE - use vegan butter or a dairy free margarine instead of regular butter.
  • GLUTEN FREE - replace the 2 tbsp flour with 1 tbsp cornstarch OR 2 tbsp gluten free flour (1:1 gluten free flour substitute).
  • Metal ramekins
  • Refrigerated porcelain ramekins with thicker walls
  • Metal ramekins
  • Porcelain ramekins with thicker walls
  • Set microwave power to 40% or 50%. 
  • Heat the cake in the microwave for 15 seconds (at a time) until it feels warm to the touch (this should prevent the cakes from getting overcooked). For mini cupcake lava cakes, 15 seconds is usually enough. 
  • For regular-sized lava cakes, you may need up to 30 seconds (i.e. two 15 second increments). 
  • Refrigerated chocolate molten cakes - Metal ramekins take about 11 ½ minutes. Refrigerated porcelain ramekins with thicker walls will take about 12 ½ minutes.
  • Frozen chocolate molten cakes - Metal ramekins take about 12 - 12 ½ minutes. Porcelain ramekins with thicker walls will take about 13 - 13 ½ minutes.

Nutrition Information

Show Details
Serving 1cake Calories 641kcal (32%) Carbohydrates 46g (15%) Protein 7g (14%) Fat 46g (71%) Saturated Fat 27g (135%) Cholesterol 243mg (81%) Sodium 189mg (8%) Potassium 321mg (9%) Fiber 4g (16%) Sugar 35g (70%) Vitamin A 980IU (20%) Calcium 61mg (6%) Iron 4mg (22%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 641 kcal

% Daily Value*

Serving 1cake
Calories 641kcal 32%
Carbohydrates 46g 15%
Protein 7g 14%
Fat 46g 71%
Saturated Fat 27g 135%
Cholesterol 243mg 81%
Sodium 189mg 8%
Potassium 321mg 7%
Fiber 4g 16%
Sugar 35g 70%
Vitamin A 980IU 20%
Calcium 61mg 6%
Iron 4mg 22%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Genuine Reviews

User Reviews

Overall Rating

5.0

48 reviews
Excellent

Write a Review

Drag & drop files here or click to upload
Other Recipes

You'll Also Love

Chocolate Caramels Recipe

European, French
5.0 (12 reviews)

Rhubarb Pie with blueberries

European
5.0 (6 reviews)

Pickled Cherries

European, American
5.0 (6 reviews)

How to make marzipan

European, American
5.0 (3 reviews)

Brown Butter Butterscotch Chocolate Fudge Sauce

European, American, Canadian
5.0 (9 reviews)

Strawberry Chocolate Brownie Trifle

European, American, Canadian
5.0 (15 reviews)

Simple Dark Moist Fruitcake

European, American
5.0 (9 reviews)

Pastel de Nata or Portuguese Egg Tarts

Asian, European
5.0 (30 reviews)

Swiss Roll

European, Australian, British
5.0 (3 reviews)

Almond Rock (Almond Toffee)

European, Australian, British, New Zealand
5.0 (3 reviews)

Red Wine Chocolate Cake

European, International
5.0 (3 reviews)

Apple Olive Oil Cake

European, Mediterranean, Greek
5.0 (3 reviews)

Apple Custard Pie with Cinnamon and Raisins

European, American
5.0 (3 reviews)

French Macarons

European, French
5.0 (6 reviews)

Classic English Eton Mess Recipe

European
5.0 (102 reviews)