Chocolate Lava Cake | Instant Pot or Oven (2024)

Chocolate Lava Cakes(also known as chocolate fondants) hide a core of gooey chocolate inside their sponge shell. A incredibly indulgent – yet easy! – dessert which can be made in your Instant Pot or oven.

Chocolate lovers will also adore myOne-bowl Chocolate Cake

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What is your favourite chocolate dessert? As a chocolate lover I could name a dozen, but chocolate lava cakes would probably top my list. The mere mention of ‘chocolate molten lava’ is enough to make me weak in the knees 😉

These rich chocolate puddings have a reputation as being tricky to make but they couldn’t be easier, especially in a pressure cooker.

What’s a molten lava cake?

Lava cakes or molten chocolate cakes are also known as chocolate fondants or “fondant au chocolat” if you are feeling a bit fancy (or French).

These little cakes hide a molten gooeychocolate core which flows out once you break through the sponge. Needless to say they are absolutely heavenly and a must for chocaholics and dessert lovers.

Grocery List

You will need only a handful of ingredients so make sure you use the very best!

• Dark chocolate or semi-dark chocolate chips (Callebaut and Ghirardelli are available on Amazon)– ideally between 35-60% cocoa solids
• Unsalted butter – don’t use non dairy spreads
• 3 large eggs – some recipes use only egg yolks or a combination of whole eggs and egg yolks. I don’t think this adds anything and I don’t like having leftover egg white!
• Icing (powdered) sugar
• Vanilla paste or extract, espresso coffee powder and ground cinnamon
• A little plain (all purpose) flour

Chocolate lava cake variations contain peanut butter, Nutella, salted caramel – so once you master the classic recipe you can customise it as you please.

You will also need

• Four 170ml / 6-ounce ramekins or preferably dariole moulds*which are slightly domed – you can purchase these on Amazon. The are perfect for making chocolate fondants or toffee and ginger puddings.

Serving Suggestions

These cakes are so rich that you could serve them simply as they are, perhaps dusted with icing sugar or cocoa powder.

If you want to really push the boat out and impress at a dinner party or Valentine’s Day then consider the following serving options

• Vanilla ice cream on top or on the side – the creamy ice cream contrasts so well with the rich chocolate. Add a splash of Baileys for extra deliciousness!
• Drizzled with double cream, salted caramel or white chocolate sauce.
• With whipped cream and fresh berries on the side
• Raspberry or blackberry sauce (coulis) contrasts well with the rich chocolate

How to Make Chocolate Lava Cakes

Full measurements and instructions can be found on theprintable recipe cardat the bottom of the page. Please take a look at the steps and video before attempting this recipe!

Step 1. Put the chocolate and butter in a bowl and microwave for 30 second bursts, stirring in between, until melted and smooth. Alternatively set the bowl over a pot of barely simmering water and allow the chocolate to melt gradually (double boiler method). Set aside to cool slightly.

Step 2. Add the eggs and vanilla. Mix together using a small balloon whisk. The chocolate will thicken.

Step 3. Sift the flour, icing sugar, espresso powder, ground cinnamon and salt over the chocolate. Fold together until you have a glossy, thick batter and no dry streaks remain.

See Also

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Step 4. Spray four ramekins or dariole (metal pudding) moulds with cake release or brush with melted butter. Add a scant teaspoon of cocoa powder in each and swirl to cover. Discard any excess cocoa powder.

Step 5. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared ramekins or moulds.

Step 6. Place the metal trivet in your pressure cooker and add 250ml (1 cup water). Place the ramekins on the trivet – you should have enough space to fit them all in a single layer but if not you can stack them.

Step 7. Set vent to sealing and cook for 10 minutes at high pressure. Release the steam manually and remove them lava cakes from the cooker. If any condensation has collected on top of the cakes, pat it dry with kitchen paper.

Step 8. Leave to cool for a couple of minutes before serving. Carefully invert the lava cakes on plates (the moisture from the pressure cooker makes them really easy to release).

Step 9. Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side and perhaps a little Baileys drizzled over.

Lava cakes in the oven

Follow the instructions above. Place the ramekins or dariole moulds on a heavy baking tray (one that will not warp in the oven) and cook in a preheated oven at 200°C (400°F) for between 17-20 minutes.

If your lava cake is really squidgy and soft on top then it probably needs another minute to cook – check after 15 minutes and take it from there.

Leave to cool for two minutes. Carefully run a knife around the edge of the mould, invert onto plates and serve. Alternatively you could serve these in the ramekins.

Tips and troubleshooting

• Use dariole moulds (small pudding basins) for best results – the lava cakes will be easier to turn out.
• Oven temperatures can vary greatly – if your oven runs hot these cakes will cook faster and they will become firm in the center which is not what you want. You might want to test the recipe with one before baking the rest.
• If you are cooking these in the oven they will puff up slightly while cooking, a bit like a soufflé. The texture is slightly different to those made in a pressure cooker.
• Do not use milk chocolate or chocolate substitutes in this recipe
• Leftover lava cakes can be reheated for just few seconds in the microwave before serving.
• If cooking in a pressure cooker, a little condensation will collect on top of the cakes. You can dry this off with kitchen paper, it doesn’t affect the texture or taste.
• If your lava cake is really squidgy and soft on top then it probably a few more minutes to cook.
• Leave to cool for a couple of minutes before serving – don’t skip this step or rush to serve immediately. The cooling time allows them to firm up slightly.

Eleven new chocolate recipes for national chocolate day!

1. Thick Chocolate Chip cookies with pecans – Ashlee Marie
2. Chocolate Pudding – Creations by Kara
3. Mexican Hot Chocolate Pudding Cake – Crumb
4. Small Batch Chocolate Cupcakes – Savory Experiments
5. Mexican Hot Chocolate – Real Mom Kitchen
6. Instant Pot Chocolate Bundt Cake – 365 Days of Slow Cooking and Pressure Cooking
7. Chocolate Cupcakes with a Nutella Mascarpone Frosting – An Italian in my Kitchen
8. Fudge Cookies – Simply Stacie
9. Homemade Chocolate Syrup – The Baker Upstairs
10. Chocolate molten lava cakes – right here!

Plus these must-make recipes from the blog archives

• One-bowl chocolate cake with chocolate mascarpone frosting
• No-bake salted caramel chocolate tart
• Baileys chocolate ice cream
• Chocolate layer cake with blackberry Italian buttercream

HAVE YOU MADEMY CHOCOLATE LAVA CAKE RECIPE? Post a photo on my Facebook page, share it on Instagram, or save it to Pinterestwith the tag #supergoldenbakes. I can’t wait to see your take on it!