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Chocolate lava cake is a staple on dessert menus for good reason. This baked treat, with its luscious, molten core revealed upon slicing, is both indulgent and visually stunning. Fortunately, you don’t need to dine out to savor this spectacular dessert. With just five ingredients and about 30 minutes, you can recreate this masterpiece at home.
This chocolate lava cake recipe is courtesy of the Institute of Culinary Education. Despite its professional-grade outcome, Roger Sitrin, ICE’s lead recreational chef-instructor, assures it’s perfect for baking novices. “It’s truly a beginner-friendly recipe, and that’s what makes it so great,” he shares with Mytour.
The recipe yields four servings. Begin by greasing four 4-ounce ramekins and dusting them with sugar. Then, combine 4 ounces of melted unsalted butter with 4 ounces of dark chocolate. Ensure the butter is removed from heat but remains warm enough to melt the chocolate. Allow the mixture to cool before proceeding.
To prepare the batter, combine 2 egg yolks, 2 whole eggs, 1 tablespoon of sugar, and 1 tablespoon of flour in a separate bowl, whisking thoroughly. Mix in the room-temperature chocolate mixture, then evenly distribute the batter into the prepared ramekins. Bake the mini-cakes in a 400°F oven for 8 minutes, ensuring the centers remain soft and gooey. To serve, invert the ramekins onto a plate. Enjoy them with ice cream, fresh fruit, or simply eat them straight from the ramekin with a spoon.
This dish is perfect for impressing guests. Beyond their striking appearance, molten chocolate cakes are convenient to prepare in advance. “You can make them ahead, freeze them, and when guests arrive, just bake them straight from the freezer,” Sitrin explains. “I always keep these at home [...] so I’m ready with a dessert whenever unexpected visitors drop by.”
Even if you don’t frequently entertain, having these individual cakes on hand is a lifesaver for sudden chocolate cravings.
The Institute of Culinary Education provides cooking and hospitality management classes at its campuses in Los Angeles and New York. Whether students are starting a new culinary career or seasoned professionals seeking further education, ICE offers tailored courses. For more recipes like this one, explore the school’s curricula here.
Molten Chocolate Cake
Serves 4
4 ounces dark chocolate, 4 ounces (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, 2 large whole eggs, 2 large egg yolks, 1 tablespoon sugar (plus extra for coating molds), 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- Preheat your oven to 400°F. Lightly grease four 4-ounce ramekins with cooking spray and dust them with sugar.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan. Once melted and still hot, remove from heat and stir in the chocolate until the mixture is smooth.
- Let the chocolate mixture cool to room temperature. In a separate bowl, whisk together the whole eggs, egg yolks, sugar, and flour.
- Combine the chocolate mixture with the egg mixture and divide evenly among the ramekins. At this point, the cakes can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 6 months.
- Bake in the oven for 8 minutes. Remove when the centers appear slightly undercooked. Invert each ramekin onto a plate to release the cake. Serve with ice cream, raspberries, or your preferred garnish.
