Mini Molten Chocolate Cakes

What is full of ooey-gooey, other-worldly, chocolatey sin but is the most easy dessert on the planet to make and will fool the lucky people who get to eat it into thinking that you are the greatest baker who ever lived? THIS CAKE.

Part of me wishes that I had never discovered how to make these precious little molten chocolate cakes, because shortly after a recent dinner party, I found myself clawing through the pantry for ingredients to make them again (Unfortunately, we had everything I needed). Not my proudest moment! And, to top it off, the scale hasn’t been very forgiving since then. But, with newfound self-control (sort of), here I present to you the greatest and, truthfully, the most simple and sinfully delicious dessert in the world.

Unlike souffle, this one doesn’t involve perfect timing or careful monitoring. It’s very quick and easy to prepare, is more impressive than any cookie, brownie or cake, and will have everyone begging for more. As it is, my husband is already wondering they all went… And he doesn’t even like sweets!

Mini Molten Chocolate Cakes

Mini Molten Chocolate Cakes

Yield: 8 cakes

Ingredients

  • 1 cup unsalted butter or unsalted margarine
  • 8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips or bars, cut into bite-size chunks
  • 5 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • Pinch of salt
  • 4 tsp. flour
  • 1 6 oz. container raspberries
  • ¼ cup powdered sugar

Instructions

  1. Melt butter and chocolate in a medium heat-proof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, or in the microwave for about 1:30. Remove from heat. Whisk eggs, sugar and salt in a medium bowl until sugar dissolves. Beat egg mixture into chocolate until smooth. Mix in flour until just combined. (Batter can be made a day ahead; return to room temperature an hour or so before baking.) Put ¼ cup powdered sugar into a small bowl and set aside.
  2. Adjust oven rack to middle position. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Line a standard-size muffin tin (1/2 cup capacity) with muffin papers. Fill each cup to the top with the chocolate mixture.
  3. Bake until batter puffs but center is not set, 8 to 10 minutes. Carefully lift cakes from tin, pull papers away from cakes and transfer cakes to dessert plates.
  4. Sift powdered sugar lightly over each plate. Top each cake with a few berries and serve immediately (I recommend a side of vanilla ice cream!).
  5. Enjoy!

Did you make this recipe?

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Join the Conversation

  1. Wow, wow, wow. I sure wish I had one of those beauties right now.

  2. Oh HEAVEN!!! – these little treasures look out of this world d’lish!!!! I have to make this recipe ASAP!

    Thanks for sharing!!!!!!! :-)

  3. chocolate and raspberry are simply marvelous!

  4. I love molten chocolate cakes so so so much. in Brazil we call them petit gateu, which is french for something … go figure.

  5. Oh, what have you done to me? I need this NOW.

  6. These are incredible! Are you trying to make me fat? Cream puffs, cookies, molten chocolate cakes? No doubt I will have all of the ingredients to make these and I have to make them because I. LOVE. CHOCOLATE. My husband said I should always have something baking during the winter months so I’ll add this to the list. He will be sooo happy!

  7. These mini moltens are both decadent and elegant. Lovely to serve to guests during a dinner party and for sure rack in the oooo’s and aaaah’s :)

  8. In muffin pans? great idea! just the right size! Congrats on today’s top nine!

  9. Lora @cakeduchess says:

    Ooey-gooey yumminess! This looks amazing! I can’t wait to try this recipe. :)Love the muffin pan idea.

  10. I love mini anything…but these are beyond delightful :)

  11. I love lava cakes and have made them in those disposable foil liners for a camping trip, if you can believe that! Recently, I tried Cake in a Mug from the Mennonite Girls Can Cook blog and I’ll have to be sure to hide that recipe card since it’s mix, nuke, and eat (while not a lava cake, it’s good!). Love your blog.

  12. You know, I’ve never tried a cake in a mug, but I’ve always wanted to. Now you’ve got me curious! I’m going to go hunt down that recipe. Thanks for your kind comment – come back soon!

  13. I love molten cakes since I was a kid. I used to call them volcano cakes since I would poke a little hole and let the chocolate come out like a lava from a volcano. Now after seeing this article, I suddenly have this craving and would want to make one right now.

  14. I’ve never made molten cakes but I will now. I’ve looked at lots of recipes but this one looks perfect. I’d like to try the recipe for the caramel molten chocolate cake recipe too but I can’t find it. Is it still on here? Thanks.

  15. Wow…those ARE easy! And they seem like they can be pretty versatile by using different intensity of chocolate, extracts, etc. I have family coming in this weekend, and this could be something fun to make. I can impress them and barely break a sweat ;)!

  16. Ah, these look wonderful! I tried to make molten cakes once and it was a horrible failure. I’ll have to try this recipe!

  17. OMG can I have the whole tray?

  18. Oh they are adorable, bite sized things for your guests are the best.

  19. I love making these! Also, simply amazing idea to cut them in paper cases so they turn out easily.

  20. this mini molten cakes looks so divine and decadent. and again, stunning pictures:) i love this recipe. thank you for sharing this.

  21. Yummy yum! LOVE molten cake. Can’t remember where it was exactly, but a chain restaurant I visited recently took their molten cake off the menu. After asking about it, they stated it was “out of trend”. WHAAA??

  22. Brownieville Girl says:

    Easy and delicious …. my kind of recipe!!!

  23. Hi Pam,

    Just fill the cups halfway with the chocolate mixture, plop in a small caramel candy, and fill the rest of the way with the chocolate. That will give you a nice, oozy caramel center.

    Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoy these!

  24. These were so easy to make and very delicious! My husband said “I want some dessert” and I immediately thought of this b/c I had it bookmarked! By the time the timer went off for the oven to heat up, I was ready to put them in the oven. It took literally 15 minutes, start to finish. Although 8 minutes may have been too long in my oven, I’ll try 7 next time. Thank you for such a quick and easy chocolate cake recipe!

  25. Very nice! My family would love this…

  26. These cakes look awesome! and easy too! Making them in muffin tins is such a great idea.

  27. Congrats on making the top 10 in foodbuzz really a nice dessert and wonderful shots of the same.

  28. I had my first molten cake in Paris…..sigh….i remember it well! Thanks for sharing your recipe with us for this wonderful creation!

  29. yum yum yum!! This looks so moist and delicious!

  30. These look heavenly! The health-nut in me wonders if I could make them even more mini by using a mini-muffin pan. Though, I suspect then I would not stop at one!

  31. Your mini cakes look divine!!

  32. Each time I bake a lava cake, half of the time I overbake it. I should have some consistency in baking them.

    Glad that I have found out your blog.

  33. Molten cakes are to die for and yours look just divine! Baked to perfection.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

  34. Beautiful looking mini cakes! I love molten cakes and with this mini version it practices perfect portion control!

  35. I think my husband would do pretty much anything I asked him if I made him these. They look amazing!

  36. I love these little gooey cakes- they are beautiful with those berries on top!

  37. Damn, I shouldn’t be looking at this!! I just got soooo hungry:(

    Greets from BigFATcook !!!!!!!

  38. Molten cakes are my absolute FAVORITE, and I too was shocked at how easy they are to prepare. It’s very dangerous. But oh so delicious. Great photos!

  39. Jenn's Food Journey says:

    I love molten cakes….there really is nothing better then cutting into a piece of yummy cake to have even yummier chocolate ooze out of it!!! Great picture too….I love the raspberries on top!

  40. I loooove molten chocolate cake! This looks absolutely amazing. Great post!

  41. Oh good lord, how easy is that? Not to mention dangerous, there isn’t a pantry I know that wouldn’t be able to make these at the drop of a hat, minus the berries of course. I am scared to make them….

  42. I love a good mouton cake and this looks like a really good one! This one is certainly going into the “need to try” folder!

  43. This sounds amazing! The new House Beautiful (all about entertaining) has a great tip: a great dessert will forgive a multitude of sins committed over the course of the meal preceding. So I think I might have to serve these (practiced in advance, of course) at our next dinner party… they seem like a pretty unbeatable insurance policy in case dinner does not turn out as expected!

  44. These are the recipes that give me joy..they are an ease to throw together and yet they are packed with chocolate, sweet goodness! I could seriously use one of these this afternoon. There is nothing like a little bit of chocolate to take the sting out of a very hard week. Thank you for sharing…I love that you used muffin tins (because I still need to buy ramekins!)

  45. I love that you put them in muffin pans, I usually do ramekins, but this is even better portion control! I’m not big on raspberries, but I love the incorporation of fruit, perhaps strawberries would work? Thanks!

  46. Decadent and elegant. Thanks ! Have a nice day

  47. Mmm this is my favorite dessert!

  48. 5 stars
    Made these last night!!! so easy to make and absolutely delicious!!!! thanks for the recipe!

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