These mini molten chocolate lava cakes are soft, rich little chocolate cakes with a warm dark chocolate center that melts as they bake. The batter is made with oat flour, cocoa powder, maple syrup, and milk, then a piece of dark chocolate is tucked right into the middle.
These are the kind of cakes I make when I want something warm and chocolatey without dealing with a full-size cake or a long ingredient list. They’re especially good a few minutes after they come out of the oven, when the edges have set but the center is still warm and molten.
If you like chocolate desserts made with oats, try my Chocolate Oatmeal Brownies or this 3-Ingredient Chocolate Oatmeal Cake next. For something smooth and spoonable, my Creamy Chocolate Pudding Cups are another easy option, and a mug of Homemade Hot Chocolate is always good when you want to fully commit to the chocolate mood.
Ingredients
Let’s Make Mini Chocolate Lava Cakes
- Prep the oven and molds. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly grease 2 small ramekins or foil baking cups/molds.
- Make oat flour . Blend oats until you get a fine flour.
- Mix the dry ingredients. In a bowl, whisk together oat flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.
- Add the wet ingredients. Stir in maple syrup and milk until you have a smooth, thick batter (like brownie batter).
- Fill and add chocolate. Spoon batter into the prepared molds, press 1 dark chocolate cube into the center of each, then cover with a little more batter to hide the chocolate.
- Bake. Bake 10–14 minutes, until the edges look set but the center still looks soft.
- Rest, unmold, and serve. Let cool 2–3 minutes, then carefully unmold onto a plate. Top with strawberries and serve warm.
This Is My Kind of Quick Chocolate Dessert
There’s something very satisfying about cutting into a small chocolate cake and finding warm melted chocolate right in the middle.
And this version is surprisingly simple.
There are no complicated layers or frosting. The batter is basically oat flour, cocoa, maple syrup, milk, and a little baking powder, with a cube of dark chocolate hidden inside each cake.
The outside bakes until soft and cakey while that piece of chocolate melts in the center.
Serve them warm and the middle does exactly what you want it to do.
Three mini chocolate lava cakes on a white serving tray with strawberries
How the Molten Chocolate Center Works
These cakes get their gooey middle in a very simple way: a solid piece of dark chocolate is placed directly in the center of each cake before baking.
As the oat-and-cocoa batter sets around the outside, the chocolate in the middle melts.
That means you don’t have to rely entirely on leaving raw cake batter in the center to create the lava effect.
King Arthur Baking uses the same basic idea in its Molten Chocolate Mini Cakes, where solid chocolate is pushed into the cakes before baking so it melts into a fluid center in the oven.
This is also why I prefer a proper piece of chocolate rather than a tiny chocolate chip here. A larger piece gives you a more noticeable molten center when you break the cake open.
What to Serve with Chocolate Lava Cake
For me, fresh berries are the easiest choice.
The cake itself is rich and deeply chocolatey, so strawberries or raspberries give you something fresh and slightly tart alongside it without making dessert feel heavier.
You can also serve these mini molten chocolate lava cakes with:
- Fresh strawberries
- Fresh raspberries
- Vanilla ice cream
- Lightly whipped cream
- A small dusting of powdered sugar
- Hot coffee or espresso
Vanilla ice cream is especially good when the cakes are still warm because you get the contrast between hot chocolate cake and cold ice cream.
If you want to keep things very simple, powdered sugar is enough. King Arthur Baking also finishes its individual lava cakes simply and emphasizes serving them immediately while the centers are still fluid. See King Arthur Baking’s chocolate lava cakes.
I usually add the strawberries shown in the photos and serve the cakes within a few minutes of unmolding.
FAQs
Yes—use certified gluten-free oats (or certified gluten-free oat flour).
Use small oven-safe foil cups molds or a muffin pan with liners; just keep portions small and watch bake time.
Edges should look set and slightly pulled from the sides, while the center still looks soft.
For the best texture and molten center, I recommend preparing and baking the batter right away.
The cakes may have baked for too long. The edges should look set while the centers are still soft when you remove them from the oven.
Yes—honey, agave, or a brown-sugar-style syrup works. Adjust to taste.
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Mini Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly grease 2 small ramekins or foil baking cups/molds.
- If needed, blend oats into a fine flour to make oat flour.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk oat flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.
- Stir in maple syrup and milk until the batter is smooth and thick.
- Spoon batter into the prepared molds, press 1 dark chocolate cube into the center of each, then cover with a little more batter to hide the chocolate.
- Bake 10–14 minutes, until edges are set and the centers are still soft.
- Rest 2–3 minutes, unmold onto plates, and serve warm.
Nutrition
Video
Notes
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly grease 2 small ramekins or foil baking cups/molds.
- If needed, blend oats into a fine flour to make oat flour.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk oat flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.
- Stir in maple syrup and milk until the batter is smooth and thick.
- Spoon batter into the prepared molds, press 1 dark chocolate cube into the center of each, then cover with a little more batter to hide the chocolate.
- Bake 10–14 minutes, until edges are set and the centers are still soft.
- Rest 2–3 minutes, unmold onto plates, and serve warm.
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