Gluten-free chocolate lava cakes! Intensely chocolatey, with a warm and gooey molten chocolate centre. Always a crowd favourite, but surprisingly easy to make!
Who doesn't love a good molten chocolate lava cake?! Intensely chocolatey, with a warm, gooey, molten centre, this recipe for gluten-free chocolate lava cakes is sure to impress!
These gluten-free chocolate lava cakes don’t just taste great, they’re also surprisingly easy to make! They're made from simple ingredients, don't call for any special techniques or equipment, and can be made and ready to serve in under 30 minutes. You can even make the batter in advance, and just bake when ready to serve, making these delicious little individual desserts great for dinner parties.
Traditional molten lava cakes recipe calls for all-purpose wheat flour, but it's only a small amount, so unlike many other gluten-free recipes, you can pretty much just swap out the all-purpose flour with a good gluten-free all-purpose flour blend to make them gluten-free. No other tips or tricks are required! Making this a great recipe to try if you're new to gluten-free baking.
If you're a chocolate lover like me, you should also try my flourless chocolate cake with chocolate whipped cream topping, gluten-free chocolate layer cake with chocolate buttercream and oat flour brownies. All of these gluten-free recipes are rich and chocolatey and sure to satisfy any and all chocolate enthusiasts!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Intensely rich and chocolatey! A real treat for any chocolate lover!
- Surprisingly quick and easy to make! They’re made with simple ingredients and don’t require any complicated steps or tools; you can make these gluten-free lava cakes from start to finish in less than 30 minutes!
- Easy to prep in advance and bake when ready; a great dessert option for dinner parties.
Ingredients
- butter
- chopped chocolate, 70% cocoa solids
- granulated sugar
- eggs
- vanilla extract
- gluten-free flour, all-purpose blend
- salt
See the recipe card for quantities.
Ingredient Notes
Gluten-free flour blend: Use a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend that contains xanthan gum. This gives your lava cakes enough structure and stability to prevent them from collapsing. Make sure your blend doesn’t contain any ingredients with strong flavours, such as bean flour. Refer to baking with gluten-free flour for more information on the different types of gluten-free flour blends, and tips on how to bake with them to get the best results. I use Robin Hood Gluten Free All Purpose Flour Blend or Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour.
Chocolate: Use quality dark chocolate, preferably with around 70% cocoa solids.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Grease 4 small (1-cup capacity) ramekins and lightly dust with unsweetened cocoa powder. In a microwave-safe bowl, add the chocolate and butter.
- Melt the chocolate and butter in the microwave, using 20 second intervals, stirring between each. Generally, 40 seconds total is sufficient. Set aside to cool.
- Into another large bowl, add the sugar, eggs and vanilla and mix together with a hand whisk.
- Stir in the melted chocolate.
- Fold in the gluten-free flour and salt.
- Divide the mixture evenly between the 4 ramekins.
- Bake for 16-18 minutes, the outside should look cooked through, but the centre should still jiggle slightly.
- Let sit for 2 minutes. With a sharp knife, loosen around the edges of the cakes, and invert onto a plate to serve. Dust with powdered sugar and serve warm. Optional: garnish with raspberries and serve with ice cream.
Substitutions
Make it dairy free: Replace the butter with your favourite non-dairy butter stick substitute, or coconut oil. Also, make sure your chocolate is dairy free.
Top Tips for Perfect Gluten-Free Lava Cakes
- Don’t overbake: The best part of a lava cake is the gooey centre. Be sure not to overbake them. Every oven bakes slightly differently and the size, shape and thickness of your ramekins can also impact baking times. If making for the first time (especially if for a special occasion), I recommend baking one lava cake separately first, to get a sense of what the perfect baking time is for your particular oven and ramekins.
- Make ahead: You can make the batter and fill the ramekins ahead of time, up to a day in advance. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to bake. Before baking, bring to room temperature (set on the counter for about 1 hour).
- HOT! Handle with care: Be careful when removing the lava cakes from the ramekins. Be sure to use oven mitts or a tea towel, as the ramekins will be very hot!
- Serve with ice cream: I like to garnish with a few raspberries and serve with a little vanilla ice cream!
- Serve in the ramekin: If you’re having difficulty removing the cakes from the ramekins, or just don’t want the bother, you can also place each ramekin on a plate to serve instead – wrap the ramekin in a cloth napkin or tea towel, and be sure to tell whomever you’re serving it to, that the ramekin is very hot!
Troubleshooting
Help, I can’t get my lava cakes out of the ramekins! Make sure to grease your ramekins well with butter and for added insurance, also dust them with a little cocoa powder. Once baked, gently run a knife around the inside edge of the ramekin to loosen the sides of the cake from the side of the dish. Place a plate over the top of the ramekin, face side down, and carefully flip it over. You should then be able to gently lift the ramekin up and off the lava cake. Make sure to use oven mitts or a tea towel when handling the very hot ramekins.
Help, my lava cakes don’t have a molten lava centre! To ensure a molten-lava-like centre, don’t overbake your lava cakes. The edges should be cooked, but the centre should still have a slight jiggle. Every oven bakes a little differently and the size, shape and thickness of your ramekins can also impact baking times. For this reason, I recommend baking one lava cake first, the first time you make these, to get a sense of what the perfect baking time is for your particular oven.
Storage
Lava cakes should be served warm and freshly baked. If you do have leftovers, you can wrap and store in the fridge for a day or two and reheat in the microwave, however, you will lose some of the molten-like texture of the cake.
Make ahead: You can prepare the batter up to two days in advance. The prepared batter can be poured into the ramekins, covered and refrigerated until ready to use. Before baking, bring to room temperature (set on the counter for about 1 hour).
Frequently Asked Questions
No, traditional lava cakes are NOT gluten free. Traditional lava cake recipes generally contain all-purpose wheat flour. Therefore, if you want to prepare gluten-free lava cakes, you need to use a recipe specifically designed to be gluten free.
No, traditional lava cakes are NOT flourless. The original recipe for this iconic dessert (molten chocolate cake, created by Jean-Georges Vongerichten), includes a couple of tablespoons of all-purpose flour.
You can make the batter ahead of time, but the cakes should be served freshly baked. You can prepare the batter up to two days in advance. The prepared batter can be poured into the ramekins, covered and refrigerated until ready to use. Before baking, bring to room temperature (set on the counter for about 1 hour).
My favourite way to serve lava cakes is to dust them with powdered sugar and serve them with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and fresh raspberries.
Lava cakes are best served freshly baked and warm, about 2 minutes after being removed from the oven. If you reheat them, you will lose some of that molten lava-like texture in the centre as the cake cooks further. If you do need to reheat, reheat in the microwave for the best results.
Have you tried this recipe? Please leave a 5-star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on the recipe card and consider leaving a comment as well! I would love to hear about how your cookies turned out, and your feedback also helps other readers!
Recipe Card
Gluten-Free Lava Cakes
Equipment
- Measuring cups and spoons
- 4 Ramekins
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter
- ¾ cup chopped chocolate (4 oz), 70% cocoa solids
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoon gluten-free flour, all-purpose blend, see note
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Grease 4 small (1-cup capacity) ramekins and lightly dust with unsweetened cocoa powder. In a microwave-safe bowl, add the chocolate and butter.
- Melt the chocolate and butter in the microwave, using 20 second intervals, stirring between each. Generally, 40 seconds total is sufficient. Set aside to cool.
- Into another large bowl, add the sugar, eggs and vanilla and mix together with a hand whisk.
- Stir in the melted chocolate.
- Fold in the gluten-free flour and salt.
- Divide the mixture evenly between the 4 ramekins.
- Bake for 16-18 minutes, the outside should look cooked through, but the centre should still jiggle slightly.
- Let sit for 2 minutes. With a sharp knife, loosen around the edges of the cakes, and invert onto a plate to serve. Dust with powdered sugar and serve warm. Optional: garnish with raspberries and serve with ice cream.
Notes
- Don’t overbake: The best part of a lava cake is the gooey centre. Be sure not to overbake them. Every oven bakes slightly differently and the size, shape and thickness of your ramekins can also impact baking times. If making for the first time (especially if for a special occasion), I recommend baking one lava cake separately first, to get a sense of what the perfect baking time is for your particular oven and ramekins.
- Make ahead: You can make the batter and fill the ramekins ahead of time, up to 2 days in advance. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to bake. Before baking, bring to room temperature (set on the counter for about 1 hour).
- HOT! Handle with care: Be careful when removing the lava cakes from the ramekins. Be sure to use oven mitts or a tea towel, as the ramekins will be very hot!
- Serve with ice cream: I like to garnish with a few raspberries and serve with a little vanilla ice cream!
- Serve in the ramekin: If you’re having difficulty removing the cakes from the ramekins, or just don’t want the bother, you can also place each ramekin on a plate to serve instead – wrap the ramekin in a cloth napkin or tea towel, and be sure to tell whomever you’re serving it to, that the ramekin is very hot!
- Make it dairy free: Replace the butter with your favourite non-dairy butter stick substitute, or coconut oil. Also, make sure your chocolate is dairy free.
- Lava cakes should be served warm and freshly baked. If you do have leftovers, you can wrap and store in the fridge for a day or two and reheat in the microwave, however, you will lose some of the molten-like texture of the cake.
- Make ahead: You can prepare the batter up to two days in advance. The prepared batter can be poured into the ramekins, covered and refrigerated until ready to use. Before baking, bring to room temperature (set on the counter for about 1 hour).
Nutrition
Nutritional information shown is an estimate only.
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