Molten Chocolate Lava Cake (Vegan)

After eating nearly 6 of these in one day during my recipe trial (yes, my stomach hurt a little after – but worth it!), I’ve got the perfect final recipe for you. This vegan molten chocolate lava cake has that rich, moist, decadent cake we all love with the melty oozing chocolate center – just like the original version – but egg and dairy-free! When testing, I found that creating a fancy “ganache” filling like other vegan recipes wasn’t really worth the extra time – and simply using a high quality delicious dark chocolate center is just as good (if not better). I’ll teach you all the tips to make the perfect molten lava cake that doesn’t stick to the ramekin (this happened to me too many times!) AND tastes like you got it at your favorite restaurant!

I grew up on Applebees. Well, really it was more my high school hangout spot (anyone else?) This was before my plant-based days and my friend Brittany and I would order the huge appetizer sampler that came with wings, fries, dip, and much more. Even though we were stuffed (and unbuttoning our pants for extra room), we’d always order a molten chocolate lava cake at the end. And it was always phenomenal.

For years, that was my favorite dessert. And honestly it might still be up there in my top 5 – but a good tiramisu might beat it out. I am a dessert lover at heart and love making single serving desserts for myself like my raspberry chocolate mousse or single serving red velvet cookie, so this recipe was the perfect addition to my collection.

I ate way to many of these during my recipe trial – but someone’s gotta taste test right?? I know, poor me – full up on chocolate lava cake!

Too bad my husband was out of town during this trial or else he would’ve eaten them with me.

I love how it turned out – it’s simpler than most recipes that have you make vegan buttermilk and a fancy ganache filling – but I promise it’s amazing without all these extra unnecessary steps and ingredients.

Ingredients for Vegan Molten Chocolate Lava Cake

• All-purpose Flour – I talk about this more later, but make sure to sift you flour to get rid of those pesky clumps. If you want a gluten-free cake, consider using King Arthur’s 1:1 Gluten-Free Flour.
• White Sugar – Similar to the flour, no clumps!
• Baking Powder – We will use baking powder rather than soda because it comes with the acidic agent already added to it. This also works with the Dutch-pressed cocoa powder
• Cocoa Powder – I like to use dutch-press cocoa powder for this recipe
• Salt – just a pinch!
• Vegan Butter – Use stick butter rather than from the tub. Melt it in the microwave before use. You will also need some that is firm for coating your ramekin so the cake doesn’t stick.
• Non-Dairy Milk – I often use soy or almond. Both work.
• Dark chocolate squares – This is for our molten lava center. Choose a high quality one you like. And, of course, vegan (unless that doesn’t matter to you). You need 1-2 oz. I give a range because some people like their desserts extra chocolatey, so you do you.
• Optional toppings: Powdered sugar dusting (super pretty on top!), vegan vanilla ice cream, chocolate syrup drizzle, or whatever you like.

1. Whisk dry ingredients

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Start my whisking together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cocoa powder, and salt in a medium bowl. (Make sure no clumps!)

2. Add wet ingredients

Add the melted butter and milk. Optional: add vanilla extract. Mix until smooth.

3. Prep ramekin

In a 10 oz ramekin (~4 inch diameter), coat the bottom and sides with butter (don’t skimp on this part). Then sprinkle in some extra cocoa powder on over the butter to also help prevent sticking.

4. Pour in batter and bake

Pour 3/4 of the chocolate batter into the ramekin. Break up your chocolate squares and place in the center of the batter. You can use between 1-2 oz of chocolate, depending on your preference. Cover it with the remaining batter and smooth out the top.

Bake 13-16 minutes. You know it is done when the sides are firm but the middle may still be a bit soft. Let sit for 1-2 minutes before taking a butter knife and rimming the sides of the bowl.

5. Serve

Place a small plate on the top of the ramekin. It helps to slide your ramekin and plate near the edge so you can flip it over. Gently flip the ramekin upside down onto the plate. If your lava cake is still not releasing, carefully use the knife again to rim the sides.

Sprinkle with some powdered sugar. Spoon some ice cream and even a drizzle of chocolate sauce – enjoy right away!

Allie’s Tips for the Best Lava Cake

1. Sift your flour and cocoa powder – I made this recipe more times than I can count, and a few times I got lazy and did not sift my ingredients. And boy, those clumps are NOT tasty in the final product. Sifting will give you a smooth velvety vegan chocolate lava cake.
2. Measure accurately – Single serve recipes (like my raspberry chocolate mousse or red velvet cookie) require precise measuring even more than large batch recipes. Level off your flour. Consider using a scale if you have one. I included metric units to help.
3. Choose a high quality chocolate for the center – Other recipes have you making a special ganache, but honestly when I tried this I didn’t find that it tasted that much better for all the effort. So I recommend just choosing a really good chocolate for the center. You could also switch it up with unique chocolate fillings like raspberry chocolate or salted caramel chocolate – those both sound amazing to me!
4. Butter that ramekin SUPER well – and if you don’t, that poor molten lava cake is not going to come out 😅 (speaking from experience). I like to put a pad of butter on a paper towel and rub it generously through all the nooks and crannies of the inside of the ramekin. You can’t overdo this step!