These Molten Chocolate Lava Cake for four are the perfect small batch dessert! These lava cakes are incredibly easy to make and ready in less than 30 minutes. You can really top these with anything you like as well. A few of my personal favorite toppings are ice cream, chocolate sauce, and even simply just powdered sugar! Here’s how to make incredibly decadent homemade chocolate lava cakes either in your oven, or in your Instant Pot! Let’s get cooking!
Where’d this Molten Chocolate Lava Cake recipe come from?
I actually learned how to make Molten Chocolate Lava Cake from a cooking class at Orson Gygi! Even since then, I have loved making these decadent lava cakes at home! They are so much easier than they seem and I have included oven and Instant Pot baking instructions below!
Molten Lava Cake in the Instant Pot!
It sounds weird, but you can totally make these lava cakes in the Instant Pot! That has actually become my preferred method of baking these cakes because I don’t have to turn on my oven! All you need are your ramekins, your Instant Pot, and the trivet that comes with your part, plus all the ingredients! It’s actually so easy and super delicious!
Food Scale
The recipe is pretty easy to follow along with! It does call for chocolate to be weighted by ounces, so if you do not have a food scale, I recommend you get yourself one. You can also attempt to do the conversion which isn’t as perfect, but it is about 8 tablespoons of chocolate, or 4 ounces on a scale.
A few tips with this recipe:
1. Grease, grease, and grease the ramekins
2. When microwaving chocolate, only heat for 1 minute, then stir chocolate until it melts down. Do not over do it in the microwave or the chocolate will burn
3. The cakes center will look soft when they finish cooking. This is good because that is what makes the center melty and creamy
4. It is best served with whipping cream or ice cream to balance out the rich chocolate flavor.
5. The recipe calls for bittersweet and semisweet chips, I used double milk chocolate chips and it worked great! Do what you like best!
That is enough talking for one post, lets get cooking!
Molten Chocolate Lava Cake
Molten Chocolate Lava Cake AKA the best, smallest cakes ever!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter
- 2 oz semisweet baking chocolate
- 2 oz bittersweet chocolate
- 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
- 2 whole eggs
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 cup flour
Instructions
For the Cake Batter:
- Grease four ramekin cups with spray.
- Microwave butter and chocolate until the butter is melted, 1 minute. Whisk until chocolate is melted.
- Stir in powdered sugar until well blended.
- Whisk in the eggs and the egg yolks, then add the vanilla.
- Stir in flour.
- Divide mixture between the four cups.
For the Oven Method:
- Place ramekins on a cookie sheet and bake at 425 for 13-15 minutes.
- Let stand for a few minutes. Invert on individual plates while warm and serve with whipping cream or vanilla ice cream.
- Enjoy this oey goey creamy loveliness!
For the Instant Pot Method:
- Place your trivet in your instant pot with one cup of water.
- Place your ramekins on the trivet. I had to fit 3 on the bottom and one on the top.
- Place your pot on MANUAL- HIGH PRESSURE for 15 minutes.
- Do a quick release.
- Remove from the Instant Pot and place upside down on a plate. Top with ice cream, powdered sugar, or any other toppings!
Notes
If the batter doesn't seem cooked in either method, simply just place the cake back in the oven or the Instant pot for an additional 1-2 minutes.
The cakes should be firm to the touch, pulling away from the edges, but lightly soft in the very center. This is what creates the lava!
The oven method will create a more "cake like" lava cake. The Instant Pot will create a more "moist fudgey" lava cake. Both delicious!
