Chocolate Lava Cake
Lava cakes have a reputation for being fiddly restaurant desserts, the kind of thing you'd never attempt at home. But that reputation is undeserved. The truth is simpler: they're just underbaked chocolate cakes, and timing is everything. Twelve minutes at 200°C produces molten centres. Thirteen minutes and you have regular cake. Eleven minutes and it won't hold its shape.
I learned this through trial and error, making them over and over until I understood what properly baked looked like. The edges should be set and pulling away slightly from the ramekin. The centre should still jiggle when you tap the side. That wobble is your cue—turn them out immediately, before the residual heat cooks the centre further.
Now I make these whenever I want dessert that feels special without spending an hour in the kitchen. The mixture comes together in ten minutes, bakes in twelve, and delivers that theatrical moment when you cut into it and the warm chocolate runs out. Serve with cream or vanilla ice cream—something cold and plain to offset the richness. Use good chocolate, at least seventy percent cacao. The chocolate is the point here, so make it count.
Ingredients
- 100g dark chocolate (70% cacao)
- 80g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
- 2 whole eggs
- 2 egg yolks
- 50g caster sugar
- 30g plain flour
- Cocoa powder, for dusting ramekins
- Thickened cream or vanilla ice cream, to serve
Method
- Preheat your oven to 200°C. Generously butter two 200ml ramekins, then dust them thoroughly with cocoa powder, tapping out any excess. This coating helps the cakes release cleanly when you turn them out.
- Break the chocolate into pieces and add it to a heatproof bowl with the butter. Melt together either over a pot of barely simmering water (don't let the bowl touch the water) or in short bursts in the microwave. Stir until completely smooth, then set aside to cool slightly.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the whole eggs, egg yolks, and caster sugar until pale and slightly thickened—about 2-3 minutes with electric beaters, or longer by hand. The mixture should ribbon when you lift the whisk.
- Pour the melted chocolate mixture into the eggs and fold gently to combine. The mixture should be smooth and glossy.
- Sift the flour over the top and fold it in with a light hand. You want to incorporate it fully but avoid over-mixing, which can make the cakes tough.
- Divide the batter evenly between the prepared ramekins. They should be about three-quarters full. Place them on a baking tray for easy handling.
- Bake for exactly 12 minutes. Set a timer. The edges should be set and coming away from the sides, but the centres should still wobble when you gently shake the tray. This is crucial—precision matters here.
- Remove from the oven and let them sit for exactly 30 seconds. Run a small knife around the edge of each ramekin, then carefully invert onto serving plates. Lift off the ramekins. Dust with cocoa powder if you like and serve immediately with cream or ice cream. Cut into them at the table so everyone sees that molten centre flow.
Nutrition (per serve)
| Energy | 580 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 12g |
| Carbohydrates | 42g |
| Fat | 42g |
