Chocolate Lava Cakes Vanilla (Printable)

Indulgent molten chocolate cakes served warm with creamy vanilla ice cream and optional berry garnish.

# What You Need:

→ Lava Cakes

01 - 4 oz dark chocolate (60–70% cocoa), chopped
02 - 4 tbsp unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
03 - 2 large eggs
04 - 2 large egg yolks
05 - ½ cup granulated sugar
06 - ¼ cup all-purpose flour
07 - 1 pinch salt
08 - Butter and cocoa powder, for dusting ramekins

→ For Serving

09 - 4 scoops high-quality vanilla ice cream
10 - Powdered sugar, for dusting (optional)
11 - Fresh berries or mint leaves (optional)

# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 425°F. Butter four 6 oz ramekins and dust with cocoa powder, tapping out excess.
02 - Combine dark chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl over simmering water, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
03 - In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, egg yolks, and sugar until pale and slightly thickened.
04 - Gently fold the melted chocolate mixture into the egg mixture until blended.
05 - Sift in flour and salt, folding until just combined. Avoid overmixing.
06 - Divide batter evenly among prepared ramekins.
07 - Place ramekins on a baking sheet and bake for 11 to 12 minutes until edges are set but centers remain soft.
08 - Let cakes sit for 1 minute. Run a knife around edges and invert onto dessert plates.
09 - Serve immediately with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Optionally dust with powdered sugar and garnish with berries or mint.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The entire process takes barely 30 minutes, yet tastes like you've been in the kitchen for hours.
  • One cake per person means everyone gets their own perfect molten moment without sharing.
  • The contrast of warm chocolate and cold vanilla ice cream is honestly the best thing that can happen on a plate.
02 -
  • Overbaking by even 30 seconds means no molten center—timing is genuinely everything here, so set a timer and trust it.
  • Bringing room-temperature batter to a high oven is the key to that perfect temperature contrast between edges and center.
  • Don't let the chocolate get too hot when melting, or it can separate and become grainy instead of glossy.
03 -
  • Room-temperature eggs whisk into a fluffier foam than cold ones, which directly translates to a lighter, more tender cake.
  • If your ramekins are ceramic rather than metal, add 1–2 minutes to the bake time since they conduct heat more slowly.
  • The moment the cake comes out of the oven is the only moment to invert it—wait much longer and it firms up too much to flow.

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