Even us die-hard real foodies love a “cheat” treat every now and then. And if it’s homemade from scratch (and includes chocolate!!) I am game. These molten lava cakes are perfect for Valentine’s Day or any other time of year you’re simply having a craving. Their naturally small size helps keep serving sizes in check, and this little video shows how simple this recipe really is.
4-Ingredient Molten Lava Cakes
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons butter, 1 stick
- 3/4 cup chocolate chips
- 2 eggs
- 2 egg yolks, discard or use egg whites elsewhere
- 2 tablespoons sugar
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 450 degrees F and line a muffin pan with parchment paper muffin liners.
-
Melt butter and chocolate chips together over low heat until smooth. Let cool slightly.
-
In a large bowl whisk together the eggs and sugar. Stir in the melted chocolate mixture until well combined.
-
Divide among 10 standard muffin cups and bake until cakes are puffed up, but still jiggly in the center - about 6 to 8 minutes. Turn out upside down onto a plate, garnish, and serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
Suggested garnishes: Fresh berries, powdered sugar, whipped cream and/or vanilla ice cream
We recommend organic ingredients when feasible.
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Lauren
February 14, 2016 at 5:01 pmI’d love to try this tonight! Is it a problem if I don’t have the liners? Think I can get away with just spraying the muffin tin?
Lisa
February 14, 2016 at 5:08 pmYou could try greasing them really well, but they probably won’t come out completely clean. Enjoy!
Kristin
February 14, 2016 at 6:21 pmThe Martha Stewart recipe I use requires partial freezing before baking, so I have always put my batter in greased ceramic ramekins. Then I put each ramekin on a China plate for presentation. It still looks elegant, with no need to unmold. Perfect for a dinner party. After dinner, they go from freezer to oven and viola, warm dessert.
Cecile
February 14, 2016 at 8:28 pmI made a similar recipe and it called for spreading a little butter on the mold and then sprinkle flour and tap on the mold until you have an even thin layer. I had silicone muffins. Slid the knife around the mold after they coolded a bit and they came up perfectly.
Theresa
February 14, 2016 at 6:19 pmWhat about silicone muffin liners?
Siobhan
February 14, 2016 at 8:19 pmBetter still – silicone muffin tins – skip the liners. That’s what I use.
Tracy
February 14, 2016 at 6:51 pmCould you use coconut oil for the butter?
Debbie
February 14, 2016 at 9:40 pmOr I was wondering if ghee would work?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator)
February 17, 2016 at 3:47 pmHi Tracy. We’ve not tried subbing with coconut oil in this recipe. Let us know if you give it a try.
Christy
February 14, 2016 at 6:57 pmThese sound wonderful, and so easy! Would the silicone muffin liners you use for other recipes be an acceptable alternative to the parchment paper version? Is there a difference between the two for this particular recipe?
Leslie
February 14, 2016 at 7:14 pmLoved the little video… And the cakes look delicious!
Angelea
February 14, 2016 at 7:28 pmMy son and I are making these right now! Thanks so much for the recipe! We are using silicone liners because that’s all we have. I did go ahead and spray them with coconut oil to be on the safe side. Happy Valentine’s!
Angelea
February 14, 2016 at 8:02 pmThe silicone liners and coconut spray worked perfectly! And they are amazingly yummy! Everyone loved them. I could eat all ten! :)
Ami
February 14, 2016 at 7:43 pmI just made these and there are chunks of cooked eggs in the cakes. What could have caused this?
Siobhan
February 14, 2016 at 8:22 pmBest guess – if you didn’t mix the eggs and sugar enough, and if the butter/chocolate was still very hot, the eggs may have cooked when they made contact with the butter/chocolate – giving you scrambled eggs. I’ve never had that happen, but I can easily imagine that it COULD happen.
Ami
February 14, 2016 at 9:49 pmThank you! I’ve never had that happen before in baking but you are right.. That makes sense!
Cecile
February 14, 2016 at 8:30 pmAs sioban said. You want to let the chocolate/butter mix cool until tipid before mixing with the eggs.
Ami
February 14, 2016 at 9:49 pmThank you! I’m anxious to try them again!
Reanna
February 15, 2016 at 12:56 pmIt is called tempering the egg mixture. You want to add just a little of the hot or warm melted chocolate to the eggs and stir them, slowly bringing the egg mixture up to temperature. Then you can safely combine the rest of the egg mixture with the warmer mixture.
So, for future reference, when you encounter a recipe that says to “temper” the eggs, you’ll know what to do. :) And no more scrambled eggs in your dessert.
R
Emily
February 14, 2016 at 7:59 pmSurprising my boys with this right now!!
Bek
February 14, 2016 at 8:30 pmSo how are these “lava”. Does the middle stay liquid when you cook it?
Thanks!
Reesha
February 15, 2016 at 12:57 pmI am wondering this too…they seem too small to really have a lava, liquid center. Also, is the middle cooked enough to be safe with that raw egg in there?
Becca
February 14, 2016 at 9:21 pmLove! I am going to try with dark chocolate and coconut sugar!
Nic
February 14, 2016 at 9:33 pmWhite sugar! *gasp*
I kid :)
Ceci
February 15, 2016 at 11:30 amat least it’s not “splanda”
Ceci
February 15, 2016 at 11:32 amI mean “splenda” (can’t edit comment, so weird). Or… can you imagine it with stevia??!!? aghhh! :(
Luda
February 14, 2016 at 10:08 pmThank you Lisa! This was easy to make and so yummy.
Lisa
February 16, 2016 at 11:55 amI’m so glad!
Candace
January 10, 2018 at 4:16 pmDo these actually have a runny center?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator)
January 12, 2018 at 1:44 pmThey are gooey all through. :)
Michelle
February 15, 2016 at 8:24 amThese look so delicious and so easy. I’m a chocolate fiend so I’ll definitely be trying these out soon!
PAB
February 15, 2016 at 1:26 pmWhat kind of sugar did you use and are those just organic chocolate chips?
Thanks
Lisa
February 16, 2016 at 11:55 amI just used white organic sugar and Enjoy Life brand chocolate chips.
PAB
February 16, 2016 at 8:14 pmThank you.
Attracta
February 15, 2016 at 5:12 pmI’m definitely going to be making these. So simple. It was well worth the time you and your husband spent making the video, but hope you got to enjoy the rest of Valentine’s Day.
Lisa
February 16, 2016 at 11:54 amWe did – thanks! :)
kim
February 15, 2016 at 7:55 pmNo flour at all?
Lisa
February 16, 2016 at 11:54 amThat’s right – flourless!
Lisa
February 17, 2016 at 6:14 amI’m new to this … What is wrong with stevia?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator)
February 22, 2016 at 9:49 amHi. Much of the stevia available contains additives and some contain additional artificial sweeteners. Look for pure forms of stevia.
Nancy
February 17, 2016 at 7:16 amCan foil liners be used instead of parchment?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator)
February 22, 2016 at 10:01 amYes, foil will likely work but the parchment is great for not sticking.
T
February 19, 2016 at 11:26 amDo you have the nutritional information for these? i.e. calories…
Amy Taylor (comment moderator)
February 22, 2016 at 10:20 amHi. We do not provide nutrition information. This post helps explain why: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2013/01/04/healthy-eating-defined/.
Amanda
February 19, 2016 at 3:51 pmI made this a few nights ago and it did not turn out right at all. I followed the recipe exactly and mine turned out a gooey mess. Granted, I didn’t mind the gooeyness so much and it tasted like a really gooey brownie to me – but my husband didn’t care for them at all. When they were baked all the oil/fat in the butter was on top – it did not combine well and so they looked really greasy and not very appealing. Will not be making these again.
Kate
February 21, 2016 at 8:10 amI love this kind of simple chocolate dessert! Can’t wait to try the recipe. Thanks!
Tera
February 21, 2016 at 4:18 pmThis looks so yummy and easy! I plan to make them tonight but wasn’t sure if parchment paper liners are the same as paper cupcake liners. Do I need parchment specifically?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator)
February 22, 2016 at 5:41 pmThe parchment liners really reduce sticking.
Keri
March 3, 2016 at 10:11 amDo you use two eggs PLUS two egg yolks in this recipe?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator)
March 4, 2016 at 2:21 pmYes.
Heidi Stein
March 1, 2017 at 7:43 pmI used just 2 eggs & they turned out!
Sharon Probst
April 20, 2016 at 1:49 pmCan I prepare this ahead of time, before dinner, pour it into the muffin cups, and then bake them after dinner?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator)
April 25, 2016 at 8:01 amYou can.
Josie
April 27, 2016 at 6:18 pmGood flavor, interesting texture, but I would use 3-4 T of sugar next time.
Jess
December 19, 2016 at 7:28 amCould I use silicone muffin cups instead of parchment cups?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator)
December 27, 2016 at 8:40 amHi. You can.
Mary Speck
February 13, 2017 at 5:44 pmAre these good leftover?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator)
February 22, 2017 at 1:39 pmThey are.
J
March 10, 2017 at 10:37 pmCan you use coconut oil instead of butter?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator)
March 13, 2017 at 3:22 pmHi . They can typically be used interchangeably.
Joshua P. Greig
June 2, 2017 at 12:18 amPretty! This was a really wonderful article. Thanks for providing these details.
Courtney
February 5, 2018 at 11:50 amDo you use salted or unsalted butter?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator)
February 7, 2018 at 3:06 pmHi there. You could use either. Depends on your palette. :)
Paula
February 14, 2019 at 2:44 pmAre these actually lava cakes where the middle oozes out with running chocolate, or are they more like a cooked cake? Great idea to make in muffin tins but hoping it will be gooey.
100 Days Admin
February 15, 2019 at 11:19 amHi Paula, they are gooey in the middle! :) – Nicole