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Hello…chocolate!!
For Valentine’s Day this year, thought I’d post a classic favorite from my kitchen — these adorable little chocolate molten lava cakes! Little did I know when I first tried them years ago (at Chili’s…yes….) that they are so simple to whip up. Just 7 minutes of prep, and 7 minutes in the oven, and voila…a classy and delicious dessert ready to go!!
There are many other recipes out there far more complicated, and far more time-consuming, but I’ve been a fan of this one (from Martha herself) for years. Calls for simple ingredients that I almost always have on hand. But for a twist this year, added in some chili, cinnamon and a pinch of cayenne to give them the Mexican hot chocolate kick. And no surprise…loved it! (But feel free to be a chocolate purist if you’d like. :-))
Wishing you all a Valentine’s Day full of much love! (And much chocolate!!) ♥
Mexican “Hot” Chocolate Molten Lava Cakes
5 Stars4 Stars3 Stars2 Stars1 Star5 from 1 review
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 mini-cakes 1x
Description
You’ll love this Mexican “Hot” Chocolate Molten Lava Cakes recipe! So chocolate-y, warm, and delicious! Try it today!
Ingredients
Scale
- cocoa powder (for dusting ramekins)
- 1/4 cup (half a stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 ounces semisweet, bittersweet, or dark chocolate
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 Tbsp. sugar
- 1 tsp. all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp. chili powder (optional)
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon (optional)
- pinch of cayenne
- powdered sugar, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- Butter two 4-ounce ramekins (or regular-sized muffin tins) and lightly dust the inside of each ramekin with cocoa powder, tilting to coat; tap out any excess and set aside.
- Heat butter and chocolate in heatproof bowl set over (but not touching) simmering water until chocolate is almost completely melted. (*You can also do this carefully in the microwave.*)
- Meanwhile, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk together eggs, egg yolks, and sugar until light and thick. Slowly add butter mixture to mixer; add flour, cinnamon, chili powder, cayenne and mix until well combined. Divide batter between prepared ramekins. Place ramekins on a baking sheet and transfer to oven. Bake until sides are set and center is soft, 7 to 10 minutes.
- Invert each mold onto a plate and let stand for about 10 seconds. Gently tap the tops of molds and carefully lift to remove. Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar, if desired. Serve immediately – either solo, or accompanied by ice cream, whipped cream, berries, or whatever else sounds good! :-)
Notes
Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart
Ali’s Tip:
Be careful not to over- or under-bake these! The top and sides should definitely feel cooked, and just slightly jiggle if you tap the pan. But resist the urge to leave them in a few extra minutes, as they will just turn into fully-cooked cakes! :)
posted on February 10, 2010 by Ali
Birthday, Brownies, Cakes, Chocolate, Christmas, Cupcakes, Desserts, Game Day, Halloween, Mexican-Inspired, Miscellaneous, Valentine's Day
36 Comments »
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Leave a Reply
36 comments on “Mexican “Hot” Chocolate Molten Lava Cakes”
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jane — February 11, 2010 @ 3:15 am Reply
I think this recipe was created just for ME. can’t wait to try it! thanks for sharing!
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Baking is my Zen — February 11, 2010 @ 4:39 am Reply
Wonderful post. I will definitely try these! Love your blog!
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Michelle — February 11, 2010 @ 7:03 am Reply
I love molten lava cakes too, and the addition of chili and cinnamon is genius. I’m definitely trying it. And those little ramekins!! I love them! Please tell me where you got them?
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Free Movie Rentals Here — February 11, 2010 @ 7:50 am Reply
This looks awesome, I used to eat a restaurant called Roy’s and they had the most exceptional lava cake thing. Thanks!!!!
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Debbie — February 11, 2010 @ 8:13 am Reply
That is such a great recipe. I’d love to try these….delicious!
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The Nervous Cook — February 11, 2010 @ 8:24 am Reply
No chocolate on earth is better than Mexican spiced chocolate. Seriously.
These look gorgeous!
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Linda Ebright — February 11, 2010 @ 8:36 am Reply
These are a definite “yes” for Valentine’s day dinner. My husband will require them to be served with ice cream, of course. I think I will have a few raspberries and whipped cream on the side. Yum!
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Krystle — February 11, 2010 @ 10:52 am Reply
These look absolutely amazing! Just found your blog and cant wait to look at all your other yummy treats!
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Andrea — February 11, 2010 @ 12:41 pm Reply
These can also be made in muffin tins if you don’t have the proper ramekins. They’ll be smaller, so cook them for less time.
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kirbie — February 11, 2010 @ 2:36 pm Reply
The 7 minutes caught my attention. I’m going to make these this weekend for my Boyfriend!
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Michelle — February 11, 2010 @ 2:43 pm Reply
Sending some blog adoration your way in the form of a blog award. Check out my post…
https://oneordinaryday.wordpress.com/2010/02/10/valentine-lollipops-and-an-award/ -
Memoria — February 11, 2010 @ 6:15 pm Reply
I wonder how these would taste with Mexican chocolate like Ibarra or Abuelita.
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Memoria — February 11, 2010 @ 6:15 pm Reply
Lovely photos!!
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Misty — February 12, 2010 @ 12:50 am Reply
Those are the best thing on the menu at Chili’s!
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Alex — February 12, 2010 @ 7:48 pm Reply
That looks sooo good!
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Jen @ My Kitchen Addiction — February 13, 2010 @ 11:15 pm Reply
Lately I can’t get enough of chili and chocolate! These look wonderful.
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Kevin — February 14, 2010 @ 8:12 am Reply
Just look at that melted chocolate oozing out! mmm….
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Kel — February 14, 2010 @ 8:49 pm Reply
This was a lovely dessert to surprise my boyfriend on Valentine’s Day. Thanks for such an easy, delicious treat!
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sylvie — February 18, 2010 @ 8:12 pm Reply
just made this…delish! may i suggest pinch of salt? it’s somehow makes chocolate more chocolate-y.
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ali — February 23, 2010 @ 11:12 am
Hi Sylvie!
Glad you enjoyed them! And yes – I’m sure a pinch of salt would be a perfect addition. :)
Thanks!!
~A
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Heather — August 26, 2010 @ 11:50 am Reply
Couldn’t wait to try this little dessert for my sister and I (celebrating with an old fashioned slumber party after seeing Eat Pray Love, the movie.) Followed instructions to a “T”. Wondering if you can tell me if you use baking chocolate with stabilizers or will any good chocolate do? We purchased a Dagoba 54% Dark bar and although tasted wonderful, these did not set up as well as I would have liked on the outsides. Is it possible that just 1 more minute in the oven would have done it, or could it have been the type of chocolate bar I used?
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jenny — May 8, 2011 @ 5:28 pm Reply
hello ali! i just wanted to let you know i linked your recipe & lava cake photo to this site on the facebook fanpage: facebook.com/mexicanhotchocolate —if there’s a problem please don’t hesitate to contact me! thank you, have a great day!-jenny
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Eva — September 9, 2012 @ 7:34 pm Reply
QUESTION:
i made them, and they turned out eggy in taste (i used a different recipe with 2 eggs and a 3 TB of flour) but how long are you supposed to mix the eggs for? 8 min? b/c the other recipe said 8 min and i thought it was too long so i didn’t mix it that long, maybe that’s why they turned out tasting more like chocolate omelet? lol -
Eileen — October 28, 2013 @ 11:54 am Reply
How spicy “hot” are these little lava cakes? Thinking of making these for my spice-loving 19 year-old. However my 11 year-old does like spicy food. Thanks.
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Susan — October 29, 2016 @ 11:45 am Reply
Love this recipe and making for a Mexican dinner party of 12. Can you premake the batter and keep. In the refrigerator for 4-5 hours?
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Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven — November 3, 2016 @ 4:59 pm
We’re glad to hear that, Susan! We hope we’re not too late with our response, and if we are, we’re sorry. We haven’t tried making the batter a few hours a head of time, but we think that should probably be okay. It might need a bit longer to bake since it will have been in the refrigerator for a while though.
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Chefxchange — January 31, 2017 @ 8:58 am Reply
Hey Ali,
I love this recipe, when I saw the photo I was like “I bet this is gunna take hours of slaving away” but when I saw your comment that it only takes 14 minutes I was ecstatic. I’m going to have a practice run tonight. I always do that before the main event, to make sure it’s always perfect. Although I love chili, my boyfriend is not very good with spice, do you think I should substitute it? Or are they not too spicy?
Thank you!
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Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven — February 2, 2017 @ 9:01 am
Hi there! We don’t think these are too spicy, but you can always add the chili powder to taste —you could start with 1/4 tsp and go from there (and since it’s just a pinch of cayenne, we think that’s fine). We hope you and your boyfriend enjoy these!
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Susan Rostorfer — March 28, 2019 @ 9:09 pm Reply
I have made this recipe several times; my husband loves it ! The chili pepper gives the chocolate a nice boost. Although this is exactly the same recipe, my directions are for 2 cakes (or you could just eat 2 ?). It is perfect for just the two of us. It is very fast, and easy to make; perfect for a last minute dessert craving.
