This decadent, dark chocolate lava cake will melt in your mouth and tickle your taste buds. Perfect for a holiday treat or a casual evening at home when you’re craving a simple chocolate treat. You will not believe how easy this recipe comes together. It can be made ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator until it is ready to bake.
This dark chocolate lava cake recipe has been a family favorite for years. I don’t remember where I originally stumbled upon the recipe. However, I do remember being asked to make dessert for Christmas dinner, made this yummy chocolate treat and the rest is history. Ever since, it has been our family Christmas dinner tradition.
In addition to being delicious, these lava cakes are so simple to make! Not only are they perfect for Christmas dessert, but you can divide the recipe to easily make a smaller portion. It would be perfect for a romantic Valentine’s dessert, or even a night when you just need chocolate (I have plenty of those nights). They can be refrigerated until ready to bake.
Using only a few staple ingredients, they come together very quickly. All you need is semi-sweet chocolate, butter, flour, cocoa powder and confectionery sugar, eggs, and a pinch of salt.
How to make dark chocolate lava cakes.
(printable recipe below)
- Butter your ramekin dishes and dust with cocoa powder. Set aside.
- Combine flour, cocoa powder, confectionery sugar and salt in a mixing bowl. Set aside.
- Whisk together eggs and egg whites in a separate mixing bowl. Set aside.
- In a double boiler, combine butter and semi-sweet chocolate. Let them melt together. Set aside to cool.
- Let semi-sweet chocolate and butter cool. After it has cooled, slowly combine it with the egg mixture.
- Finally, mix dry ingredients into wet until combined.
- Pour batter into individual baking dishes that have been buttered and dusted with cocoa powder.
- Bake at 420 for 15-20 minutes.
How to tell if your chocolate lava cake is done.
Testing your lava cake can be a little tricky. You want to keep the molten lava center, but you want the sides of the cake to be done. To test, take a wooden skewer and poke it into the chocolate lava cake. Make sure you insert it between the rim and the middle. The skewer should come out clean on the edge. However, as you move towards the center you want it to come out with a little bit of chocolate stuck to it. Be careful not to poke the skewer into the center of the cake, as it will cause the chocolate to ooze out.
Customize your chocolate lava cake.
I am sure you will agree, it doesn’t take a lot to make dark chocolate taste delicious. However, there are a few different ways I have made this decadent dessert even tastier! You can customize this staple recipe by:
- adding a little bit of espresso powder to the batter to make it mocha molten lava cake
- add a side of ripe, red raspberries as a garnish
- top with a dusting of confectionery sugar
- top it with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream
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Enjoy!
Simple, Decadent Chocolate Lava Cake
This decadent, dark chocolate lava cake will melt in your mouth and tickle your taste buds. It is perfect for a holiday treat or a casual evening at home when you’re craving an easy chocolate treat. You will not believe how easy this recipe comes together. It can be made ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator until it is time to bake. The recipe makes 6 individual cakes using 4 oz. ramekins.
- 20 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
- 1 cup butter
- 6 large eggs
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup confectionery sugar
- 4 Tbsp. cocoa powder
- 2 tsp. salt
- Butter and cocoa to dust ramekins
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Pre-heat the oven to 420 degrees.
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Brush ramekins with butter and dust with cocoa powder. Set aside.
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Melt butter and semi-sweet chocolate in a double boiler on the stove. Set off heat to cool.
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Mix flour, confectionery sugar, cocoa powder, and salt together in a mixing bowl. Set aside.
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Whisk eggs and egg yolks together in a mixing bowl. Set aside
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After the chocolate has cooled, mix with the eggs. Combine dry ingredients and mix until smooth.
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Fill each ramekin with cake batter. Leave 1/2″ to the top of the ramekin.
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Bake for 15-20 minutes.
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Test cake to make sure it is done.
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Once done, remove cake from the ramekin. Cut around each cake with a knife to loosen it. Next, hold a plate over the ramekin and flip the ramekin over using oven mitts. The cake will fall onto the plate.
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Dust with powdered sugar, or a scoop of vanilla ice cream and serve.
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Enjoy!
If you are looking for more easy, and tasty dessert recipes. Try my 15-minute Peanut Butter fudge recipe. It will knock your socks off. Seriously, it is the best peanut butter fudge I have ever tried.