Simple Eggless Chocolate Lava Cake with a molten chocolaty center! 

These cakes are easy to make and pretty to look at. Serve with ice-cream and berries for an indulgent treat.

Lava Cakes are one of my favorite things to eat (and bake)! There’s this place in Seattle which sells lava cakes exclusively and we go there often when we crave for something sweet. 

The melty chocolate in the center of the cake might just be my favorite things to eat- so yum!

I have shared few lava cakes before on the blog as well but they were all with eggs. And I know you guys love eggless cakes, so I had to share an eggless chocolate lava cake recipe just in time for Valentine’s Day!

This cake is so easy to make, you can get the batter done in like 10 to 15 minutes and then the baking time is also only 7 to 8 minutes. One of those quick desserts which do not require you to hustle in the kitchen for a long time.

Also they look so pretty and fancy. For something that’s so easy to make, they make quite a fancy looking dessert.

I have to say that I went quite crazy testing this recipe. I made it like 10 times in 3 days, one batch after another. Sometimes it was under baked, sometimes there was no lava, sometimes the texture was lost.

Finally, after so many rounds of testing I am happy to share a version that works really well. It uses very basic ingredients and you can also make these in advance.

So, if you want to bake them the next day, you can very well make the batter today and refrigerate and then bake the next day. I would highly recommend making a test batch in advance though if making for a party (read below to know why).

Ingredients

You only need a handful of ingredients for these cakes!

Flour: all purpose flour is used in the recipe. Can you use whole wheat flour? You may, the cake will just be more dense and not as light as the one made with all purpose flour.

Cocoa powder: use a good quality cocoa powder here. I like Anthony’s and Rodella cocoa powder. 

Also the cocoa powder that I used was natural and unsweetened. 

Chocolate: I use both- cocoa powder and also good quality chocolate to have the maximum chocolate flavor.

I like using  ghirardelli semi sweet chocolate bar  and Guittard baking bars here but you can use any good quality chocolate. If you use a dark chocolate with a higher cocoa percentage, then you might need to add a little more sugar in the batter.

Milk: for this recipe, I used whole milk since that’s what I had on hand but you can use any milk of choice.

A low fat milk would also work, also almond milk should work here.

White vinegar: I use a little bit of white vinegar, this helps in giving the cake a lighter texture.

You may be able to use lemon juice in place of vinegar.

Sugar: granulated white sugar is what’s used in the recipe. The granulated white sugar in the US is quite fine, if you are in India and your granulated white sugar has large crystals use caster sugar

Or you can pulse your sugar, then measure and then use in the recipe.

Oil: any flavorless oil works here like vegetable oil, canola oil, avocado oil etc. I have used canola oil.

Leavening agents and flavoring agents: the recipe used both baking powder and very little baking soda which reacts with vinegar to give the cake a nice rise. 

A little vanilla gives flavor to the cake. I also like to add a little bit of instant coffee powder to intensify the chocolate flavor but that is optional.

Baking Time & Temperature

I tried this recipe at least 10 times before sharing with you guys here so you can be rest assured that I tried all the combinations.

After trying to bake these cakes at 350 F, 400 F and 425 F degrees, I finally settled in at 450 F degrees. This high temperature works the best to make lava cakes in my opinion.

It just about bakes it and still leaves enough lava in the center which is exactly what we want.

Coming to the time, this is so very dependent on the size of the container that you are using. Please don’t think that the time will be same with each and every container.

For the 6 oz ramekins that I used- it baked perfectly for me at 450 F degrees for 8 minutes.

I tried so many time with different times- 6 was too less, 9 was too a little bit much. 8 minutes with 5-6 mins resting time and then inverting it on serving plate was perfect for me.

If your ramekins are smaller, it will take even less time. If they are bigger, it will take more time.

If using 6 oz ramekins– 7 to 8 minutes is perfect. If using 8 oz ramekins, it would probably need little more time.

Since the timing can vary depending on the size of your ramekins so much, it might be a good idea to make a test batch a day before if you are planning to serve these at a party.

That will ensure that you bake these for just the correct time on the day of your party!

Why There’s No Lava In My Cake

So, you cut the cake and there’s no lava inside.

Here are the some reasons-

You overbaked the cake: lava cakes are supposed to be under-baked, that’s how they have that lava consistency inside.

If you bake them more, the inside sets and then there’s no lava. Every minute is crucial since these are small cakes and we bake them for a very short amount of time.

So each minute makes a difference.

Your oven temperature settings are off: a 15 to 20 degree temperature difference here and there can make a lot of difference to the final texture of the cake.

It might be a good idea to get an oven thermometer and check the actual temperature setting of the oven in that case.

On the other side, if you under-bake them and take them out too quickly, they won’t be able to hold their shape and you will have like a chocolate pudding with lots of lava.

It would still be good (after all it’s chocolate) but the cake won’t have much shape to it.

You over-mixed the batter: thus leading to a hard cake and no lava in it. 

Serving Suggestions

You can serve lava cakes in 2 ways-

1) By inverting it on a serving plate.

2) By serving the cake in the ramekin itself (this is an easier method definitely if you fear you have under baked the cake and it might just collapse if you invert it).

Serve it with dusting of powdered sugar, side of berries. You can also add some whipped cream or vanilla ice cream on top.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can this be made vegan?

Yes, almond milk should work well and use a vegan friendly chocolate.

Can I make this in advance?

Yes, you can make the batter in advance, fill the ramekins and refrigerate. I would let it sit out at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes and then bake as per the instructions.

Can I melt the chocolate in the microwave?

Of course yes, I just perfer the double boiler method.

I hope you guys try these little cakes for just about any celebration! 

Method

Pre-heat oven to 450 F degrees. Grease three 6 oz ramekins very well with oil or butter. I like to use a non-stick spray with flour that you can find at grocery stores in the baking aisle and grease the ramekins really well. Set them aside.

1- In a large bowl sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, instant coffee powder (if using) and salt. Mix until it’s all well combined and set it aside.

2- Heat an inch or two of water in a pan and place it on medium-low heat on stove-top. Then chop 2 oz/57 grams of chocolate ( I used semi-sweet chocolate bar) and add to a bowl and place that bowl on top of that pan, the bowl should not be touching the surface of water.

This is called the double boiler method to melt the chocolate. You can also use your microwave to the do the same. 

3- Once the chocolate melts, remove the bowl from heat.

4- Add oil and mix it well using a wire whisk.

5- Also, add the vanilla extract and mix.

6- Add the sugar and using a wire whisk mix until it is well combined.

7- Start adding the dry ingredients alternating with the liquids. Add half of the flour-cocoa mixture that we had prepared earlier to the bowl and mix.

8- Then add 1/4 cup (2 oz) of milk and mix.

9- Add 1/2 teaspoon of vinegar also along with the milk and mix. 

10- Followed by remaining half of the dry ingredients and then the remaining 1/4 cup (2 oz) milk.  Mix until everything is just combined, do not over-mix.

11- Now, using an ice cream scooper or using a spoon, start filling the prepared ramekins with the batter. Fill a little and then chop few pieces of the same chocolate that you used in the batter (around 12-14 grams of chocolate) and place them in the center.

12- Top with the remaining batter. Do this with all the 3 ramekins. The number of cakes you can make will depend on the size of the container. 

Bake at 450 F degrees for 7 to 9 minutes. I bake for around 7 & /12 to 8 minutes but every oven is different so your time may vary. Time also will vary depending on the chocolate you use in the center.

Remove the cakes from oven and let sit at room temperature for 5 to 6 minutes. Then carefully hold the ramekins and invert them on serving plate. You can also serve straight in the ramekins, there’s no need to invert then.

Dust with powdered sugar, top with ice cream or whipped cream and serve eggless chocolate lava cake with some berries.

If you’ve tried this Eggless Chocolate Lava Cake Recipe then don’t forget to rate the recipe! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram to see what’s latest in my kitchen!