Molten chocolate lava cake is an iconic treat with a liquid “lava” center: the ideal dessert recipe for chocolate lovers!

Here’s an iconic dessert that’s the pure definition of decadence: Molten Chocolate Lava Cake! It gets its name from its liquid “lava” center, which flows like a volcano when you dig into it with a fork. Are you a chocolate lover licks the batter off spatulas when baking? (Guilty.) Then you’ll be head over heels for this one. Turns out, it’s not as tricky as you think! But there are a few things to know to fail-proof this classic chocolate dessert.

History of lava cake

Lava cake, chocolate lava cake or molten lava cake is a small chocolate cake that’s intentionally under-baked so that the center is still liquid. Made with chocolate, butter, sugar, and eggs, it’s baked in a ramekin or small dish.

There are several chefs who claim to have invented the idea. The most well known is Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, who says he created it in 1987 after he pulled a chocolate cake out of the oven too soon and loved its gooey center. Either way, it’s Vongerichten who brought the cake to popularity in the US and soon around the world.

Tricks to molten chocolate lava cake

Lava cake is easy to make, but tough to perfect. Trust us, we’ve made this recipe too many times to count as we honed it to perfection! Here are three important things to know about making the best lava cake:

You’ll need 6-ounce ramekins. This classic lava cake requires a special baking dish. Make sure to get these, because the bake time depends on it. (Need ramekins? Here’s a link to our 6-ounce ramekins.)
The bake time is extremely sensitive. You’ve got to pull the cakes when they’re just baked on the outside but still molten on the inside. It takes a little practice based on your oven, so don’t worry if you don’t get it right the first time.
Follow the unmolding instructions exactly. Once you take the cakes out of the oven, they still bake in the ramekins. So you’ll need to let them sit an exact amount of minutes to get the outside and top to firm up.

Other than that, it’s big fun! The batter is quick and easy to whip up, and it’s a theatrical dessert that’s perfect for chocolate lovers. Unmold the cakes, dig in, and watch that lava flow!

Why these chocolate lava cakes are the best

In testing this recipe, we surveyed an incredible amount of lava cake recipes. The classic recipe uses a large quantity of chocolate and butter. But we tweaked and honed this recipe to perfection to taste even better with less richness. Here’s what makes this lava cake recipe great:

It tastes like chocolate cake batter. Most classic recipes taste like melted chocolate, which is good but not great. These molten lava cakes taste like the chocolate cake batter you lick off a spoon.
It’s just as decadent, with half the butter and chocolate as a standard recipe. The standard recipe is too rich for us. Plus, we hate using up an entire 1 ½ chocolate bars for the recipe (because we want to eat the bar, too!). This recipe uses only ½ chocolate bar for 4 servings.

Ingredients in molten lava cake

Most molten lava cake recipes call for a massive amount of butter and chocolate. This recipe uses half the quantity in a standard lava cakes recipe, so brings in some elements of a standard chocolate cake. Here’s what you’ll need:

Bittersweet chocolate (60%) bar or baking chocolate bar: Do not use chocolate chips! They are formulated differently and make for a very thick batter. You can also use a semi-sweet chocolate bar if you prefer. You’ll need 2 ounces or half a 4-ounce bar.
Unsalted butter
Eggs
Granulated sugar
Unsweetened cocoa powder
All-purpose flour
Baking powder
Kosher salt
Milk

Tips for unmolding them!

The nerve-wracking part of a lava cake: unmolding it! You’ll need to get it to release from the ramekin without sticking, and it needs to be just baked on the outside but liquid on the inside. Here are some tips:

Butter the ramekin, and add a circle of parchment paper at the bottom. This ensures the cake will easily slide out and won’t stick to the bottom. We had issues with sticking in our recipe testing, but parchment did the trick!
After baking, wait 2 minutes. This is important: the cooking process still continues here!
Run a sharp knife around the edge of the cake. This releases the cake from the sides.
Invert one cake onto a plate (with a hot pad), wait 10 seconds, then pull it back. The cake should release onto the plate. Remove the parchment circle: the top of the cake will be either just cooked over or have a small circle of lava visible.

Troubleshooting: too much lava vs not enough lava

What to do if you have too much lava or not enough lava? Here are our tips:

If the first cake collapses with too much lava, wait another minute or two before unmolding the next cakes. The cakes will continue cooking in the hot ramekins. But do not leave the cakes in the ramekins too long: they will cook through and lose the lava.
If the cake doesn’t have enough lava, next time bake the cakes for 1 minute less time. It’s tricky to get perfect because all ovens vary! Don’t worry: you’ll get it next time.

Lava cakes for two

Can you make lava cakes for two? You bet! This recipe is easy to make as a half recipe. Simply divide all the quantities below in half: we’ve formulated it to work neatly as a half recipe. It’s the perfect dessert to end a meal for two, like Valentine’s Day or a romantic dinner!

More chocolate desserts

Are you a chocoholic like we are? Here are a few more chocolate desserts we love:

Go for soft and gooey Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Try this decadent Flourless Chocolate Cake or a two-tiered Vegan Chocolate Cake
Go for a Chocolate Zucchini Cake
Make Chocolate Mousse (or Easy Chocolate Mousse)
Try single-serving Chocolate Mug Cake
Opt for Chocolate Covered Strawberries or Chocolate Covered Bananas

Flourless Chocolate Cake

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Easy Chocolate Mousse

This molten chocolate lava cake recipe is…

Vegetarian. For gluten-free, use gluten-free flour.