7 Steps to Make the Perfect Chocolate Lava Cake for Mom

Delight your mom with this chocolate Lava Cake for Mother's Day, for they are simply irresistible. You can easily bake a bunch and entertain dinner guests too, with mom getting the best one, all decked up with powdered sugar, perhaps some berries, a sprig of mint and ice cream on the side. Lava cakes are the perfect combination of being indulgently rich in chocolate, with the cake’s exterior a little crusty and firm, with a warm, gooey chocolate center that flows when you cut into it. This elegant dessert may look impressive, but it is surprisingly simple to make with just a handful of ingredients.

Chocolate Lava Cake Recipe

(Makes 6 cakes)

Equipment:

• 6 ramekins
• Parchment paper
• Electric or stand mixer
• Mixing Bowls

Ingredients:

• ½ cup unsalted butter
• 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate chopped
• 2 large eggs
• 2 large egg yolks
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• ⅛ tsp salt
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 230°C, and butter and lightly flour six 4-5-ounce ramekins. Arrange them on a baking sheet.
2. Add the butter and chocolate to a heatproof bowl, put it over a small saucepan with a little bit of simmering water. Melt over low heat and stir until smooth. You could melt it in the microwave as well, stirring every 30-seconds, until melted. Then whisk until smooth.
3. Take a big mixing bowl, add the eggs, egg yolks, sugar, and salt. Beat using an electric mixer, on medium speed until it doubles or triples in volume pales in color.
4. Fold in the chocolate mixture and flour into the egg mixture. Mix until combined, then divide the batter among the prepared ramekins.
5. Bake for 6-8 minutes, until the sides of the cakes set well, firm up, but the center is still jiggly. Remove from the oven, and let the cakes cool in the ramekins for 1 minute.
6. Take a small plate and place it over a ramekin and invert it to release the lava cake into the plate. Let it rest for 10 seconds then remove the ramekin. Repeat for the rest of the lava cakes.
7. Use a sieve to sprinkle powdered sugar on top of each cake and garnish with berries. Serve immediately.

Notes:

• Make sure to measure the ingredients perfectly, and this is especially important for the flour. As for adding it to the bowl, make sure to not pack the flour into the measuring spoon. Make sure it’s not clumpy and fluff it before sprinkling it into the tablespoons. The more flour you’ll add to the cake batter, the less gooey the center will be.
• Make sure to preheat the oven before putting the ramekins with the chocolate lava cake batter in it. This ensures that the exterior of the cakes bake faster before the center does, which is important for this kind of cake.
• Make sure you also use room temperature eggs, so that they mix well into the batter more readily, without over-mixing. In case you are short on time, put the chilled eggs in a bowl of warm tap water to bring down their temperature.
• Make sure to keep a close eye on the lava cakes in the oven to keep them from overbaking otherwise, the center will be fully baked, and not be jjigly, as needed.

Troubleshooting Guide

For some reason despite everything in the instructions, the cakes feel a little off or the center is not molten as was the intention, here’s what might have happened:

• Cakes don't have a molten center: the most common cause is overbaking. Watch the baking time carefully - even 1-2 minutes too long can fully cook the center. Check your oven temperature with an oven thermometer as ovens can run hotter than the set temperature. Remember that the cakes will continue cooking slightly after removal from the oven.
• Cakes collapse when unmolding: Allow them to rest in the ramekins for the full minute before inverting. Ensure ramekins are properly buttered and floured to create a non-stick surface. If they're still collapsing, try chilling the filled ramekins for 20 minutes before baking (and add 1-2 minutes to baking time).
• Batter is too thick: Make sure your butter and chocolate mixture hasn't cooled too much before folding into the egg mixture. Ensure eggs are at room temperature as specified in the recipe. Fold ingredients gently to maintain the air incorporated during whipping.
• Cakes stick to ramekins: Be generous when buttering the ramekins and ensure all interior surfaces are coated. Run a thin knife around the edge of each cake before inverting if necessary. Use parchment paper circles at the bottom of each ramekin for extra insurance against sticking.

Texture is grainy or separated: Chocolate may have seized if water was introduced. Ensure your bowl and utensils are completely dry when melting chocolate. When melting chocolate and butter, use gentle heat to prevent overheating. Make sure to fold the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture gradually and gently.