With their fancy name and presentation, chocolate lava cakes sound a lot more daunting than they actually are to make. The basic ingredients you need are just butter, chocolate, sugar, eggs, and flour (but we add some espresso powder and vanilla extract to take things up a notch). If you're looking for a show-stopping dessert to impress the chocolate lover in your life, this is it. Warm and gooey, these mini cakes are the perfect dessert to present for any special or romantic occasion (Valentine's Day anyone?). Keep reading on for all of our top tips on how to re-create the restaurant favorite right at home:
Top tips for making chocolate lava cakes:
— Use room-temperature eggs. It’s very important to use room-temperature eggs in this recipe so that the batter comes together smoothly without breaking. If you need a shortcut, place your eggs in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes to bring them to room temperature.
— The best chocolate to use for lava cakes. We prefer semisweet chocolate chips for this recipe. Splurge on quality baking chocolate for this recipe if you can—it'll give you the richest, meltiest center possible.
— How to know your lava cakes are done. When the tops of the cake can no longer jiggle, 8 to 9 minutes, remove and let set for 5 minutes.
— How to remove your lava cakes. Place a baking sheet on top of your muffin tin pan, flip, and voila! Your lava cakes are ready to be broken into to reveal all of that chocolate goodness.
Serving ideas:
While these cakes are luxuriously rich all on their own, they also pair perfectly with a variety of sweet additions. Dust on some powdered sugar, serve with sliced fruit, or top with vanilla ice cream to really take these cakes over the top.
Can I make them ahead of time?
If you'd like to start prepping this dessert ahead of time, you can make the batter up to two days before baking. Prep your batter (or go ahead and fill your muffin tin with the batter), cover tightly, and store in the fridge. Bring your mixture to room temp before baking.
Made this? Let us know how it went in the comment section below!
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- Yields:
- 1 dz.
- Prep Time:
- 10 mins
- Total Time:
- 50 mins
Ingredients
- 1/2 c.
(1 stick) butter, room temperature, plus more for muffin tins
Unsweetened cocoa powder, for dusting
- 1/2 c.
(100 g.) granulated sugar
- 6
large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tsp.
pure vanilla extract
- 1 c.
(120 g.) all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp.
espresso powder
- 1 tsp.
kosher salt
- 2 2/3 c.
semisweet chocolate chips, melted
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting
Vanilla ice cream, for serving (optional)
Directions
- Step 1Preheat oven to 400°. Generously grease a standard 12-cup muffin tin with butter. Dust with cocoa powder, tapping out excess.
- Step 2In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat granulated sugar and 1/2 cup butter until fluffy and smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating to blend after each addition. Beat in vanilla until combined. Gradually beat in flour, espresso, and salt until just combined and smooth. Fold in chocolate with a spatula until incorporated. Divide batter among prepared cups, filling one-half to three-quarters of the way full.
- Step 3Bake cakes just until tops no longer jiggle, 7 to 9 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes.
- Step 4Place a large baking sheet on top of muffin tin. Holding both pans together, flip to invert cakes onto baking sheet. Quickly transfer to serving plates, bottom sides up.
- Step 5Dust with confectioners' sugar. Serve with ice cream alongside (if using).
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