This rich and gooey chocolate fondant cake is the ultimate dessert for chocolate lovers. With a soft outer cake and molten centre, these mini lava cakes are surprisingly easy to make at home and perfect for dinner parties, date nights, or when you’re craving something delicious after dinner. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or berries for a dessert that never fails to impress.
Easy Chocolate Fondant Cake Recipe (Molten Lava Cakes)
Easy Chocolate Fondant Cake Recipe (Molten Lava Cakes)
Rated 5.0 stars by 1 users
Category
Dessert
Cuisine
Mediterranean
Author:
Ashley’s Place
Servings
4
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
15 minutes
These Chocolate Fondant Cakes or as you may know it Molten Lava Cakes are so good! To me it is like a Chocolate Cake and Meringue had a baby and this is the result. The flavours are so delicious without being so overly rich, which is down to making this with the whipped eggs and sugar to make it lighter. But my favourite part is if you overbake them you just get a delicious Chocolate Cake if you Underbake it you just get a more gooey cake so it is a win win and you can't fail! Perfect for the ones who think they can't bake.
Ingredients
-
🍫 100g of Dark Choc* See note 1
- 🍫 90g Butter chopped
- 🍫 2 Whole Eggs
- 🍫 2 Egg Yolks
- 🍫 180g Icing Sugar
- 🍫 75g Flour
-
🍫 4 x Ramekins* See note 2
- 🍫 Butter and Cocoa fo dusting
Directions
Start by prepping your ramekins, grease with a layer of butter all over and then dust the base and sides with cocoa powder, we do this so it doesn’t stick but also use cocoa so you can’t notice it on the cakes as it’s the same colour* See note 3
Chop your butter into cubes and your chocolate into rough pieces and melt in the microwave in 30 seconds bursts. Mix really well in between each 30 seconds, as the residual heat will help to melt the butter/chocolate without it burning. Set it aside to cool slightly
While its cooling start to mix your eggs, egg yolks and icing sugar together using your whisk attachment if you have one if not a handheld mixer works too, mix until they become lighter in colour about 5-8mins.
Once it is mixed and lighter in colour stop your mixer to add in the flour and mix until its combined, about 30 seconds
Fold in your slightly cooled chocolate mixture into your egg, sugar and flour mixture. You want to do this by hand not the machine so you keep the lovely texture from the eggs. You can use the whisk of the machine or spatula/spoon.
Fill your prepped ramekins about just over 1/2 full, pop into the fridge covered, so they can harden/thicken for about 20 minutes. You can leave it longer & overnight if needed but it may take a bit longer to bake if you leave it overnight so add a couple of minutes to your baking time
Pre-heat your oven to 180°C degrees about 10 minutes before you are going to bake these
Bake for 15-17 minutes until edges are baked* see notes 4
Then enjoy! You can eat them straight from the ramekins but be careful as they will be hot, or turn them out onto a plate carefully so they don’t break. I serve mine in the ramekins on a plate. They also go really well with some vanilla ice cream, cream or custard
Recipe Note
FAQ's & Notes:
- I use the Nestle Plaistowe Cooking chocolate 40% Dark if you are in Australia, I use this chocolate all the time in baking as it's a really nice mix by not being too dark and still having sweetness. These are traditionally made with darker chocolates not milk
- The ramekin size I use is 7cm wide and 5cm high on the inside. Any size will do though, if you use a smaller one just fill to just over 1/2 full and you may need to cook it for less time.
- To dust the ramekins pop a spoonful of cocoa in the ramekin after you have spread the butter and then swirl the ramekin around over the top of another ramekin that way there is no mess & you can use the excess to to the next one
- This is the perfect dessert that is easy to make and one that you can definitely impress your family or guests with. The best part is if you overcook it a little you just end up with a delicious chocolate cake or if you undercook it it's just a little more gooey. 15 minutes has more of a gooey center, 18 minutes is a little less gooey but still a good amount and 21 minutes plus usually will cook your cake completely through but still delicious. If your cake has been in the fridge overnight or for quite a while you may need to bake these for about 18 or so minutes as they will be cold.
Q: What’s the difference between fondant cake and lava cake?
A: They’re are very very similar, I use the term Chocolate Fondant cake for these as that's what I was taught in Italy and what we called them. Technically they are slightly different in texture but really I believe we use the term interchangeably whether that is correct or not.
Q: Can I make chocolate fondant ahead of time?
A: Yes! You can prep the batter and refrigerate it in ramekins for up to 24 hours. Bake just before serving for the perfect molten middle. Which makes these great for dinner parties or events as you can make it ahead and just pop into the oven without having to leave your guests for long.
Q: How long can I keep these for once baked?:
These are best eaten fresh from the oven so they are warm so I only bake them as I am going to eat them.
Q: When to make this for events or dinner parties :
You can make these the day before or the morning of your event so they are ready to go, all you have to do is take them out of the fridge and bake them away. They may need an extra couple of minutes as they will be a bit cooler. You can leave the uncooked one in the fridge for 1 - 2 days but I wouldn’t leave it longer as it has raw eggs inside.