Gluten-Free Chocolate Lava Cakes
Ooey-gooey and warm in the center with a light cake on the outside, everyone’s favorite restaurant dessert made right at home and gluten-free. Gluten-free chocolate lava cake is made with a handful of simple ingredients and baked in 10 minutes. This recipe is the perfect single-serve gluten-free dessert your family will beg for.
Servings: 4 cakes
Equipment
- 4 Small Ramekins
- 1 Heat Safe Bowl
Ingredients
- 6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 whole eggs
- 2 egg yolks
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons gluten-free all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F and grease 4 ramekins with butter. Use a small amount of cocoa powder to coat the inside and tap out any excess before setting your ramekins aside for later.
- In a large heat-safe bowl, add your chocolate and butter and place over a double broiler to melt, stirring occasionally. Optionally, you can also melt the chocolate and butter in the microwave, setting the power to 50% and heating for 30 seconds at a time, stirring between intervals.
- Add to your chocolate mixture the vanilla and salt and set aside to cool until it is no longer hot.
- In another bowl, beat your eggs and sugar with a hand mixer for 4-5 minutes. The mixture should look light in color, fluffy, and about quadrupled in size.
- Using a rubber spatula carefully fold in your egg mixture with the chocolate, and once it’s almost combined, sift in your flour and cocoa powder and give it a final stir until everything is combined and there are no streaks, being careful not to over-mix.
- Evenly divide your batter into your 4 greased ramekins and bake in the oven for 9-11 minutes (depending on how gooey you want the center). You’re waiting for the sides of the cakes to be firm but the center to still be jiggly.
- Once done, remove from the oven and let sit for 1 minute before placing a plate over the top of your ramekins and inverting. Be careful, as the ramekins will still be very hot! If the lava cake doesn’t release onto the plate right away, carefully give the ramekin a few little taps until you hear it fall.
- Serve it hot with your favorite toppings and enjoy!
Notes
- The lava in lava cake comes from the molten gooey chocolate center, meaning the baking time is extremely important for this recipe. Overbaking these cakes will cause the insides to bake completely, and you won’t get the desired ‘lava’ consistency. Undercooking can cause the cakes to collapse into a chocolatey pudding.
- This is a quick recipe, but you can definitely prepare the batter ahead of time and allow it to come to room temperature before baking.
- I like using high-quality semi-sweet chocolate chips, but you can also use a chocolate bar.
- To make this dairy-free, substitute the butter for vegan butter, coconut oil, or vegetable oil.
- I like using Pillsbury Gluten-Free Flour Mix, but you can use your go-to gluten-free flour.
- If you don’t have oven-safe ramekins, you can also use a muffin tin!
- Tightly wrap or store in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days. Reheat on a microwave-safe plate, cover it lightly with a damp paper towel and heat for 15–20 seconds. Be cautious not to overheat, as this may solidify the molten center.
- You can freeze lava cakes by wrapping them tightly in plastic wrap and placing them in an airtight container or freezer-safe bag. I like to defrost mine in the refrigerator overnight before reheating it for the best texture.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cake | Calories: 592kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 44g | Saturated Fat: 26g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 243mg | Sodium: 334mg | Potassium: 309mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 31g | Vitamin A: 979IU | Calcium: 63mg | Iron: 4mg