Why you’ll love these lava cakes

These molten lava cakes are perfect for celebrating Valentine’s day – especially if the one you love is a chocolate person. Serve them warm with a dusting of powdered sugar or a scoop of your favorite dairy-free ice cream for an extra indulgent experience. We really like the so delicious wondermilk vanilla.

Speaking of chocolate, if you haven’t tried my chocolate stout cake, it’s perfect for St. Patrick’s Day, which is right around the corner. But, if you’re still craving chocolate, I also highly recommend my chocolate aquafaba mousse, chocolate sorbet or these chocolate zucchini carrot muffins.

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overhead of a chocolate lava cake dusted with cocoa powder.

Ingredients & substitutions

  • Chocolate chips – We used Guittard chocolate chips because I love their quality and they’re dairy free. I recommend a semi-sweet chocolate for this. You can also use a chopped up chocolate bar of your choice. Quality is key here since it’s the main ingredient.
  • Vegan butter – I used Earth Balance buttery sticks for this recipe, but you can use your favorite butter (even dairy if that works for you).
  • Eggs – Please don’t swap these. They contribute to so much including the rise and richness of the cakes.

Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions listed below are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.

A dairy free lava cake with a piece removed by a fork.

How to make chocolate lava cakes

Mise en place. Preheat your oven to 425˚F. Grease 4 6-ounce ramekins and dust with cocoa powder to prevent them from sticking. Set aside.

Melt the chocolate. Place your butter and chocolate into a microwave-safe container. Cook for 30 seconds at a time and stir between each session. When your chocolate is almost melted (there should still be some little chunks), stop. Stir until the chocolate is smooth. This typically only takes me about 1 minute.

Beat the eggs. Add the eggs and egg yolk to a bowl and whisk together until smooth. You can also use a hand mixer for this. Then, slowly mix them into the chocolate mixture. Next, stir in the vanilla extract.

A piece of cake on a fork, with the cake in the background on a plate.

Mix the dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the chocolate bowl and whisk until smooth. Divide the batter between your prepared ramekins. I like to weigh my ramekins with my kitchen scale to get them as close to even as possible.

Bake the lava cakes. Place the cakes on a baking sheet and bake the cakes for 12 minutes. They will just barely look set on the top and that’s ok. If you want that warm center, that’s what you need. Remove them from the oven and let them rest for a minute before flipping them onto a plate to serve.

More dairy free desserts: red velvet brownies / dairy free tiramisu /strawberry blueberry shortcake / vanilla bean crème brûlée

Close up of a lava cake, showing the gooey melted center.
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Chocolate Lava Cakes

By: Melissa Belanger
These chocolate lava cakes are easy to make and bake up with a rich, velvety exterior and warm, gooey centers. They can be made with or without dairy, and they’re the best way to celebrate Valentine’s day or satisfy a serious chocolate craving.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Total Time: 17 minutes
Servings: 4
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Ingredients 

  • 6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips*
  • ½ cup 1 stick dairy free butter
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 6 tablespoons powdered sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • Cocoa powder, for dusting

Instructions 

  • Place chocolate and butter in a mixing bowl. and micrwave at 30 second increments until almost melted (about 1 minute total). Stir between and after each microwave until chocolate is smooth.
  • Beat eggs in a separate bowl until smooth a light in color. Whisk them into the chocolate mixture.
  • Stir in vanilla extract.
  • Whisk sugar, flour and salt into the batter until smooth.
  • Divide the batter evenly between ramekins.
  • Bake at 425˚F for 12 minutes, or until tops have set but cakes still seem wobbly.
  • Remove from oven and flip each cake onto a plate to serve.

Notes

*Be sure to read your ingredient labels to make sure that all products are safe for your dietary/allergen needs.

Nutrition

Calories: 575kcal, Carbohydrates: 41g, Protein: 8g, Fat: 42g, Trans Fat: 4g, Cholesterol: 182mg, Sodium: 359mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 28g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Hi! I'm Melissa.

I create easy, dairy free recipes because I know how hard living without milk can be. I believe you can live a completely satisfying life without dairy, and I want to teach you how.

Read more about me

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2 Comments

  1. Sar says:

    Have you ever made these with coconut oil instead of dairy free butter?

    Reply
    1. Melissa says:

      I haven’t, but I think it could work!

      Reply