Chocolate Lava Cakes Vanilla Bean (Printable Version)
Warm, molten chocolate cakes served alongside cold vanilla bean ice cream for a rich dessert contrast.
# What You'll Need:
→ Cake Batter
01 - 4 oz semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
02 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter
03 - 2 large eggs
04 - 2 large egg yolks
05 - 1/2 cup granulated sugar
06 - 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
07 - 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
→ Preparation
08 - Butter and cocoa powder (for greasing ramekins)
→ Serving
09 - 2 cups premium vanilla bean ice cream
# Directions:
01 - Preheat oven to 425°F. Generously butter four 6 oz ramekins and dust with cocoa powder, tapping out the excess.
02 - Melt chocolate and butter together in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
03 - In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, egg yolks, and sugar until thick and pale, about 2–3 minutes.
04 - Fold the melted chocolate mixture into the egg mixture. Add flour and salt, folding gently until just combined.
05 - Divide batter evenly among prepared ramekins. Place ramekins on a baking sheet.
06 - Bake for 10–12 minutes, until edges are set but centers are still soft. Do not overbake.
07 - Let cakes rest for 1 minute, then run a knife around the edges and invert onto serving plates.
08 - Serve immediately with a generous scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- They look restaurant-quality but take less than an hour from start to finish, including baking time.
- The contrast between the warm, gooey center and cold vanilla ice cream is honestly the best thing about dessert.
- You can prep them hours ahead and bake right before serving, which makes entertaining feel effortless.
02 -
- The moment of inversion feels terrifying but works every time if you've buttered and cocoa-coated those ramekins properly—don't be shy with it.
- Overbaking by even 1 minute turns the lava cake into a regular (delicious but less dramatic) chocolate cake, so set a timer and stick to it.
03 -
- Weigh your ingredients if you can—chocolate cakes are more forgiving than pastries, but precision with the chocolate-to-egg ratio makes a real difference in that molten center.
- Invest in good vanilla bean ice cream or make your own; it's the supporting actor that makes the chocolate cake shine, and the vanilla should taste genuine, not artificial.