Chocolate Lava Cakes
By :The Instant Pot Bible by Bruce Weinstein
There was a point in the early 2000s when just about every celebrity chef claimed to have invented the molten cake, the lava cake, or whatever they called it. Not one of them made the cake in a multi-cooker! Too bad, because the steam creates a super light cake surrounding a liquid chocolate center. You can unmold these cakes on plates, although they can tear (and immediately run) if you haven’t greased the ramekin well enough for the cake to pop loose. Run a flatware knife around the inside perimeter, put a dessert plate over the ramekin, turn the whole operation upside down, and tap gently until the cake comes free. Or simply serve the warm cakes in their ramekins with spoons and plenty of whipped cream.
Votes: 22
Rating: 3.86
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Course Dessert
Cuisine Modern
Difficulty Easy
Browse Category Dessert
Duration 15-30 min
Cooking Technique Max Pressure Cook, Pressure Cook
Main Ingredient Chocolate, Eggs, Flour
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Servings
4 servings
Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup butter cut into small chunks, plus more for greasing the ramekins 1 stick
  • 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate preferably 70% cocoa solids, chopped
  • 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
  • 3 large eggs at room temperature
  • 1 large egg yolk at room temperature
  • 6 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 tsp table salt
  • 1 1/2 cups Water
Course Dessert
Cuisine Modern
Difficulty Easy
Browse Category Dessert
Duration 15-30 min
Cooking Technique Max Pressure Cook, Pressure Cook
Main Ingredient Chocolate, Eggs, Flour
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Servings
4 servings
Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup butter cut into small chunks, plus more for greasing the ramekins 1 stick
  • 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate preferably 70% cocoa solids, chopped
  • 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
  • 3 large eggs at room temperature
  • 1 large egg yolk at room temperature
  • 6 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 tsp table salt
  • 1 1/2 cups Water
Votes: 22
Rating: 3.86
Rate this recipe!
Print Recipe
Instructions
  1. Put the butter and chocolate in a large, microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high in 10-second bursts, stirring well after each, until a little over half of the butter has melted. Remove from the microwave oven and continue stirring until smooth.
  2. Set the chocolate mixture aside and cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, generously butter the inside of four heat- and pressure-safe 1-cup ramekins.
  3. Stir the confectioners’ sugar into the chocolate mixture until smooth. Stir in the eggs one at a time, making sure each is well incorporated before adding the next. Stir in the egg yolk until smooth, then the flour and salt, stirring again until smooth. Divide this mixture evenly among the prepared ramekins. Do not cover the ramekins.
  4. Pour the water in the cooker. Set a trivet in the pot, then stack the 4 ramekins on the trivet. Lock the lid onto the cooker.
  5. Optional 1 Max Pressure Cooker
    Press Pressure cook on Max pressure for 8 minutes with the Keep Warm setting off.
  6. Optional 2 All Pressure Cookers
    Press Pressure cook (Manual) on High pressure for 10 minutes with the Keep Warm setting off.
  7. When the machine has finished cooking, turn it off and let its pressure return to normal naturally, about 20 minutes. Unlatch the lid and open the cooker. Transfer the hot ramekins to a wire rack and cool for 15 minutes. Serve warm or cover and chill in the fridge for up to 
1 day, serving them right in their ramekins.
Recipe Notes

Beyond
- Because of the shape of the ramekins, this recipe will not work (even halved) in a 3-quart cooker.
- Add up to 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 1/2 teaspoon almond extract, or 1/4 teaspoon orange extract with the eggs.

24 replies
  1. Dcdavis8418
    Dcdavis8418 says:

    The directions and ingredients were not that clear for a first time trying to make a dessert in the instapot and personally felt like the cake was to bitter.

  2. lrckac
    lrckac says:

    These are great for chocolate lovers – very rich and very chocolaty. Easy to make and recipe easy to follow.

  3. Rhg469
    Rhg469 says:

    Very rich and good! I added 1 tsp vanilla extract and 1/2 tsp almond extract. I didn’t realize this recipe was for 8 oz ramekins. I used 6 oz ramekins and had batter left over. I filled my 4, 6 oz ramekins almost full so they didn’t cook all the way the first time. Cooked them another 5 min and quick released but they were done too much this time. Overall, this was a good recipe!

  4. Cathebecker
    Cathebecker says:

    There was no lava! I was skeptical of doing a full natural pressure release. I should have done a quick release taken the cakes out as soon as the cooking time was over. They were completely cooked all the way through.

  5. Pmalugade
    Pmalugade says:

    Delicious! The inside was gooey and fudgy. Not quite lava as some of the other comments note, but definitely not cooked all the way through. I’d recommend this recipe and will be making it again.

  6. auntieliz
    auntieliz says:

    We have a 3 qt mini…made 2 ramekins at the time specified…then used the rest of it in a 6 x 3 fluted push pan for 25 minutes and allowed np release…

  7. JenniiKlynn
    JenniiKlynn says:

    It was good but was just a little over cooked. It wasn’t runny like lava cake should be so i had to lower the time just to get it just right

  8. Instant Pot
    Instant Pot says:

    We are sorry to hear it tasted like flour.

    Tow possibilities why it tasted like flour, it was either not mixed properly or too much flour was used. When measuring ingredients for baking especially flower ensure to properly measure, if the flour is packed you can accidentally overfill the measuring spoon.

  9. Carriebear1974
    Carriebear1974 says:

    1st batch (2 8oz) I reduced time to 6 minutes and allowed it to releae pressure on it’s own. Definitely not done! Put it in for another 4 minutes and it was alright.
    2nd batch I set pressure on manual for 8 minutes, allowed for natural release and then set on warm for 12 minutes. Came out perfect woth even a little bit of of “lava” in the middle. I am using the lux60 model (6 qrt) Instantpot. Only 2 8 oz ramekins fit at a time.

  10. tstarke20
    tstarke20 says:

    Ummmmm……
    They totally forgot to put the steps in for partway filling ramekins, adding the “lava,” then top off ramekins……

  11. Instant Pot
    Instant Pot says:

    Hi Tstarke20,

    There is no step that involves putting in the “Lava” and topping with batter.

    The “Lava”, molten chocolate center, forms while cooking and is not added in.

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