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This single serve Chocolate Lava Cake has a soft, tender cake on the outside and a warm, gooey center. It’s rich, chocolatey, and ready in under 25 minutes—perfect when you want a quick and decadent dessert.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy to Make: Simple ingredients and steps for a rich, homemade dessert.
- Perfectly Portioned: Designed for one and baked in a 10-ounce ramekin.
- Rich & Gooey: Soft chocolate cake with a warm, molten center.
- Special Occasion Worthy: Great for date nights or celebrations—double it to serve two.
This molten chocolate cake—also known as moelleux au chocolat—is one of those desserts that feels truly special. I love how the soft, cakey exterior gives way to a warm, gooey center with every spoonful. It’s rich, comforting, and feels like a little celebration in a ramekin.
If you love small chocolate desserts, don’t miss our Devil’s Food Cake, rich Texas Sheet, Flourless Chocolate Cake, or German Chocolate Cake. Each one is perfectly portioned and full of flavor.
Check out our other Mini Cake Recipes for more wonderful small cake ideas!
Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this small lava cake recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder.
- Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips: Provide rich chocolate flavor. For a deeper, less sweet taste, use bittersweet chocolate. Extra chips? Use them in Blondies, S’mores Dip, or Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream.
- Butter: Salted or unsalted butter both work.
- Sugar: Balances the richness of the chocolate.
- Egg: Adds richness, binds the ingredients, and helps create the cake’s soft texture.
- Vanilla Extract: Boosts the chocolate flavor.
- Flour: Gives the cake structure with a firm outer layer and gooey center.
- Powdered Sugar: Optional, for a light dusting on top before serving.
How To Make A Chocolate Lava Cake
These photos and instructions help you visualize how to make a single serving molten lava cake. See the recipe box below for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions.
- Prep the Ramekin: Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). Generously butter a 10-ounce ramekin using 1/2 tablespoon of butter.
- Melt the Chocolate: In a double boiler or microwave-safe bowl, melt the chocolate chips and 1 tablespoon of butter. Stir until smooth. Let cool slightly.
Pro Tip: To create a double boiler, fill a small saucepan with about 1 inch of water and bring it to a gentle simmer. Place a heatproof bowl on top of the saucepan, making sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. The steam will gently melt the chocolate and butter as you stir.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, egg, and vanilla until foamy, about 30 seconds.
- Add Flour: Whisk in the flour until smooth, about 10 seconds.
- Combine Mixtures: Stir the cooled chocolate mixture into the egg mixture until fully blended.
- Fill Ramekin: Pour the batter into the ramekin. Place ramekin on a baking sheet.
- Bake: Bake for 13-15 minutes, until edges are set and the center is still soft. Do not overbake.
- Cool: Run a knife around the edge and let the cake rest for 3 minutes.
- Invert: Place a plate over the ramekin, flip it, and hold for 20 seconds to release the cake.
10. Serve: Dust with powdered sugar and serve warm.
Expert Tips
- Read Before Starting: Review the full recipe and Ingredient Notes before beginning.
- Melt Gently: Use low heat to melt the chocolate. If using a microwave, stir every 15 seconds to prevent scorching.
- Don’t Overmix: Mix just until the ingredients are combined to keep the cake soft and gooey.
- Preheat Your Oven: Make sure the oven is fully preheated for even baking and a molten center.
- Use the Right Ramekin: A 10-ounce ramekin works best for this single serving cake.
How To Serve Chocolate Lava Cake
Make this rich dessert even more special with a simple topping:
- Vanilla Ice Cream
- Whipped Cream
- Caramel Sauce
- Fresh Berries
Frequently Asked Questions
You can prepare the batter ahead and refrigerate it, covered, for up to a day. When ready to bake, bring it to room temperature before placing in the oven.
The cake was likely overbaked. Check your oven temperature to ensure it’s accurate, and try reducing the baking time slightly for a gooey center.
This dessert is best enjoyed fresh, but if you have leftovers, wrap the cake tightly or place it in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Just know the center will firm up a bit and won’t be quite as gooey when reheated.
Absolutely! Simply double the ingredient amounts and divide the batter between two 10-ounce ramekins.
Yes, you can. Let the cake cool completely, then wrap it in plastic wrap and foil. Place it in a freezer bag or airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat in the microwave just until warmed through—keep in mind the texture may change slightly.
Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder or you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes:
If you’ve made this single serve lava cake, I’d love to hear how it turned out for you. Please rate the recipe and share your thoughts in the comments below.
Snapped a photo? Tag us on Instagram; we’d be thrilled to see your creation!
Chocolate Lava Cake For One
Equipment
Ingredients
- ¼ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 tablespoon butter -plus ½ tablespoon more for greasing the ramekin.
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- powdered sugar -optional for topping
Instructions
- Prep the Ramekin: Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). Generously butter a 10-ounce ramekin using 1/2 tablespoon of butter.
- Melt the Chocolate: In a double boiler or microwave-safe bowl, melt the chocolate chips and 1 tablespoon of butter. Stir until smooth. Let cool slightly.Pro Tip: To create a double boiler, fill a small saucepan with about 1 inch of water and bring it to a gentle simmer. Place a heatproof bowl on top of the saucepan, making sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. The steam will gently melt the chocolate and butter as you stir.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, egg, and vanilla until foamy, about 30 seconds.
- Add Flour: Whisk in the flour until smooth, about 10 seconds.
- Combine Mixtures: Stir the cooled chocolate mixture into the egg mixture until fully blended.
- Fill Ramekin: Pour the batter into the ramekin. Place ramekin on a baking sheet.
- Bake: Bake for 13-15 minutes, until edges are set and the center is still soft. Do not overbake.
- Cool: Run a knife around the edge and let the cake rest for 3 minutes.
- Invert: Place a plate over the ramekin, flip it, and hold for 20 seconds to release the cake.
- Serve: Dust with powdered sugar and serve warm.
Notes
- Read Before Starting: Review the full recipe and Ingredient Notes before beginning.
- Melt Gently: Use low heat to melt the chocolate. If using a microwave, stir every 15 seconds to prevent scorching.
- Don’t Overmix: Mix just until the ingredients are combined to keep the cake soft and gooey.
- Preheat Your Oven: Make sure the oven is fully preheated for even baking and a molten center.
- Use the Right Ramekin: A 10-ounce ramekin works best for this single serving cake.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
So quick, so easy and sooo good! I had no idea it could be this easy to make! I wasn’t sure if it was done at 13 minutes but the top was cracked and I mean, the center isn’t supposed to be cooked through anyway. I’m glad I didn’t cook it any longer…it was perfect.
So glad to hear you loved it! You’re absolutely right—not overbaking is key to getting that gooey center. Thanks so much for your feedback!
My whole family thought this recipe was SCRUMPTIOUS! However since I am diabetic I thought I’d try to reduce the sweetness just a bit. I used Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate and reduced the sugar to 2.5 Tbsp and it was perfect for me. Thanks for a great recipe!
I’m so glad you and your family enjoyed the lava cake! Thank you for sharing your adjustments.
Very good and so quick and easy to make! I love sweets but I’m always trying to cut back on my sugar so I used 2 TBS instead of 3 and it was sweet enough for me. Looking forward to making this again!
This was just heavenly. It is so rich and so chocolatey and I could not believe how easy it was to make. I will be making this again and again
I’m so happy you enjoyed the cake!
this was soooo delicious!!! I have never found such a comprehensive, fabulous recipes, video and full instructions website ever. Thank you so much Joanie, you put the zing back into cooking!!!!
Thank you so much!
Hi Would it still work out if it was prepared ahead of time ?
We’ve covered this topic in our FAQ section. You can definitely make the batter up to two days in advance, fill the ramekin, cover it tightly, and refrigerate. Just remember to let the ramekin reach room temperature before baking. However, it’s not advisable to bake the cake in advance, as the signature gooey center will begin to set. For more tips on storing your baked cake, you might find the Storage Instructions section of the blog post helpful.
So easy and so satisfying. I didn’t have a 10oz ramekin so split it between two 4oz ramekins and pulled them out of the oven a minute or two early. It worked.
What a great tip! Thanks, Karen.
Absolutely delicious!
very enjoyable
Terrific recipe.
Thank you.