I’m all about making a special meal at home for Valentines Day rather than fighting the crowds at the restaurants. Cooking together is more intimate, special and is some of the best “quality time” you can have together. And men, listen up, this dessert is SO EASY that I promise you can do it. I’m telling you, there is nothing sexier than a man who can whip up something delicious in the kitchen. So at least try! With only five ingredients (most being kitchen staples), this Valentines Day dessert is an easy win.
If you’re single this Valentines Day, why not make something special for yourself? Grab a bottle of wine, a couple of your single friends and indulge in this super delicious dessert.
This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled if you want to make more for a crowd.
I bought these ramekins for this recipe (I needed some anyway). In store they are sold individually for $2.46 each, not bad. Some people say they’ve gotten ramekins at the dollar store so check it out. Just make sure they’re oven safe!
Chocolate Lava Cake for Two (or one)
Chocolate Lava Cake for Two (or one)
Servings 2Ingredients
- 1 whole + 1 yolk large eggs ($0.32)
- 2 Tbsp white sugar ($0.02)
- 4 Tbsp + 1 tsp butter ($0.16)
- 1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate ($0.50)
- 2 Tbsp flour, divided ($0.02)
Instructions
- Divide 1 tsp of butter between two four-inch (8 oz.) ramekins. Using your fingers, smear the butter all over the inside surface of the ramekins until they are coated. Tbsp of flour inside one ramekin and roll it around until the entire inside is dusted with flour. Pour the excess flour into the second ramekin and dust in the same manner. Discard the excess flour from the second ramekin.
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. In a small bowl combine the egg, egg yolk and white sugar. Using a mixer, whip the mixture until it is aerated and a light yellow color (about 2 minutes).
- In a small microwave safe bowl, combine the chocolate and butter. Microwave for 15 second intervals, stirring well between each interval. The chocolate will melt further as you stir between heating so stir well. My chocolate took 3, 15 second intervals (45 seconds total) to melt completely.
- Stir the remaining 1 Tbsp of flour and the melted butter/chocolate mixture into the whipped eggs and sugar. You can use the mixer again if desired but I just stirred really well with a fork.
- Divide the cake batter between the two ramekins. Place the ramekins on a baking sheet and place in the oven. Cook for 8-10 minutes. Keep a close eye on the cakes, you want to remove them from the oven when the edges are set but the centers are still soft and jiggly.
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Nutrition
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Step By Step Photos
Place a little bit of butter in each 8 oz. ramekin. Smear it all around until the inside is completely coated.
Place a tablespoon of flour in one ramekin and roll it around until the entire inside is coated in flour. Pour the excess flour into the second ramekin and coat in the same manner. Discard the excess flour from the second ramekin.
Now the ramekins are coated in butter and flour and the cake will not stick.
These are the only ingredients: butter, chocolate, eggs, sugar and flour. EASY.
Place the egg, egg yolk and sugar in a bowl. Mix on high until it is aerated and a light yellow color (about 1-2 minutes).
Place the chocolate and butter in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 15 seconds then stir will. Repeat the microwaving and stirring until it is completely melted. Do not microwave for more than 15 seconds at a time or else the chocolate could scorch. Mine took about 45 seconds total to completely melt.
Combine the remaining 1 Tbsp of flour, the melted chocolate and butter and the egg and sugar mixture. Stir it up well until everything is evenly mixed. This is the finished batter.
Pour the batter into the two ramekins. It will only fill a four inch ramekin about 1/3 of the way to the top. The cake will expand a little while cooking.
It looks like a very small amount but the cake is super rich.
Bake in a preheated 450 degree oven for 8-10 minutes. You only want to bake until the outer edges are set but the middle is still soft and jiggly. Mine cooked for about 1 minute too long. You can tell because the centers are high and have expanded which means they are fully cooked. If the center was still molten, the centers would be slightly depressed compared to the outer edges. Just watch them closely after 8 minutes in the oven. Shake the baking sheet a little to see if they’re set.
Turn the ramekin over onto a plate and the cake should fall out. Sprinkle with powdered sugar or top with whipped cream or berries.
See, the inside is completely cooked. Ooops. It was still super rich and delicious.
CAN’T. STOP.
Lol, I think you meant “until the middle is soft and JIGGLY” … these look delicious!!!
Alyssa – These are pretty tricky because they go from being uncooked to overcooked fairly quickly. Also, did you use two whole eggs or one whole egg plus just the yolk of the second egg? Using two whole eggs may have made it too spongy. If that’s not it, I’m guessing they were just cooked too long. Try to take them out of the oven when the center is still “unset” or liquidy. I hope it works better for you next time!
I made these last night for Valentines Day. I’m pretty sure I followed the instructions exactly but they didn’t turn out. The crust was crisp and delicious, but the inside was spongy and the texture of an egg. Not very appetizing. I don’t know what I did wrong.
So glad I found this to make for my baby daddy (husband) tonight after dinner. Money is so tight but I want to still celebrate today! Even if we have ham sammiches for dinner this will spruce it up enough! :)
Thanks for the always awesome recipes!
I think the inside will stay gooey, although it won’t stay warm. Reheating it will cook the inside the rest of the way through. I think someone said that they mixed up the batter before dinner and then just baked them really quickly after dinner. Although, if you refrigerate the batter, the cooking time will be different and you’ll just have to guage it by sight (if the center wiggles). I hope that helps!
Do these need to be eaten right after they are made, so the inside will be warm and gooey? cause I would like to cook them ahead of time before dinner.
I absolutely loved making these for me and my bf for valentines last year, and have found other great recipes to use Ramekins for as well :D !!!!
These are brilliant-thank you. Perfect recipe for 1or 2 people when you’re craving chocolate and don’t want to deal with a whole pan of brownies. They turned out perfectly. Nothing better than lava cakes! May try adding orange zest and ginger next time. Thanks again.
Oh, yum! I just made these. Cheap, easy, and delicious! The only thing I did differently was substitute some hot fudge for a few of the chocolate chips as I was about 2-3 Tbsp short. I will definitely be making these again!
I can’t even speak to how amazing these were. If anything, I undercooked them, but everyone was amazed by my baking prowess. I will definitely be using this to impress countless times in the future. Thanks Beth!
I just made these (at 4 in the afternoon on a Sunday) on a whim. They were awesome! Used the comment suggestion of cocoa powder in the ramekin instead of flour, and also used the suggestion of pushing a little extra chocolate into the center of each.
What a great project for a lazy Sunday afternoon :) I had dessert before dinner…but that’s the perk of being an adult!
These were AMAZING. Better than the first molten chocolate lava cake recipe I tried. I can’t wait to make them again. I used a Pyrex custard cup, and they came out wonderful. Though, I would probably just use cooking spray the next time, instead of butter and flour.
I have 4, 2″ rammies, and I found I had to cook the cakes for a little longer, like ten minutes, to avoid an overly gooey center.
HOWEVER. These were amazing! I’m so glad I found your blog: my father was a chef, so you would think I would know how to cook, but I was kind of shooed out of the kitchen, actually. I had no idea delicious food could be so easy! I’m going to try your stir fry tonight, and the no-knead bread tomorrow.
Thanks, Beth!
I’ve made these (not this EXACT recipe, but very similar) using a muffin tin before. They turned out great.
Made these for Valentine’s and they were so easy and soooo tasty. Will be making them again for sure! Forget complicated recipes!