This must be one of the easiest and fastest cake to make, simply because you sort of ‘half-bake’ the cake. If you bake it too long, it becomes like a brownie. If you bake it too short, it is a pudding.

From experiments, I realize it is best to leave the batter in the fridge and bake it when the batter is cool. The oven must be very hot so that the cake is cooked on the sides and still molten in the middle.

I don’t really like heavy washing up, so I like to use cupcake liners. Therefore, my molten cake has to tear away from the liner neatly. It then means I need to bake it firm enough, and still have the middle molten. This recipe cuts it.

The Chinese name to this cake is really cute. Its direct translation means the heart is too soft. Figure the connotation?

Molten Lava Cake

Print Recipe

Ingredients

100 g butter
150 g premium dark choc
3 eggs
60 g raw sugar if you cannot find, just use caster
40 g plain flour
10 g cocoa powder sieved
1 Tbsp orange liquer optional
These are for 4 deep cup cakes.

Instructions

Preheat oven to 210C, line a 12-muffin pan with cup cake liners.
Melt butter and choc in microwave and check intermittently.
Set aside to cool.
Meanwhile, whisk eggs and sugar till ribbon stage.
Stir in butter and chocolate mixture.
Fold in plain flour, orange liquer and cocoa powder.
Cool mixture in the fridge before baking or bake immediately. (I prefer to bake later)
Bake in a medium to high rack for 6-7 minutes.
Remove from oven and best served immediately. These actually taste good served cooled as well.
*Important notes: if you want a thicker cake layer and less lava, lower the temperature by 10C and increase the baking time by 1 minute. If you want a thinner and more hardened outer layer and more lava, add 2 Tbsp of milk to the batter, do 6 minutes at 230C. Watch and do not let it burn!