Lava Cake
This gluten free Lava Cake recipe was such a delight to develop. For one thing, we had to taste test several batches. All in the name of science! Cutting my spoon through the shallow outer layer of cake to reveal flowing dark chocolate goodness…. oh. so. satisfying. And as fun as it is to watch the chocolate ooze out, the rich, sweet, spoonfuls are so delicious that it makes me drool as I write this. Top that with a make ahead batter that bakes in less than 15 minutes. I’m not done yet! I call this, “the great unifier of desserts” because I haven’t had anyone tell me that they will skip the Lava Cake for dessert. And this one is gluten free to boot!
I began developing this recipe while I was planning a small covid-minded birthday dinner for my husband. For him, dessert has to be chocolate. Not that he doesn’t appreciate other flavors, he does! But if I make Apple Crisp, he wants chocolate ice cream on it. So a chocolate Lava Cake was a great choice. And it turned out that the make-ahead batter, quick bake time and individual-sized ramekins, made it perfect for our small group.
Ramekin Prep
Keeping in mind that the goal of this dessert is to invert the baked cake in it’s ramekin onto a plate and lift the ramekin off to reveal what looks like a mini chocolate cake. Therefore, the Lava Cake can’t stick to the dish. My method to prevent sticking, is to generously butter the bottom and sides of the ramekin, then dust it with unsweetened cocoa powder. This results in a dark chocolate exterior to the cake. In contrast, if you were to use flour to dust the cups, there would be a white film on the outside of the cake. It wouldn’t impact the overall flavor, but it would impact the look.
Make Ahead Batter
Begin by combining the chocolate and butter in a medium sized microwavable bowl. Heat in short increments (about 30-60 seconds) until the butter is melted and the chocolate is shiny and easily stirred. Continue stirring until the chocolate and butter are completely combined. Set aside and allow it to cool while you move on to the batter.
Use a hand mixer on a high speed to whip the eggs, sugar, vanilla and salt until pale and airy. Then add the almond flour, mixing until combined. Then add in the chocolate mixture on a medium speed until incorporated fully.
The batter can be stored in the fridge covered for 24 hours. Allow it to come to room temp and stir it again well before pouring into the prepared ramekins.
Baking Gluten Free Lava Cake
Pour the room temperature batter evenly into four 8 ounce prepared ramekins placed on a rimmed baking sheet, for ease of transferring them in and out of the oven. Place the tray of ramekins into the preheated oven and set a timer for 14 minutes. You can use smaller ramekins to make smaller portions, however you will also need to decrease the baking time. Remove the cakes from the oven at 14 minutes as long as the tops no longer look wet. You also want to make sure that the cake has risen just a little bit around the edges.
Let the cakes cool for about a minute. Wearing an oven mitt with good grip, carefully invert each ramekin onto a small plate and lift the cup off to reveal the cake. Garnish with whipped cream, berries and/or ice cream and serve immediately.
More Gluten Free Desserts
If you love gluten free chocolate desserts, here are a few more to check out: Easy Chocolate Mousse, Peanut Butter Pie, Mocha Caramel Chip Ice Cream, Chocolate Hazelnut Cupcakes, Chocolate Peanut Butter Caramel Cake and Spiced Chocolate Cheesecake.
Lava Cake
Ingredients
- 6 tbsp butter
- 9 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips or chopped chocolate
- 3 large whole eggs
- 3 egg yolks
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- ½ tsp salt
- 3 tbsp almond flour
- cocoa powder & butter for coating ramekins
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
- Generously butter the bottom and sides of four 8 ounce ramekins and dust with cocoa powder, tapping out any excess. Set ramekins on a rimmed baking sheet for easy transfer into & out of the oven.
- In a medium sized microwavable bowl, combine the chocolate chips and butter. Heat in 30-60 second increments until the butter is melted and chips are shiny and soft. Stir to combine them well until there are no visible lumps. Set aside to cool while you work on the rest of the batter.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs, egg yolks, sugar, vanilla and salt on a high speed with a hand mixer. Once they are pale and airy, add in the almond flour and blend until combined well.
- Combine the chocolate mixture with the egg mixture using a hand mixer on a medium speed until completely combined. At this point you can cover and store the batter in the fridge until you are ready to bake. Keep in mind that you need to bring the batter back to room temp prior to baking.
- When ready to bake, pour the batter evenly into the ramekins. Place the tray of ramekins in the oven and set a timer for 14 minutes. Remove at that point unless the tops still show wet batter or haven’t risen at all. They should only rise a little bit though, don’t expect anything dramatic.
- Allow the cakes to cool for about a minute, then use oven mitts with good grip, very carefully invert the cakes onto small serving plates. Remove the ramekins and garnish the Lava Cakes with berries, whipped cream, ice cream, powdered sugar or chocolate sauce. Whatever you have on hand and sounds good to you!
Shay!!! You knocked this one out of the park!!! I actually used smaller ramekins and cooked for 12 and half minutes. We had them as our Thanksgiving dessert and EVERYONE looooved them!
Yay!!! So happy to hear this Jennifer! Thank you for taking the time to write & review the recipe:-). Happy Holidays!!!