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Mini Chocolate Lava Cakes

Viral mini chocolate lava cakes bake in 12 minutes with a molten chocolate center. Restaurant dessert made better at home. Get the recipe!
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 27 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: French
Calories: 580
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 8 oz dark chocolate 60 to 70 percent, chopped
  • 1 cup unsalted butter plus more for ramekins
  • 4 large eggs room temperature
  • 4 large egg yolks
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
  • 1/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 tbsp Dutch process cocoa powder for dusting ramekins
  • 1/4 cup powdered sugar for dusting
  • 6 scoops vanilla ice cream for serving

Method
 

  1. **Heat.** Preheat oven to 425F. Butter 6 ramekins and dust with cocoa powder, tapping out excess.
  2. **Melt.** Combine chopped chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl. Microwave in 30 second bursts, stirring, until smooth.
  3. **Whisk.** In a separate bowl whisk eggs, yolks, sugar, and salt 3 minutes until pale and thick.
  4. **Combine.** Pour the warm chocolate mixture into the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Add flour and vanilla and whisk smooth.
  5. **Fill.** Divide batter between the prepared ramekins, filling about 3/4 full.
  6. **Bake.** Bake exactly 11 to 12 minutes until edges are set but centers still wobble.
  7. **Serve.** Cool 1 minute in the ramekins, then invert onto plates. Dust with powdered sugar and serve immediately with vanilla ice cream.

Notes

Use the highest quality dark chocolate you can find. Cocoa percentage of 60 to 70 is ideal. Butter and cocoa dust ramekins, not flour. Flour leaves white streaks on the cake. Time the bake exactly 11 to 12 minutes. Underbake and they collapse, overbake and they lose the molten center.