Molten Chocolate Lava Cake (Vegan)

5 from 1 vote

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!

Prep Time7

Cook Time13

Total Time19

Course: Dessert

Diet:

Servings: serving

Calories: 617kcal

Author: Allie Petersen

Equipment

1 10 oz ramiken (approximately 4 inches diameter)

Ingredients

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tbsp granulated white sugar
1.5 tbsp Dutch pressed cocoa powder (sifted) plus more for coating ramiken
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 pinch salt
2 tbsp vegan melted butter (stick butter, not tub)
1/4 cup non-dairy milk
1/4 tsp vanilla extract optional
1-2 oz dark chocolate squares
chilled butter for coating ramekin

Optional Toppings

powdered sugar
vanilla ice cream

Instructions

A note about single serving recipes: It is very important to measure precisely for single-serve recipes because slight adjustments can lead to very different results. Please sift your flour and cocoa and level off you flour as you measure - it will really help!
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Start my whisking together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cocoa powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
1/4 cup all-purpose flour, 2 tbsp granulated white sugar, 1.5 tbsp Dutch pressed cocoa powder, 1/4 tsp baking powder, 1 pinch salt
Add the melted butter and milk. Optional: add vanilla extract. Mix until smooth.
2 tbsp vegan melted butter, 1/4 cup non-dairy milk, 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
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 over the butter to also help prevent sticking.
Pour 3/4 of the chocolate batter into the ramekin. Break up your chocolate squares into small pieces 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.
1-2 oz dark chocolate squares
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.
Place a small plate on the top of the ramekin and gently flip it over. 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!

Notes

Tips:

Sifting your flour and cocoa powder makes a huge difference. Trust me, I skipped a few times when trialing this recipe and the clumps showed up in my final product!
As I stated above in the recipe, but single serving recipes really require precise measurements. Sifting and leveling off the flour is helpful. You can use a scale for even more precise measurements.
The chocolate center is simply your favorite dark chocolate squares. I suggest choosing something high quality - and feel free to mix up the flavor. Salted caramel chocolate would be divine in this recipe! You can use chocolate chips, but they tend to be as high quality.

Nutrition