Chef John's Chocolate Lava Cake

I had a similar old recipe which I love, but then I tried to follow this recipe, just change a little bit of the way to melt the chocolate (I melted it on a steamer, beware of the condensation, and just melted it halfway then continue mix the mixture with spoon until completely melted, so it will not be lumpy). I served it in the ramekins, because the top of my cake was cracked, so I thought it will look cool just like that. And I served it with vanilla ice cream, perfect!! If you love chocolate then you'll love this recipe, I for sure will make it again and again. Picture uploaded :)

This is a great easy recipe. Just a little note. If you are not as strong as John you should definitely use a hand mixer. So that you get the right consistency with your eggs and sugar mix. Mine came out a little flat but I believe that it was because of the consistency of my egg and sugar mixture. It still came out great! Thank you very much John! This turned out to be a great ending to our mother's day dinner.

Followed the recipe to the dot. Crunchy exterior until you hit the center---dark molten choco delight!!! This recipe is a keeper. Thanks Chef John.

Wonderfully rich! Warning however!! I tried this recipe to test it before I served it to company and made 4. With 4, as the recipe called for, it turned out exactly as expected at 18 minutes in my oven. The next day I adjusted the servings to 12. Instead of the nice cake-like batter I'd got the day before was more brownie batter-like. I baked, as called for 18 minutes and couldn't tell if they were done or not. Of course I can't poke the center with a toothpick, so I was uncertain to know when they were done as they looked OK, but didn't want to bake too long and loose the centers. So I took them out at 18 minutes and let sit for the 15 minutes. When I inverted them onto a plate, they were not done, even though I was able to run a toothpick around the edges and have it be clean. They could have baked 3 or so minutes longer. I then remembered the day before, when I got great results, the edges were JUST starting to pull away from the sides. So if you intend to make larger batches and bake them together, remember to bake a bit longer and watch for those edges, or you may end up with chocolate pudding instead, like I did. Good luck!

oh wow!!!! This is unbelievable! My daughter and I were watching MasterChef and they made a chocolate lava cake. I had to make it, so I went to my favorite website! This recipe was so simple and quick. I was amazed. I melted 4 oz of tollhouse chocolate chips with the butter because that was all I had. It tated like the ones I've gotten at a restaurant! My batter was not thick and I'm sure it is because I used my KitchenAid mixer and didn't attempt to mix it by hand. I did not put it in a bag (i just didn't see the point), I did not refrigerate and I didn't cook it in a pan of water. They did none of that on MasterChef :). Why make more work for yourself. Everyone's oven is different, but I cooked them for 11 min. Next time, I will cook it 1 min more. I will definitely be serving this when I have company over for dinner and to make it easier, I will refrigerate the batter so that all I have to do is pop it in the oven when we are finished eating.

I hate leaving bad reviews, but this just didn't work. I went over the recipe last night 20+ times. I did everything as stated. The batter was so thick, and came out like a brownie. I even took them out at 14 minutes, just because I like things a little under done when it comes to cakes, and cookies. They were still hard, no liquid center.

Tried this recipe tonight for dinner. It was fantastic, just like you would get a restaurant. I made 4 of them. My hubby ate 2 right away! Was very easy, though I didn't use the ziplock bag method. I didn't have dark baking chocolate at hand, so I tried it with milk chocolate, it was still great.

Outstanding! I made it and I've never made anything as exotic before and it turned out incredible! Thanks for the detailed instructions!

So easy, yet SO delicious. I made the batter the day before a dinner party, put it in the ramekins and just refrigerated the whole kit and caboodle until dishes were being cleared and coffee was being made at dinner the next night. Took it right from the fridge, put it in the oven and out came an amazing, chocolatey decadence. Oohs and ahhhs from all. It was a a TOTAL success and I will definitely make it again.

Followed the recipe exactly and they didn't rise at all. The batter was really thick which is when I got suspicious. Basically made brownies.

I made these for me and my Hubby I usse 2 dish instead of 4 and OMG I am a dark chocolate lover and this was totally awsome love them I was looking at my recipes and Chef John is 99% of my recipes he is great keep it up love your cooking

My goodness this is delicious! I baked mine for about 15 minutes and got a nice gooey center, not sure if I could get the batter more gooey like lava. I used a 72% dark chocolate and it was very rich, it tastes delicious with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, you can mix some butter and chocolate together and microwave it to drizzle it onto the ice cream for extra flavor. The batter doesn't rise so all the pictures you see are actually what they look like, they somewhat resemble hockey pucks. Will definitely make again.

Recipe didn't work for me. The result was more like a rather tasteless chocolate cupcake, there was NO molten center. Pehaps the bake time/temp are wrong or some of the directions are defective. I will keep looking for a good lava cake recipe, this one isn't it for me.

Fantastic! Not too sweet, and not too rich, just right! Make sure to grease the ramekins well, but otherwise, worked out quite well! Highly recommended :)

I had my own little masterchef moment when dished up this dessert for my family, love this, light fluffy cake and soft goey chocolate in the middle chocolate heaven!!! next time i will cook it for just a little bit longer ... my husband rated it 8/10 my youngest son the best ever dessert mum and daughter loved it!!! will keep this recipe..

Very good chocolate taste.....however despite very thorough buttering of ramekins.......removal was quite difficult and ended up in less than perfect cakes. The consistency was more brownie with a slightly gooey centre....not the wonderful crunchy outside and molten inside I expected. I followed instructions to the letter.. not going to try again.

After 3 attempts, I almost got it right. For some reason this simple recipe has proved quite difficult for me. Still, it is the best tasting molten cake recipe so I keep at it. On the fourth attempt I will bake it a little longer and top it with sugared berries to cut through the richness of the dark chocolate. These last little tweaks should make it just right. Oh a little secret, to make the center flow like lava, I push a 1/2 oz of chocolate (or however much you prefer) down into the batter. Worked like a charm.

Absolutely amazing! They're so delicious my daughter insisted to add milk in the ramekin so not to waste any single bit of the cake. My husband asked why the cake was so small. LOL... To avoid the center not being runny like some reviewers had experienced, I took the advice to place a piece of chocolate in center of the batter before baking. There are 8 squares of chocolate in a bar. I simply save 2 squares from the bar of chocolate, break each square in half and put in each ramekin. Which means I only melt 6 squares with the butter. The cakes turn out moist and the center is runny. So easy to make and fool-proof.

Wouldn't waste my time with this again. Doesn't taste any better than the box kind, takes more work, wastes food (what do you do with the 2 leftover whites?), instructions are screwy and incomplete (step 1 puts the ramekins in a casserole dish and step 12 puts them in again). Instructions don't say what temp to melt butter & chocolate (only in video). You don't need to make the mess of putting batter into baggie, less trouble to just spoon it into ramekins.

followed the recipe and the outcome was divine.. thanks for sharing this amazing recipe

I made this for my friend's birthday and it was a HUGE success! Very easy to make! She had been telling me how nothing recently had satisfied her chocolate craving so I knew I had to make a decadent chocolate cake! This made her chocolate dreams come true! Not even huge chocolate fans were licking their plates!

Really, really good. Used 70% cocoa and this was delicious and rich!

I made this recipe and it turned out perfect and got rave reviews. I made the batter and placed it in the ramekins the day before and refrigerated it covered with plastic wrap. I baked them in the oven just as we sat down for our main course. They baked for about 17 minutes. They inverted onto the plates very easily and because they were still hot, the lava poured out beautifully. We served them with vanilla ice cream. I always make these just prior to eating them otherwise the lava firms up if made too early. This recipe is the best I've ever tasted!! I used dark dipping chocolate and used an electric mixer for the eggs. I followed the instructions exactly and it turned out perfect. One time I doubled it and it still turned out perfect!!

I tried this recipe for the first time last night for my mom's birthday and it was a great hit.... My boyfriend said the 5.5oz was not big enough so he purchased me the 7oz ramekins and I doubled the recipe and cooked it for the same amount of time is was sooooooo good. My boyfriend told me I could make it for him any time I wanted :-) thank you Chef for posting the recipe I for sure will make again and again...

it didnt came out like a molten lava cake

Mmmmm, it was delicious -- even though I screwed up! In step #12, I poured too much water, a little over half, and when it was time to serve, the center wasn't as creamy as it should've been. Next time, I know this will be perfect! Thank you Chef John for such a great recipe

So yummy and so easy. People will think you are brilliant...seems very fancy!! I served it with ice cream and fresh raspberries to cut the richness. I listened to NW Hairgal and watched for the cake to pull away from the sides of the dish...it was perfect...thanks for the tip!!.

I have made this and rechecked everything twice but the center wasn't gooey at all!

the lava cake was not crunchy on the outside, not sweet enough, and didn't flow like a normal lava cake should.

I must have over baked mine because the inside didn't flow out when cut open...it was a soft middle but not like "lava". The flavor was good though, like a dense chocolate cake. I do think it loses something without the flow of lava. I may try it again sometime?

Made this with coconut oil instead of butter. It came out delicious. I also used one Tbsp of sugar instead of 3.

I can only say this was delicious!

The flavor & texture of this cake made it completely worth the effort of making from scratch! I let mine cook all the way and just dug into the warm centers a bit & placed a scoop of ice cream right into it. I would NOT do the plastic bag again... made a mess. I'll just use a spoon next time.

Wow turned out as expected. followed the directions to a t... and my family was impressed. so was I lol. wouldn't change a thing. The timing when you let them cool is the key, baked for 16 minutes, cool 15 min, exactly, any more rest and the lava will not flow like it should. Thank you chef John ...another great recipe.

have made this recipe 4 times assuming I was doing something wrong because it was alway way to lava(y). bottom would not cook for me at all.

Rich, delicious flavor and so simple. Oh the joy of a good bite of chocolate. Followed recipe as is.

I made this for my family, just to try something new out, and now they ask for it all the time! This is a winner!

This didn't rise at all and it didn't have a gooey center. The texture was rather rubbery.

I just made these and they turned out wonderful! I ran out of white flour and ended up adding wheat flour. Surprisingly the lava cake came out pretty good. I can probably boast of it being a 'healthier' version :)

It took a long time to rise, so by the time it did, the center was baked and no longer liquid. It has a rich flavor and our family liked it as a cake, just did not get to experience the lava.

I followed the recipe exactly and it turned out perfectly. My tip is to now over mix the mixture. There will be weird air bubbles. Definitely a recipe to keep. Thanks Chef John!

This was my first time making this cake, and i followed all of the instructions, but it didn't turn out!!! It was very dense, rubbery, and there wasn't liquid on the inside like we expected.

I tired this recipe for a Father's day treat. Instead of baking at 425, I lowered the temp to 415 (my oven is a little hot for most recipes) and left it in for only 13 minutes and it was too overdone. It was slightly gooey inside but not at all what I was hoping for/expecting; did not match the picture at all.

I followed the recipe to a T and the cakes came out dense, didn't rise, and had no liquid center. It tasted like a fluffy, dark, rich brownie. It was okay with ice cream.

The recipe was super easy to follow. This cake was exactly what I was looking for. One caution, bake for the 15 minutes the recipe says. I overboard my first batch by about 5 minutes. It was still very tasty. Second batch baked for the 15 minutes was perfect.

My favorite lava cake recipe! So rich and decadent! If anyone is complaining they didn't have a gooey center, you over baked it. The key to getting them perfect is making sure the eggs and sugar are beaten very well until thickened and foamy. I used a stand mixer to beat while I got every thing else ready. Also, make sure you refrigerate as the directions state! I just refrigerate batter earlier in the day so it's ready to bake come dessert time! I found mine were perfect when the edges were firm and the center when pressed on was firm enough that your finger didn't go into the center of the cake but when pressed on you could feel that the inside was "jiggly".

I followed the recipe/video exactly and it turned out perfectly. My stove tends to bake hot, so I cooked 16 minutes on the nose. I used heart shaped ramekins and served with raspberry sauce and whipped cream. People were licking their plates clean.

No flavor, no molten lava, no thank you.

This was good! It is hard to tell when they are done though... Mine was close. The bottom wasn't as done as the sides but the inside was soft like pudding. Great introduction to molten cake baking. I halved the recipe to make two ramekins...

I am not a big fan of chocolate cakes , so I give this rating in the name of my family, who loved it!!! for me it was way to heavy,I could barely eat one and I felt like I ate an elephant... Anyway, I made mine in paper disposable cups for muffins (do not have ramekins)they rose nicely... easy to make, and will impress for chocolate cake lovers...

A success! Much easier than you'd think they are to make. I baked 6 of them in a muffin tin for about 10 minutes and did everything else exactly.

This was fantastic! I used the recipe exactly and this was just so wonderful! My nieces and I made them together and they were smitten! I used a hand mixer though because it got hard to mix on it's own. But these were fantastic!!! I would make them again!

I may not be fair on this one but, it wasn't a good cake. When I cooked the cake was either a brownie or it looked like icing. The flavour was OK. When I fliped the rameking half of the cake would of came out. It was good ,but not delicious. (I did'nt butter the ramekins. I used PAM so it may did interfere the cooking process.)

I am so sorry to say only one star. I was so excited about this dessert! I followed the directions and the cakes came out flat not to mention they were not sweet enough. We ate them with ice cream and when we were done both my husband and I had eaten all the ice cream around the lava cake and left the cake. It was disappointing.

This is so easy and so impressive. I used ghirardelli intense dark Cabernet chocolate. Truly decadent! I used my stand mixer to beat the eggs and sugar then mixed everything else by hand. My batter was not thick at all so I did not use a pastry bag. I baked them for 18 minutes and they were perfect. I plan on making these for company soon!!

The first time I made this, I was not so successful. (Left it in the oven too long). I made it a second time and it was so yummy! When I host a meal at my house, this is the dessert that everyone wants.

Decadent chocolate heaven in your mouth! lol soooo good me and the hubbs couldn't even finish one by ourselves it was so rich! But that's a good thing! Will definitely make this again and it was so simple!

Ahh, delicious perfection! These turned out so rich and light on the outside and all gooey chocolate goodness on the inside! I followed the recipe exactly the first time I made them and they were awesome! The second time, I did add a bit more vanilla extract and liked that even better. I have even made these using almond extract for another taste delight. Thanks Chef John for giving us a little bit of chocolaty heaven in a ramekin! :)

This didn't rise at all!

I actually just moved and realized I can' t find my ramekins so I used a cupcake tin. Made adjustments to time in oven (7-8 minutes is perfect, 10 or more and they cook through), otherwise followed exactly and they were perfect. Also there was no need for the water bath using cupcake tin. Made 7 instead 4.

Awesome!

Flavor and texture were excellent. Very rich but small and perfect for a little something rich after a healthy meal or dinner party. I made this for dessert when Samantha and Alphonse came for dinner. Used green ramekin cups.

great recipe, really easy to make. I would suggest baking it for a little less than 15 minute, 14 would do he trick if you want a gooey centre. might have just been my oven though. good luck!

This is a super easy and tasty recipe. The end product will be as good as the quality of the chocolate you use, so be sure to use a high quality baking chocolate. I don't recommend the water bath as it caused my cakes to bake unevenly (slightly ironic considering the wonders they do for cheesecakes). My first batch, the top half of the cake looked done when the bottom half was still completely runny. If I had baked them for any longer, the top would have been overcooked. The second batch I didn't use the water bath and they came out perfect, no problems releasing the cakes from the ramekins. Even after keeping in the fridge for 2 days, I found that the best time/temperature combo for my oven was 350F for 15 minutes.

Love it!

Serve with coffee ice cream, cooking for 17 mins was too long, no melting on inside. Got 4 white ramekins out of the recipe, but the cakes do not rise any more than the height of the raw batter. Maybe double the batch to get them taller???

I'm sorry, but I followed the recipe by the dot and I was really excited because the recipe looked stupendous and I had guests over that day. I ate the cake with some homeade whipped cream, but once I tried the molten lava cake I was extremely dissapointed. I could tell my guests didn't like it as well because they always compliment me when I make other dishes or desserts, but there was just pure silence while everyone ate the inedible lava cake. It was way to heavy.

I just made this.. was delicious but the only thing is the middle was not melted(lava) .. what could i have done wrong to cause this???

Wasn't gooey on the inside.

I also tried this recipe and it turned out like a cookie. It didn't raise. I don't see a raising ingredient in the recipe so I don't know how it could work. I followed every instruction in the recipe.

I never leave bad reviews but I followed the recipe exactly and they were flat and the lava part wasn't there! If you ask me all I tasted was salt so do even bother putting the salt in! Once again I will say this was a horrible cake.

Great dessert! Made it for Valentine's and was delicious my husband was very excited he loves dark chocolate so this was perfect. Had it alone but with vanilla ice cream it would be great

I made this recipe for my husband for Father's Day. At 15 minutes, the batter was still runny, which is unusual for my oven. I ended up baking the cakes for another 10 minutes. The cake was wonderful! Nice crumb on the outside and rich, gooey chocolate on the inside.

Hubby and kids love it! Very quick to put together.

I'm an 11 year old girl and I made this dessert perfectly :D

Excellent. I had never made molten lava cake before. I've now used this recipe 4 times and it came out perfect every time!

Absolutely perfect!

Turned out great!

Totally awesome recipe for a first time chocolate lava cake baker. Came out perfect.

LOOOOOOOOved it! Just like the lava cakes at Animal Kingdom Restaurant.

This recipe worked great. Remember to taste the mixture. If too sweet or to bitter it will be the same once baked. Also use unsalted butter not salted.

These little lava cakes are the perfect chocolate fix. Rich cake on the outside with a fudgy center. I skipped the refrigeration and the piping - neither was necessary.

I've made Chocolate Lava cakes before, but I couldn't find my recipe, so I used this one. I'm not sure what happened, but they came out rubbery and didn't have a liquid center. Also, the flavor did not have that great chocolate taste. I cooked for 18 minutes and I let them cool for the recommended 15 minutes.

Rich but lovely. Wonderful for a special occasion

Excellent recipe, definitely a keeper.

very easy and very delicious. My family loved it!

Fantastic! Sad for me that I can make it so fast..... #WeightLossSmeightLoss I topped it off with home made whipped cream... Ugggg me want more

Well, I hate to say it, but I was very disappointed Chef John. Far too bitter and no trace of sweet. I wasted almost the entire bar of chocolate and ended up with no chocolate dessert for my guests...bummer. I hope, Chef, this will be the only time I am unhappy with your recipes. I have used other ones and was pleased with the results. Your videos are charming and enjoyable. Keep it up.

We didn't like this at all. Followed the recipe to a T, but it came out dry and not very chocolatey. Very disappointing; everyone ate the ice cream but not the cake.

This is one of my husband's favorite desserts! It's easy to make. I always use a mixer. It makes exactly four servings.

Absolutely amazing. I left it in the oven for an extra 3 minutes just to be sure. My family loved it!

I will definitely make this again!

I'm rating this with 4 stars but mine actually burned a little but it might be my fault. I followed everything in the recipe -- the dough tasted awesome, and from my experience, if the dough of a cake tastes good, it means the cake will turn out to be good too. (That's why I'm giving 4 stars) The only thing I couldn't follow was putting the ramekins in a casserole dish&water. They stayed in the oven for exactly 15 minutes (in the heat recipe ordered), and the result was burnt-ish top, and no liquid chocolate inside. I think the heat needs to be lower than 425F in some ovens and/or the casserole dish part was more important than I thought. SO if you decide to bake this, follow EVERY instruction, and keep an eye on the oven so yours won't burn too.

I made the recipe for Christmas and the family loved it. No changes, no additions or ingredient deletions.... i followed the recipe to the letter

This was very yummy but it wasn't quite what I was looking for. This turned out more like a baked chocolate pudding. I wanted the middle to ooze out not just be gooey.

My husband and family had high praises. It really only makes 4 small servings, so next time I will make double. YUM!

where is the lava i did not like this rcipie it tasted like good but i turned to brownies thanks alot

Little disappointed. The batter didn't seem to rise as it baked. At 15min, the sides didn't seem to be set so I baked for another 5. Came out like a brownie. My ramekins were a bit bigger so may double recipe next time or use only two ramekins instead of four.

One of my favorite foods for my birthday, and I made with some of my favorite fruits: strawberries and blueberries. But I really love this recipe.