Guys, get ready for an absolutely incredible, decadent, and delicious individual sized chocolate and dulce de leche treat- this epic Dulce de Leche Lava Cake! A scrumptious chocolate and sweet caramel dulce de leche cake with a runny, creamy, chocolate caramel-like center that looks like it was crafted at a 5 star restaurant!
It took me a long time before I started making lava cakes (sometimes known as molten lava cakes or molten cakes) at home. I had heard so many stories about failed chocolate lava cakes that I was convinced that I’d mess it up!
Turns out, they’re not actually too difficult. There is a little finickiness to them, but really nothing to be intimidated about. One of those “you miss all the shots you don’t take” (but with chocolate) situations.
Jump to:
What is a lava cake
A lava cake is a tender, soft chocolate cake that has a crater center filled with luscious, smooth, and creamy chocolate. The center chocolate creamy part is also called a chocolate moelleux, which is French for ‘soft’. It's a cake that's served warm with warm chocolate that makes your taste buds erupt (see what I did there?).
But with this yummy dessert, we take those regular molten chocolate cakes and mix in some dulce de leche to create some wonderfully indulgent molten dulce de leche cakes that you won’t be able to get enough of.
Is lava cake an undercooked cake?
Many recipes for a lava cake will have you slightly undercook your chocolate cake so when you flip it and cut into it, it "erupts" with the uncooked batter. Other recipes will add a separate filling to use. Also remember that this is not just a normal cake, it's mixed with souffle-like elements so it's supposed to appear a little undercooked and runny in the center, but it's still safe to eat.
What's the difference between molten cake and lava cake?
These cakes are actually the same thing! The names are interchangeable, so a molten cake and a chocolate lava cake are the same things. A perfect dessert that combines the wonderful elements of a souffle and a moist chocolate cake. I’m not sure which sounds better though? What do you prefer?
What is Dulce de Leche
Dulce de Leche is a traditional Argentinian dessert. It is also referred to as Caramelized Milk, or even Milk Jam. It's made by slowly heating sugar and milk, or condensed milk, over an extended period of time, creating a beautiful caramel-like substance.
Ingredients
- Melted Butter
- Flour
- Dulce de Leche
- Egg Yolk
- Eggs
- Powdered Sugar
How to make Dulce de Leche Lava Cakes
- Preheat the oven to 350ยบF.
- Prepare 4 ramekins by covering them with melted butter and flour. This will prevent the lava cake from sticking to the ramekin.
- In a smaller mixing bowl, mix eggs,egg yolk and flour together, until creamy.
- In a bigger mixing bowl, combine the dulce de leche and melted butter and stir until well incorporated.
- Add the egg and flour mixture to the dulce de leche mixture and mix well.
- Divide the batter into your ramekins and bake in the oven for 12 minutes
- Let them cool for 10 minutes in the ramekins and then flip them over onto a plate using a kitchen towel to hold them without burning your hands..
- Top with powdered sugar and enjoy.
Tips
- You can use a homemade or store-bought chocolate ganache for the center filling if you prefer.
- You can tell when the lava cakes are done by giving them the ramekins a little jiggle. The centers should be a little soft (but not super wobbly), while the outer edges look cooked all around, and may have even started to pull away from the sides of the ramekin.
- Using prepared ramekins (i.e. make sure to line ramekins with butter) is how you avoid cakes that won’t budge once cooked.
- Yes this cake may appear uncooked, but keep in mind that this dessert is a combination of a souffle and a cake, so the cake still reaches 160F and is very safe to eat, it just has a unique texture about it making it look like it needs more time in the oven.
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How to serve lava cake
Lava cake is wonderful all by itself – all you really need is a spoon to dig in (or go cutlery-free, I won’t judge.). If you’d like to add to it, whipped cream or vanilla ice cream are always excellent bets. If you want another hit of chocolate, try drizzling on a little chocolate sauce.
And if you happen to be an uber-chocolate lover, like me (hello, we should be best friends!), you're going to want to sip on a hot mug of this Nutella Hot Chocolate while you're taking a few bites of this decadent Dulce de Leche Lava Cake. They're absolutely incredible together; a match made in heaven.
Storage suggestions
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. This dessert is best if eaten right away, but you can try to store leftovers for a day or so. You will lose the molten lava cake effect though.
Helpful tools
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While you can make these lava cakes using most ramekins or mini-baking pots, I suggest using 6-ounce ramekins for best results.
More chocolate desserts
For my chocoholics, here are a couple of other desserts you’ll love:
And that’s it for today, bestie. Have you tried a Dulce de Leche lava cake before? What did you think? Sound off in the comments below.
๐ Recipe
Dulce de Leche Lava Cakes
- Total Time: 27 minutes
- Yield: 4 molten cakes 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This Dulce de Leche Lava Cake is a deliciously molten chocolate and dulce de leche cake with a creamy, chocolate caramel-like center that looks like it was crafted at a 5 star restaurant!
Ingredients
To prepare the ramekins
- 2 tbsp Butter, melted
- 2 tbsp Flour
For the lava cakes
- 400g Dulce de Leche
- 100g Unsalted butter, melted
- 1 Egg yolk
- 2 Large eggs
- 40g All-purpose flour
- Powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ยบF.
- Prepare 4 ramekins by coating the sides with melted butter (and a optional sprinkle of flour), this will prevent the cooked lava cake from sticking to the ramekin.
- In a bowl, mix eggs, yolk and flour until creamy.
- In a bigger bowl, combine the dulce de leche and melted butter and stir until well incorporated.
- Add the egg and flour mixture to the dulce de leche mixture and mix well.
- Divide the batter in the ramekins and bake for 12 minutes, until the sides are set but the centers still wobble a little. Let them cool for 10 minutes and carefully flip them over on to a plate using a kitchen towel.
- Top with powdered sugar, or whatever your heart desires. Enjoy!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Sarah
Made this recipe and I loved it. Super quick and straightforward. It was warm and gooey and will go great with some icecream. Would totally recommend this recipe!
Riz
So glad you enjoyed it, Sarah!
Amy
Tasted great but all four of mine broke and wouldnโt unmould – seemed quite unstable – and greased tins carefully
Riz
Sorry to hear you had trouble unmolding – lava cakes are a little less sturdy than most cakes. But usually it comes down to a properly greased tin thats in good condition, and proper baking time. Assuming your tin was greased, and didn’t have any issues, I would guess that your cakes maybe needed a couple more minutes in the oven.
I’m glad you enjoyed the taste though!
Riz