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    Home • Recipes • Classic French Dishes

    Lava Cakes (Moelleux au Chocolat)

    Published: Jan 31, 2022 · Modified: Jun 1, 2023 by Jill Colonna17 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    How to make French Moelleux au Chocolat, individual Lava Cakes, using only 5 basic good quality ingredients. Quick and easy to prepare in just 30 minutes for that gooey, molten centre. Close your eyes and imagine you're in a Parisian restaurant for a most wicked chocolate dessert.

    spoon opening up a dark chocolate cake with a runny gooey centre

    Moelleux au Chocolat in English & French

    How many times have you seen lava cakes (or chocolate molten cakes in English) on dessert menus?
    In Paris, it's one of the most popular desserts in restaurants and at home - referred to as moelleux au chocolat, with its soft and almost runny fondant centre.

    The Parisians have it down to a fine art. Call the French romantics but many restaurants entice you with moelleux au chocolat et son coeur fondant or coulant, meaning lava cakes with its melting heart.  Just how can you resist that one? Don't forget to call it by its French name to be romantic on Valentine's Day (See my top Light Valentine desserts)!

    Less poetic than chocolate coulant, I've seen them referred to as simply mi-cuit or half-cooked. It's less sexy but at least you know you'll be presented with dark chocolate oozing on the plate like a volcano's lava when you plunge that spoon into the middle!

    Is Lava Cake Raw in the Middle?

    This is where the art of cooking the cakes are important.  The oven temperature is high and the secret is to ensure your cakes are cooked enough but not overcooked. Overcooking can happen really quickly, so follow the recipe timings  below.

    The shorter cooking time but high temperature for each individual lava cake (only 8 minutes) ensures the molten hearts are just cooked but slightly ooze on to the plate as you open it.

    spoon into a runny centre dark chocolate cake

    French Moelleux au Chocolat - Reduced Sugar Recipe

    This lava cake recipe for French Moelleux au Chocolat has evolved over the years from a classic recipe I saw years ago in the French edition of Elle magazine. I've cut down the amount of sugar as much as I dare. That way, the dark bittersweet chocolate shines through.

    Seriously, though, why do people add so much unnecessary sugar in dessert recipes? Too much sugar actually masks the gorgeous flavours of the dark, bittersweet chocolate.

    Please use only good quality dark chocolate (bittersweet for my American friends) - a minimum of 60% cacao. For example, I use either Valrhona (Manjari 64% or Caraïbe 66%); Barry (Saint Domingue: 70%); or Nestlé Corsé dark cooking chocolate (64%).

    It's also a handy recipe to have up your sleeve when guests arrive unexpectedly and you need that wow-factor dessert that's whipped up in no time.  Just prepare before dinner and pop them in the oven just before ready for dessert.

    What to Serve with Lava Cakes?

    Serve with a dollop of whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, fresh raspberries, mango slices or clementines.

    Lava cakes are also delicious served with homemade chestnut and vanilla ice cream, salted caramel sauce or wow your guests with a scoop of soft speculoos (Biscoff) ice cream from my second book, "Teatime in Paris!".

    fudgy chocolate cake sliced open with chocolate macaron on top

    Moelleux au Chocolat or Lava Cake vs Fondant au Chocolat

    What's the difference between a French Moelleux au Chocolat, Lava Cake and a chocolate fondant? To be honest, this is a difficult one, as I've seen them all referred to as the same thing by many French chefs and in restaurants! One thing is for sure: they are both intense in chocolate and soft. Fondant cakes are usually made as one big fudgy cake and served by the slice.

    While the recipe for Chocolate Fondant is soft and fudgy, it bakes slightly longer (20 minutes) in the oven so that there is no runny centre. So, although the inside is soft, the centre doesn't have a runny chocolate centre as does the Moelleux or Lava cakes.

    moulds used for making individual lava cakes

    Lava Cake Moulds

    As you can see from the photos, I love using briochette (mini brioche), muffin or demi-sphere moulds for these individual cakes. Ideally use non-stick or silicone moulds so that there's no need to even butter the moulds first. Frankly, there's enough butter in the chocolate cakes.

    What are the Ingredients for Lava Cake?

    Only five basic ingredients are needed for lava cake: good quality dark chocolate, butter, eggs, sugar and flour. The addition of coffee powder is purely optional, but add this to bring out the intense chocolate flavours. However, if you prefer, use a good pinch of fleur de sel salt instead.

    Lava Cake Recipe for 2

    Making this as a romantic dinner for two? Then simply half the recipe ingredients (2 eggs etc.) and continue to bake as indicated in the recipe by filling 2-3 individual mould cavities.

    chocolate melted lava cake with ice cream in dish

    spoon opening up a dark chocolate cake with a runny gooey centre

    Lava Cakes

    Jill Colonna
    Quick recipe for French classic Moelleux au Chocolat - better known as molten lava cakes with 5 basic quality ingredients. Easy to prepare, yet elegant to whip up in 30 mins for family or special occasions.
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 20 minutes mins
    Cook Time 13 minutes mins
    Total Time 33 minutes mins
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine French
    Servings 6 people
    Calories 268 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 180 g (6oz) dark, bittersweet chocolate (good quality; min. 64% cocoa solids)
    • 70 g (3oz/ ⅓ cup) butter unsalted
    • 1 teaspoon Instant espresso coffee powder (or good pinch fleur de sel salt)
    • 4 fresh medium eggs organic
    • 60 g (2.5oz/ ⅓ cup soft brown sugar
    • 40 g (1.5oz/ ¼ cup) plain (all-purpose) flour (or replace with 20g cornflour to make gluten free)

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat oven to 210°C/190°C fan/410°F
    • Break the chocolate into a glass bowl and add the butter, chopped roughly into bits. Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water (bain-marie), ensuring that the chocolate doesn't touch the water underneath. Add the coffee powder or salt and stir gently with a spatula. As soon as it melts, take off the heat.
    • Add the sugar, then gradually break the eggs into the mixture, stirring well after each addition. Mix in the flour and stir until just combined (don't overmix).
    • Pour the mixture into non-stick x6 muffin or demi-sphere moulds (here I use silicone briochette moulds). If using standard muffin moulds, then first grease them with butter.
    • Bake for no more than 8 minutes for that moist, gooey centre. Remove from the oven and leave to rest for a couple of minutes then turn them out onto serving plates.

    Notes

    Make in advance: The batter can be prepared the day before or earlier in the day and kept in the fridge. Remove from the fridge and preheat the oven before starting your meal and when ready to prepare, bake in the oven.
    To Serve: For a special celebratory touch, top with golden food lustre or edible gold leaf and serve with a dollop of whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, fresh raspberries, slices of mango or clementines.
    Also delicious served with homemade chestnut and vanilla ice cream.
    Note on Measures: Cup measurements by volume are given as an approximate guide. I recommend weighing ingredients in grams using digital scales for the best, and consistent, results.
    Keyword chocolate lava cakes

    This recipe was first published in May 2013 but is now completely updated with new images and text.

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    Meet Jill Colonna

    Jill is both Scottish and French and author of the book and blog, Mad About Macarons since 2010. Here she shares over 30 years of experience of living the healthy food life with her French family in Paris - via easy recipes and local food guides in France.

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    1. Christina

      February 03, 2022 at 5:01 am

      5 stars
      Love these, one of my favourites! The best way to end a special dinner! Thanks, Jill!

      Reply
      • Jill Colonna

        February 03, 2022 at 11:29 am

        Absolutely! Lucie orders this in restaurants and still makes this at home too. A real pleaser when it's so quick to make too! Thanks, Christina.

        Reply
    2. Lucie

      January 05, 2022 at 8:14 pm

      5 stars
      Just made these now and they are wonderful! I keep making them for dessert as they’re so quick to whip up. Thank you for this recipe! 😀

      Reply
      • Jill Colonna

        January 06, 2022 at 4:58 pm

        Thanks Lucie - always perfection when you make them. I think I need to update this post!

        Reply
    3. David

      December 13, 2015 at 8:42 pm

      These look delicious Jill! Anything chocolate is fine with me!

      Reply
      • Jill Colonna

        December 13, 2015 at 11:40 pm

        I'm sure not just any old chocolate, knowing some of your tastes David!

        Reply
    4. Catherine Fleming

      December 10, 2015 at 3:06 am

      Hi Jill, these are wonderful. Just wondered if you can freeze them and heat up to serve?
      Catherine

      Reply
      • Jill Colonna

        December 10, 2015 at 10:00 am

        Hi Catherine - they're so quick to make that I've never frozen them but I'm sure you could, no problem.

        Reply
    5. Jean-Pierre D

      December 09, 2015 at 5:18 pm

      Hi Jill. I didn't realise that making them was as easy. Never thought to make my own, I'm embarrassed to say.

      Reply
      • Jill Colonna

        December 09, 2015 at 7:42 pm

        I won't tell anyone. Yes, they're whipped up quickly and even better, you can personalise it to your own tastes. Just remember to use really good quality chocolate, Jean-Pierre (Valhrona etc - or if in the French supermarket, I also go for Nestlé's Corsé brand 64%).

        Reply
    6. Liz

      December 08, 2015 at 4:25 am

      Yes, your blog looks wonderful, Jill! As do these fabulous lava cakes. I doubt you'll be surprised, but these are almost always on our Christmas menu 🙂

      Reply
      • Jill Colonna

        December 08, 2015 at 11:43 am

        Haha! Liz, I think your blog should have some kind of chocolate subtitle!

        Reply
    7. Christina @ Christina's Cucina

      December 07, 2015 at 10:50 pm

      One of my all-time favourite desserts! I hardly ever make them anymore as Denisa has taken over! (Not a problem for me!) I remember sending one back at a fancy hotel in Banff as it was cooked the entire way through (amateur mistake for a hotel restaurant to make)! If I order a lava cake, I don't want a plain old chocolate cake! haha!

      LOVE the new template for the recipe! Yippee!

      Reply
      • Jill Colonna

        December 08, 2015 at 11:42 am

        I know what you mean about Denisa taking over. They're so easy and Lucie is now making them. Lovely to be spoiled now and again, isn't it? I also hear you about chocolate cake vs lava cake! Will pass this on to Cédric for the template - it's a super job.

        Reply
    8. Jerome

      December 07, 2015 at 6:51 pm

      Loving the new template!!! Can't wait to try cette recette! 🙂

      Reply
      • Jill Colonna

        December 07, 2015 at 6:53 pm

        Thanks so much Jérôme, although it's thanks to Cédric of Mosaïc Studios. I'm just finding my way around ... enjoy the recipe!

        Reply

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