Amazing Molten Lava Cakes for Two
These molten lava cakes are an easy, but impressive, dessert for just two people! All you need is 30 minutes and a handful of ingredients for a rich, decadent, and chocolatey dessert. Save this recipe for date night at home, girl's night, or any time you want to treat yourself a little!
Equipment
- 2 4-6 ounce ramekins
- Hand mixer or whisk
Ingredients
- 60 grams unsalted butter, plus more for greasing (¼ cup)
- Dutch process cocoa powder, for dusting
- 85 grams good-quality semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped (3 ounces)
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
- 25 grams granulated sugar (2 Tablespoons)
- ⅛ teaspoon Kosher salt, I use Diamond
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 15 grams all purpose flour (2 Tablespoons)
- Powdered sugar, berries, and/or ice cream, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (218°C). Grease two 4-6 ounce ramekins with unsalted butter or baking spray. Then, lightly dust the bottoms and sides of the ramekins with cocoa powder.
- Add the butter and chopped semisweet chocolate to a small heatproof bowl. Microwave in 30-second increments, stirring in-between, just until the chocolate and butter is melted. Whisk until smooth and let it cool for a few minutes.
- Combine the egg, egg yolk, granulated sugar, and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Using a hand mixer, beat the eggs and sugar until it's thickened and lighter in color, 2-3 minutes. Mix in the vanilla extract.
- Add the melted chocolate mixture and all purpose flour to the egg mixture. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold the ingredients together, just until the batter is well-combined and there are no more streaks.
- Divide the batter between the two prepared ramekins, and use a rubber spatula to smooth out the tops. Bake the cakes for 11-14 minutes, until the edges of the cakes are set and the centers are still a bit soft. To test if the cakes are ready, gently press the edges of the cakes, they should spring back right away!
- Let the cakes set for 1 minute. Then, cover the top of each ramekin with an inverted plate. Using oven mitts, quickly flip the plates so the ramekins are upside down. Gently tap the bottoms of the ramekins, and then use an oven mitt to lift the ramekins and release the cakes. They should pop out easily.
- Top the cakes with a scoop of ice cream, a few berries, and/or a dusting of powdered sugar. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
When it comes to small-batch baking, I always recommend using a scale to measure the ingredients. If you don't have a scale, here's how to measure the flour. First, whisk the flour until it's light and fluffy. Then, spoon the fluffed flour into a measuring cup until it's overflowing. Lastly, use a straight edge to level it off without packing the flour into the cup.
The larger the ramekins, the thinner the cakes will be. I like 4 ounce ramekins for taller cakes! If you're using 6 ounce ramekins, you may need to bake them for 2-3 minutes less.
If you like a richer, less sweet cake, feel free to use bittersweet chocolate instead.
Do not use chocolate chips in this recipe! Chocolate chips have additives that will keep the cakes from being 'molten' in the centers. You'll need a good-quality semisweet chocolate baking bar like Ghirardelli or Guittard.
You can also use a whisk to mix the eggs and sugar together by hand. You'll just need to whisk it for longer, about 4-5 minutes.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cakeCalories: 557kcalCarbohydrates: 40gProtein: 8gFat: 44gSaturated Fat: 25gCholesterol: 259mgSodium: 145mgPotassium: 199mgFiber: 4.4gSugar: 22gCalcium: 72mgIron: 0.6mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!