Chocolate Lava Cakes
- Yield: 4 cakes (6 oz / 170 ml ramekins)
- Time:
- 10 min active
- 12–16 min bake
Ingredients
- Unsalted butter: 115 g (1/2 cup), plus extra for greasing
- Dark or semisweet chocolate: 170 g (about 1 cup chopped, 60–70%)
- Granulated sugar: 100 g (1/2 cup)
- Eggs: 2 large + 2 large yolks
- All-purpose flour: 30 g (1/4 cup)
- Fine salt: 1/4 tsp
- Vanilla extract or instant espresso powder (optional): 1 tsp
- Cocoa powder: Enough to dust ramekins
Instructions
1. Preparation
- Preheat oven to 425°F / 220°C.
- Grease 4 ramekins with butter and dust with cocoa. Set on a baking sheet.
2. Melt chocolate and butter
- Melt together:
- Microwave: 20-second bursts, stirring between each.
- Double boiler: bowl over simmering water, stir until smooth.
- Cool 3–5 min.
3. Whisk eggs and sugar
- In a bowl, whisk 30–60 sec until slightly thickened:
4. Combine
- Whisk the melted chocolate mixture into the egg mixture.
- Sift flour over the top and fold just until no dry spots remain.
- Stir in vanilla or espresso, if using.
5. Fill ramekins
- Divide batter evenly among ramekins.
- For extra-molten centers, chill the filled ramekins 10–15 min.
6. Bake
- Bake until edges are set and the top is matte, but the center (about 1 in / 2–3 cm circle) is soft and jiggles when nudged.
- From room temp: 12–14 min
- From chilled: 14–16 min
7. Finish
- Rest 1 min.
- Loosen edges with a thin knife, invert onto plates, wait 10 sec, then lift off.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
- Doneness cue: if the top is shiny all over, bake 1–2 min more; if no jiggle remains, it is overbaked (still tasty, more like a brownie cake).
- Make-ahead: fill, cover, and refrigerate up to 24 h (bake 14–16 min) or freeze up to 1 month (bake 16–18 min).
- Variation: press a 10–12 g square of chocolate, caramel, or peanut butter into the center before baking for a guaranteed lava core.