Chocolate Lava Cake Recipe
Make Chocolate Lava Cake Recipe in just 40m. Get the full recipe with step-by-step instructions at pekinthechef.com.
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Ingredients
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Cake batter
Ramekins & finishing
Method
Prep and ramekins
- 1
Preheat and prepare
Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F). Place a rack in the middle of the oven. Select four 6-ounce (180-200 ml) ramekins. Generously butter the inside of each ramekin with the 10 g of unsalted butter, tapping out excess. Add about 1/2 tablespoon cocoa powder to each ramekin, tilt and tap to coat the buttered surface evenly, and discard any excess cocoa. Set ramekins aside on a baking sheet.
Make the batter
- 2
Melt chocolate and butter
Chop the bittersweet chocolate into small pieces. Combine the chopped chocolate and 115 g butter in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water (double boiler), making sure the bowl does not touch the water. Stir occasionally until fully melted and smooth, about 3–5 minutes. Alternatively, microwave in 20-second bursts, stirring between bursts until smooth. Remove from heat and let cool slightly (2–3 minutes).
- 3
Whisk eggs and sugar
In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the 3 whole eggs, 2 egg yolks and 100 g granulated sugar until the mixture is pale, slightly thickened and sugar is mostly dissolved, about 1–2 minutes by hand or 2 minutes with an electric mixer on medium speed. Whisk in 1 tsp vanilla extract and a pinch of salt.
- 4
Combine chocolate and egg mixture
Temper the egg mixture by adding about one tablespoon of the melted chocolate to the eggs while whisking to warm them, then slowly whisk in the remaining melted chocolate and butter until fully incorporated and smooth.
- 5
Add flour
Sift 40 g all-purpose flour over the chocolate-egg mixture and gently fold with a rubber spatula just until no streaks of flour remain. Do not overmix. The batter should be smooth and slightly glossy.
Assemble and bake
- 6
Fill ramekins
Divide the batter evenly among the prepared ramekins (about 100–110 g batter per 6-ounce ramekin). Smooth the tops with a spatula.
- 7
Bake
Place the baking sheet with the ramekins on the middle rack of the preheated oven. Bake at 220°C (425°F) for 10–12 minutes. The edges should be set and firm while the centers remain soft and slightly jiggly. Baking time will vary by oven and ramekin size: check at 10 minutes and add 1-minute increments if needed.
- 8
Rest briefly
Remove from oven and let the cakes rest on the baking sheet for 1 minute to settle.
Unmold and serve
- 9
- 10
Finish
Dust tops lightly with powdered sugar, if using. Serve immediately with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a spoonful of whipped cream to contrast the warm molten center.