These Chocolate Molten Lava Cakes are filled with a delicious chocolate lava center. Bake them in the air fryer for a quick and easy dessert.
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Full Recipe Ingredients/Instructions are available in the
recipe card at the bottom of the post.
You can find important tips/tricks in the
blog post.
I love baking small-batch desserts in my air fryer, like these air fryer brownies. Since the air fryer doesn’t need much of a preheat time, dessert in the air fryer can be made in about 10 minutes from start to finish. And don’t get me started on the fact that you don’t have to heat the entire house with the oven. Thank you, Air Fryer, for keeping me cool in the summer time.
The beauty of these lava cakes is that they have a nice and gooey molten middle. They’re rich and full of yummy chocolate flavor. The key to a yummy molten lava cake is to slightly underbake them just a tad to let the middle stay molten. However, if you accidentally overbake them, they will still taste amazing.
Ingredients Needed
Ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions are on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Unsalted butter - A quick note about the butter: I used regular unsalted butter. Avoid using the fancy butter with higher butter-fat ratios.
- Semi-sweet chocolate bar - I buy a 4-ounce bar and break it into pieces.
- Eggs - 1 large egg and 1 egg yolk from a large egg
- Other Ingredients - White granulated sugar, vanilla extract, all-purpose flour, and a pinch of salt.
How to make Molten Lava Cakes in the Air Fryer
First, grease 3 6-ounce ramekins and set aside.
Then melt butter and a 4 oz chocolate bar in a microwave-safe bowl in 30-second increments, stirring every 30 seconds until entirely melted. It usually takes about a 1-minute total before my chocolate and butter are melted and smooth. Set aside.
Then, in a separate large bowl, beat 1 large egg, 1 egg yolk, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, and 3 Tablespoons sugar together until eggs are thoroughly beat. I use my electric beaters and beat the eggs.
Then add 3 Tablespoons flour and the chocolate mixture and stir until combined. Add the mixture into the ramekins, filling each one about halfway.
Place in the air fryer basket and cook on 370 degrees Fahrenheit for 7-10 minutes.
Once done air frying, use a clean, thick dish towel to remove ramekins from the air fryer basket. Allow the cakes to cool in a ramekin for about 1 minute. Use a butter knife to loosen the cake from the ramekin and turn them over onto a plate. Serve with fresh whipped cream, ice cream, fresh berries, or top with powdered sugar and enjoy.
And there you have it, delicious easy molten cake made right in your air fryer.
Tanya's Top Tips:
- Different air fryer brands will bake these at different speeds, hence the 7-10 minute cook time. These should not take longer than 10 minutes to cook. A shorter cook time will cause a more runny molten, 10 minutes will make it more thick.
- Use a good quality chocolate bar for this recipe. I use semi-sweet chocolate.
- The ramekins are very hot after baking in the air fryer. I found a clean thick dish towel worked best for getting a grip on the ramekins and removing them from the air fryer.
Make Ahead and Storage Options
Make-Ahead: Preparing these Chocolate Molten Lava Cakes in advance is easy! Simply mix the batter and fill the ramekins, then cover them with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. When you’re ready to bake, take the ramekins out and let them sit at room temperature for about 10–15 minutes. Then, bake as directed, adding a minute or two if needed to ensure they have that gooey center.
Storage: While these cakes are best enjoyed fresh from the oven, you can store any leftovers. Once cooled, cover the ramekins with plastic wrap or transfer the cakes to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Reheating: To reheat and keep the gooey center, warm the lava cake in the microwave for about 20–30 seconds on medium power. This should warm it through without cooking it further, helping to retain that molten texture.
Looking for more small batch quick dessert recipes for your air fryer? Try these out:
Air Fryer Chocolate Molten Lava Cakes
Ingredients
- 6 Tablespoon unsalted butter cut into pieces
- 4 oz semi-sweet chocolate bar broken into pieces
- 1 large egg
- 1 egg yolk from a large egg
- 3 Tablespoons white sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Grease 3 6-ounce ramekins and set aside.
- Melt butter and chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl in for about 1 minute until melted, stirring every 30 seconds. Set aside.
- In a separate large bowl, use an electric beater and beat egg, egg yolk, vanilla extract, and sugar together until well blended.
- Then add flour, the chocolate mixture, and a pinch of salt and stir until combined. Pour the mixture into the ramekins, filling each one about halfway.
- Place in the air fryer basket and air fry on 370 degrees Fahrenheit for 8-10 minutes.
- Once done air frying, use a clean thick dish towel to remove ramekins from the air fryer basket. Allow cake to cool in a ramekin for about 1 minute. Use a butter knife to loosen the cake from the ramekin and turn over onto a plate. Serve with fresh whipped cream, fresh berries, or topped with powdered sugar and enjoy.
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Notes
Nutrition
This post was first published on February 4, 2020. It has been updated with additional information.
Fiz says
Hi! This recipe looks amazing & the reviews are enticing. I would like to know, is there any sub for the 1 egg yolk?
When recipes call to separate eggs, it puts me off as I find having to find a use for an egg white / egg yolk a bit of a pain. All I can think of is forcing myself to eat it lol
Hope you can help! Thank you 🙂
Tanya says
Hi Fiz, Thank you. I don't have a sub for the extra yolk, and I agree, it's a pain, but worth it. Egg whites give baked good structure and the yolks provide that richness. When making recipes like these, I actually end up frying the egg white and eating it on its own with a little salt and pepper.
Sharon says
@Fiz, try using it as an egg wash for dinner rolls.
Kim says
Confirming I put the airfryer on airfry and not bake - correct?
Tanya says
Hi Kim, you put it on the air fryer setting.
Lisa says
This recipe is fantastic and super easy to make! Trying this recipe is a must! The molten chocolate middle is absolutely delicious. Plus, there’s no need to clean the air fryer afterwards. Winner!
Claire Leonard says
Made this tonight in my new air fryer, I used the "bake"
setting,9 mins was maybe 1 min to long but really great fast dessert! Thanks @myforkinglife
Karen says
Love this recipe.Very easy to make and so delicious.
Nikolett says
I would really like to try this, problem is I don't have ramekins... would paper muffin molds/cups work?
Tanya says
That should work fine 🙂
Kathy Walton says
Can I use gluten free flour??
Tanya says
Hi Kathy, I have not tested this with gluten-free flour so I'm not sure.
Kathleen VanAntwerp says
@Tanya, I usually find that Pamela's gluten free flour mix works beautifully with most recipes. It already has all of the components necessary to hold together. I just made air fryer banana bread substituting with Pamela's and it was AMAZING!
Jenny says
Wow, this is fabulous! And so easy!
Destiny says
can i use chocolate chips instead? if so how much?
Tanya says
Hi Destiny, I haven't tried chocolate chips in this recipe. I don't think it'll give the same molten effect unless it's a certain brand/type.
Lindy McDaniel says
@Destiny, I used chocolate chips (since that is what I had on hand) and it worked just fine.
dawn knobel says
I ADDED MORE 1 TABELSPOON MORE SUGAR AND COOK ON 10 MIN IN AIR FRYER MAKES 4 WHEN I MAKE AND ITS AMAZING!
Katie says
I just tried this recipe tonight and I love how quick and easy it was but also SO SO GOOD. Thank you!
Tanya says
Thanks so much for the feedback Katie! So glad you liked the recipe 🙂
mindy says
Thanx for posting. Absolutely delicious and simple
Shruti Mohan says
So I just made these and I can't believe they turned out so great! It's so easy to make and literally takes 10 minutes of your time. My family loves it.
Bella says
I only have 4oz ramekins or 8oz Pyrex. Can either be used and will the time be the same? Thank you!
Tanya says
I would use the 4 oz ramekins . The cooktime would be similiar. I'd start checking a minute earlier.
Susie says
Just made these. Unbelievably delicious! Thank you for sharing! I will post on my Instagram @lovetosing and tag your blog. Your recipes are terrific❣️❣️????
Tanya says
Thank you so much Susie 🙂
Bonnie StPierre says
@Tanya, the recipe lists 2 tbsp flour, yet in your instructions and comments on the blog post, you've written 3 tbsp flour. Which should I follow?
Thanks!
Tanya says
It's 3 Tbsps. Thank you, I fixed it 🙂