Molten Chocolate Lava Cake


Chocolate Lava Cakes are so called because the center of the cake is a thick liquid chocolate that oozes out when cut, just like molten lava. These make a great individual dessert and, although pretty simple to make, will definitely impress your guests. Molten Cakes are more chocolate than flour, and that is what makes it rich and gooey. And no, it has nothing to do with Betty Crocker's recipe, just one bite and you’ll know why this intense, gooey chocolate sensation is one of the best crowd-pleasers!! It's really easy to make, so go ahead and try it yourself.



The major difference in molten cakes from regular ones is in the way its cooked, as you want the center to be liquid. So the general rule of thumb for individual cakes is to check with a toothpick after 10 minutes of baking. If you don't like liquid-center chocolate desserts, just cook for a little longer, and you will have an incredibly moist chocolate cake.



Ingredients

6 oz semi-sweet baking chocolate (I use ghiradelli's 70% dark chocolate bar)

6 oz butter (diced, at room temperature)

3 eggs

2 tbsp cocoa powder

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

butter for greasing ramekins



Method

Preheat oven to 350° F. Butter 6 small ramekins or muffin tins (use butter for best results, and not cooking spray) and set aside.



Melt the chocolate on low flame in a double boiler or microwave for 1 minute. Stir after 30 seconds, then add the butter and melt it again till smooth and creamy. Remember to stir after every 30 seconds so that it does not scorch or burn and remains smooth.



Sift together the flour and cocoa powder. In another bowl, beat eggs and sugar, until it starts to whiten. Stir in the melted chocolate and then the flour mixture.



Take the buttered individual ramekins, and pour in the chocolate batter. Do not fill upto the brim, keep some room to allow it to rise a little. Bake for about 8-10 mins at 350 degrees.



You can even microwave each ramekin for upto 2 mins instead of baking them. If using microwave, make sure you do only one ramekin at a time, and do not cook for more than 3 mins else it will turn hard. Check after 1 min, if the cake is still not sone, microwave in 1-second intervals until you get the desired hard crust and molten center. Molten cakes are ideal microwave cakes due to the liquid chocolate inside. It keeps them moist and soft.



Baking a Molten Cake

The outside of a molten cake will form a crust like any other cake, but the center should remain a thick liquid. Watch the tops of the cake to see how done they are. Touch the top of the cake with your finger. When done, you should be able to press down slightly on the cake and have it spring back but when you insert a toothpick into the cake, the toothpick should come out with wet batter on it. The trick is to cook the cakes as little as possible for a liquid center yet long enough that a firm cake-like exterior forms that won't fall apart when you take it out of the pan.



Serving Suggestions: Remove cakes from oven and let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Loosen the edges of the cakes with a paring knife and invert onto dessert plates. Serve warm topped with whipped cream! But I chose to serve these in the cups or ramekins itself; just dust with some confectioner's sugar and they are delicious just like that! I'm sending these to Srivalli who's hosting MEC-Cakes event this month.



Chocolate lava cakes can also be made ahead of time. Place them in an air tight container and refrigerate until needed. When ready to serve, microwave the cakes for approximately 30 seconds to melt the center again. This is a classic dessert, one of my favorites, and the microwave-recipe makes them really easy to prepare and a treat to the palette and the soul!



Similar Recipes:

Chocolate Cupcakes with Raspberry Filling

Chocolate Heart Cakes with Strawberry Topping

Warm Chocolate Muffins with Hot Sauce


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45 comments :

PG said...

This recipe sounds delicious and perhaps deceivingly simple.

Arundathi said...

Thats fabulous!! Its my favorite dessert in the world - especially when served with vanilla icecream. Thank you so much. I didn't realize I could even attempt to make them at home. Am definitely gonna try this!

Peter M said...

These are one of the best and easiest desserts.

Finla said...

OH I WANT TO HAVE THEM.
Looks so inviting.

Anonymous said...

simply wonderful!! its like a chocolate-lover's delight! I just love the betty crocker ones, now I'm gonna try making your recipe at home!:)

-sarah

kamala said...

thats awesome.... Mansi.

Unknown said...

It is mouthwatering recipe.Very well described.
Thanks for sharing the wonderful recipe.

ranji said...

OMG!!!this cake is sooooooo good....plz send me some:)

The Short (dis)Order Cook said...

Yum-my! This is one of my favorite desserts when I go out and it seems so easy to make at home. I don't know why I never do.

Actually, I know why I don't. They usually need to be served warm right out of the oven, and when I'm having a dinner party (which is the main reason I'd bake 6 cakes) I'm not likely to want to bother baking while the guests are there.

So I thank you for the microwave idea. You just solved the problem for me. Perhaps this will be for my next dinner.

Madhavi said...

This is simple and easy recipe, looks so good, tempting, mouth watering. I can eat this wwhole day:))

Jayashree said...

Sounds like a WOW inspiring party dish.....

Deepa Kuber said...

Cake looks awesome.. Name of the cake too is attractive.

AnuZi said...

ooooo chocolatey goodness. It looks amazing! you are truly talented chica.

Kalai said...

You are evil, girl... I'll be over later, so have some waiting! They look fabulous, Mansi!! :)

Richa said...

mmmmmm, now who wouldn't like that ;)

Vanamala Hebbar said...

WoW ... fantastic chocolate cake ummm .....

Mansi said...

anyone who wants to have a bit has an open invitation! I have some refrigerated just waiting to be microwaved:)

Kalai - you cannot call me evil after making those brownies gal!!:)

Uma said...

chocolate cake looks just like a lava, Mansi! Wonderful! Must have tasted great.

Mallika said...

I want some of this... NOW! Looks amazing and is super simple to make.

Deeba PAB said...

Spot on...sensational crowd pleasers! Lovely post. Made these from Dhanggit's blog a while ago with toblerone. Yet to post it...but they were to die for!!

Anonymous said...

I'm very sad that I cannot bake it, but am willing to gobble it. Can't you hear me knocking your door?

AYE Admin said...

Yuuuummmmmm! That's all I can say around the drool your post just instantly caused.

I wanted to let you know I've given you an award so go and check it out at

http://artyoucaneat.blogspot.com/2008/04/thanks-joy-this-blog-is-excellent.html

SMN said...

Recipe sounds so delicious and my mouth is watering..

Rachel said...

that's my favourite kind of cake with the awesome ooey gooey centre....nice one

Ramya's Mane Adige said...

oh wow!!! sounds delicious.... I am imagine the molten chocolate oozing out when u peirce through the cake!!!

amna said...

i had a lava cake first when i went to little italy.. it was so yummy!

Rosie said...

Thats just gorgeous!! Just let me dip my spoon in please!!!

Rosie x

Anonymous said...

that looks gorgeous! truly decadent, and I love the thought of eating cake out of a cup!

-amy

Anonymous said...

Looks absolutely yummy! I am such a chocoholic that I have to try this one out. I do make something similar, but this one, I got to try. Drooolllllll!!!

Srivalli said...

Thanks for the lovely entry!..

Coffee and Vanilla said...

Mansi, I will try it out very soon, I know you are good in making cakes so I can already taste it in my mind :)

Thank you for sharing this recipe,

Margot

Anonymous said...

I posted a link to your recipe with my site, I thought it was the best recipe I could find for Lava Cakes, now I gotta try making it myself.

Anonymous said...

Hey, I tried these cakes just now. Still have to taste but they look amazing. I tried them in the microwave and had this feedback. I put the first bowl for 4 minutes...the cake got burnt...I tried to take it easy for the second one and saw that it was done in 1 minute. The third one on i figured out that 45 seconds was enough to make the top and leave the centre moist. Do we have to keep at 50%power or somethin for the time you mentioned in the recipes?

Mansi said...

Hi Shriya!

thanks for trying this out, and also for exposing my mistake in typing out the times in the method!

I use regular m/w oven that most US homes have, so we don't have any % setting; but I asked my sis-in-lawy, and she confirmed that the setting does have to be at 50%!!

also, I put 2 large ramekins in my microwave at a time, checked them after 2 mins, and they weren't done; I like a harder crust on the top, so I put for another 1.5 mins. so the size of the ramekin/cup also matters...I even tried this with the Betty Crocker Molten cake - it needs 2.5 mins per cake.

So finally, I think the ideal time would be 1.5 mins per cup in regular m/w, or 2-2.5 mins per cup at 50% power in convection ovens.

also, make sure there's a turning table in the microwave for even heating, else the cakes will get burnt faster - in that case, reduce the cooking time...

I'll amend the recipe post with your input and my findings..thanks for taking time to share it with us, and I hope you do enjoy those cakes!:)

Anonymous said...

Hey Mansi,
Really nice of you to reply so promptly.
I think the size of ramekins does matter a lot. Mine are really small 1/2 cup capacity ones...
And wanted to tell you..you have a great site going here...
Thanks for the wonderful recipes..
Shriya

Anonymous said...

Hi!!
Do you think there is any way of making this beautiful cake without eggs or egg substitute (living in europe you dont get these things)? im vegan and molten chocolate cakes are my FAV! yumm.. hehe.

Anonymous said...

oh, and is it possible to make a molten cake in normal cake dimentions? or does it just collapse? maybe if i added some ground almonds to it?

Mansi said...

hi felice! yes, I think you can use 2 tbsp vinegar or 1/4 cup oil instead of eggs to make a vegan version, and would recommend using smaller ramekins rather than a full cake pan, just b'coz you have to keep stirring them every minute. You could try a medium-sized pyrex pan, but I haven't used one myself...

I haven't tried the vegan version at home, and it may not be as gooey as the egg-version, but there's no harm in trying:) let me know how it goes, and I might just learn an eggless recipe from you:)

btw, for a list of egg substitutes, here's a post that might be helpful:
http://funnfud.blogspot.com/2008/08/eggless-recipes-baking-substitutes-egg.html

Anonymous said...

I absolutely adore Chocolate lava cakes! It's my favorite! And the recipe sounds like something I might try!

Abhi said...

This works perfectly even if you use Egg replacers thus making the cake utterly vegetarian! Thanks for sharing......

Devi nair said...

hey this is soooooooooooo soooooooooooo sinful and soooo tempting.. thank u manasi for sharing this lovely cake recipe.... i am from hyderabad in India and i just cant find a semi sweet baking chococlate here...have been trying really hard to find one but just couldnt.. can u plzzz tell me if i can sbstitute it with some thing else? i do have coco powder or unsweetened coco..is that of any use here?

Mansi said...

Hi Devi, you can just use regular milk chocolate that you can find in India. A little sweeter dessert won't taste that bad:)

Devi nair said...

vowwww that was easy... thank u for this instant reply.was dying to make this coz i love chocolate...hope the milk chocolate will not affect the baking process coz have read somewhere that generally non dairy chocolates are used in baking.

kzi said...

wow,, i like it..
this is my favorite..

eve910 said...

i don't have an oven right now but love baking and chocolate and you really saved my life! this was absolutely amazing!