This gluten-free chocolate lava cake is a decadent, but EASY dessert made with 6 simple ingredients! My #1 tip is to use a high-quality chopped chocolate bar (rather than chocolate chips) for extra “lava”.
You might also like this gluten-free tiramisu, dark chocolate pots de crème, flourless chocolate torte or gluten-free chocolate sheet cake.
Wondering what to make for Valentine’s Day or another special occasion? I have you covered!
This gluten-free chocolate lava cake is decadent, impressive, and incredibly easy to make. It has a gooey center and can be topped with fresh berries, ice cream, and more.
Gluten-free chocolate lava cake is a chocolate lovers dream!
You’ll wow your guests — and it will only take about 20 minutes and a handful of ingredients!
Why I love this recipe
- Uses 6 pantry staples – Gluten-free chocolate lava cakes look fancy, but they’re SO easy to make and only requires 6 pantry staples, like butter, flour, and bittersweet chocolate.
- Rich and decadent – The egg yolk, butter, and bittersweet chocolate make for decadent, delicious gluten-free lava cakes!
- Easy recipe for special occasions – I love making this gluten-free chocolate lava cake for special occasions. It’s the perfect dessert for Valentine’s Day, anniversaries, or date night if I’m short on time!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here are a few notes on the key ingredients to make this gluten-free chocolate lava cake.
- Chocolate: I like to use Guittard semi-sweet or bittersweet baking bars for this gluten-free lava cake recipe. Chop up the bars before melting with the butter. You could also use dark chocolate bars. For best results, don’t use chocolate chips. You won’t get as much “lava” in the little cakes, and the chocolate bars offer a richer flavor.
- Gluten-Free Flour: King Arthur Gluten-Free Measure-for-Measure Flour is my top gluten-free flour choice for this gluten-free chocolate lava cake recipe. Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1:1 Baking Flour will also work.
- Powdered Sugar: I use powdered sugar (rather than granulated sugar) for these lava cakes because it absorbs easily into the batter. This prevents the lava cakes from having any kind of graininess.
- Butter: I like to use salted butter for more depth of flavor in this gluten-free chocolate lava cake!
How to Make Gluten-Free Chocolate Lava Cake
- Prepare ramekins. Spray four 6-ounce ramekins with nonstick cooking spray and dust with cocoa powder. This is important to ensure the gluten-free chocolate lava cake comes out of the ramekins easily after baking.
- Melt chocolate. Coarsely chop the chocolate (don’t use chocolate chips or you won’t have as much “lava”) and place in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Add the butter and microwave on high, stirring every 15 seconds until melted and completely smooth. Set aside.
- Mix dry ingredients. Add the gluten-free flour, powdered sugar, and salt to the melted chocolate and whisk until smooth.
- Whisk in eggs. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and egg yolks until smooth. Pour the egg mixture into the chocolate mixture and use a hand mixer or regular whisk to stir until smooth. The gluten-free chocolate lava cake batter will be slightly thick.
- Bake. Spoon chocolate cake batter evenly into each prepared ramekin. Smooth the top of the chocolate batter. Place ramekins onto a baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes until the edges of each cake appear solid and firm; the molten center of the gluten free molten chocolate lava cakes will still look soft.
- Serve. Allow the gluten free cakes to cool for 1 minute, then cover each of the individual ramekins with an inverted plate and turn over. The gluten-free chocolate lava cake should easily come out of the ramekins. Serve immediately with desired toppings. Enjoy this decadent chocolate treat!
Storage Instructions
Make-Ahead: You can prepare the batter through step 5. Cover tightly and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Allow to come to room temperature (takes a couple hours) before continuing with step 6.
To Serve: Gluten free molten lava cakes taste best when served right after they comes out of the oven, but you can store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days. Reheat in the microwave for 5-10 seconds before serving.
Recipe Tips
- I like to use these 6-ounce ramekins for this rich chocolate cake.
- Muffin Pan Option: If you don’t have ceramic ramekins you can use the 2 inside rows of a 12-count muffin pan to create individual cakes. Spray the muffin tin and dust with cocoa powder like you would the ramekins. Reduce the cooking time to 8-10 minutes. After baking, use a spoon to release the gluten-free chocolate lava cake from the pan and place each upside down on plates.
- Feel free to add your favorite toppings to these molten cakes! Gluten-free chocolate lava cake would be delicious with your favorite vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, fresh berries, raspberry coulis, strawberry compote, chocolate sauce, a bit of sea salt, or simply a dusting of powdered sugar.
More Gluten-Free Chocolate Recipes
- Gluten-Free Chocolate Cupcakes
- Dairy-Free Chocolate Fondue
- Gluten-Free Chocolate Mousse Cake
- Gluten-Free Brownies
- Oat Flour Brownies
- Gluten-Free Chocolate Bundt Cake
Gluten-Free Chocolate Lava Cake (Easy!)
This gluten-free chocolate lava cake is a decadent, but EASY dessert made with 6 simple ingredients! My #1 tip is to use a high-quality chopped chocolate bar (rather than chocolate chips) for extra "lava".
Ingredients
- 6 ounces (170g) high-quality semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate, see note
- 1/2 cup (113g) butter
- 3 tablespoons (30g) gluten-free measure-for-measure flour
- 1/2 cup (60g) powdered sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 2 large egg yolks
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F. Spray four 6-ounce ramekins with nonstick cooking spray and dust with cocoa powder. This is important to ensure the cakes come out of the ramekins easily after baking.
- Coarsely chop the chocolate (don’t use chocolate chips or you won’t have as much “lava”) and place in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Add the butter and microwave on high, stirring every 15 seconds until melted and completely smooth. Set aside.
- Add the gluten-free flour, powdered sugar, and salt to the melted chocolate and whisk until smooth.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and egg yolks until smooth. Pour the eggs into the chocolate mixture and whisk until smooth. The batter will be slightly thick.
- Spoon chocolate batter evenly into each prepared ramekin. Smooth the top.
- Place ramekins onto a baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes until the sides appear solid and firm; the tops will still look soft.
- Allow the cakes to cool for 1 minute, then cover each with an inverted plate and turn over. The cakes should easily come out of the ramekins.
- Serve immediately with desired toppings. Enjoy!
Notes
Recipe Notes
- Chocolate: I like to use Guittard semi-sweet or bittersweet baking bars for this gluten-free lava cake recipe. Chop up the bars before melting with the butter. You could also use dark chocolate bars. For best results, don’t use chocolate chips. You won’t get as much “lava” in the little cakes, and the chocolate bars offer a richer flavor.
- Gluten-Free Flour: King Arthur Gluten-Free Measure-for-Measure Flour is my top gluten-free flour choice for this gluten-free chocolate lava cake recipe. Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1:1 Baking Flour will also work.
- I like to use these 6-ounce ramekins for these lava cakes.
- Muffin Pan Option: If you don’t have ceramic ramekins you can use the 2 inside rows of a 12-count muffin pan to create individual cakes. Spray the muffin tin and dust with cocoa powder like you would the ramekins. Reduce the cooking time to 8-10 minutes. After baking, use a spoon to release the gluten-free chocolate lava cake from the pan and place each upside down on plates.
- Make-Ahead: You can prepare the batter through step 5. Cover tightly and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Allow to come to room temperature (takes a couple hours) before continuing with step 6.
Nutrition
Calories: 391kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 162mg | Sodium: 245mg | Potassium: 192mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 653IU | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 2mg
I followed her recommendation of using Guittard bittersweet baking chocolate. Next time I will use their semisweet chocolate. Mine was too bitter and not sweet enough.
Hi Kimmie, we’re sorry to hear you weren’t a fan of the bittersweet chocolate, but we’re glad you enjoyed the cake enough to try it again with the semisweet! We’re a fan of both types and hope you love the semisweet version. Happy baking!
My new favorite. I’ve made several batches now as it took me a few tries to get them just right. I find that baking them on 400 for 10 does the trick for me. Thank you for the delicious recipe!
Oh, and I use GFjules all purpose flour!
Incredibly simple and delicious! I used Guittard bittersweet chocolate and the lava center didn’t disappoint!
Hi Mindy, we’re so glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for taking the time to share your positive feedback with us!
Hi this looks divine
I was wondering if I can make a large lava cake , like in a 8 inch spring foam pan? Would that be possible ?
Hi Faiza, we haven’t tried one large lava cake, but it should be possible in an 8″ pan. It would most likely need longer to bake, but since you want to keep a gooey center, you’ll want to watch the bake closely. The cake should have firm edges and a slightly jiggly center. If you decide to give it a try, we’d love to hear how it goes!
Hi Erin, I’ve now made this several times, and I’ve never been able to achieve any “lava” center. I even added a whole extra bar of chocolate last time, and still, no “lava.” I’m following the recipe to the letter, but it’s just not working. They taste delicious, but there’s zero gooeyness. Any ideas?
Hi Markus, your oven may be running too hot and overbaking the lava cakes. You could try reducing the bake time or temperature. Watch closely and pull them as soon as the edges of each cake appear solid and firm, but the centers need to look soft. We hope this helps!
I made this for my husband for Father’s Day. I planned to serve it with vanilla ice cream, so I reduced the powdered sugar to 3/4 cup (I doubled the recipe so we would have leftovers). It was the perfect amount of sweetness. He loved it. I used Trader Joe’s 72% dark chocolate bar. Highly recommend.
WOW!! Made these for Valentine’s Day and I was blown away. Easy to make, perfect taste/texture, BEAUTIFUL, and the “lava” is divine! Would never know they’re gluten-free either. I think the whole process took me maybe 30 min including baking time. Used Ghiradelli Semi-Sweet baking bar and that was the perfect amount of sweetness. Also used the muffin-pan option and greased w/ coconut oil and cocoa powder and they were done in 8 min. Will definitely make again and again!!
This is chocolatey, rich and delicious! Everybody was delighted!
I am also sugar free so wondering if there are options for gluten and sugar free?
Maple syrup, date syrup, allulose, honey or other options so I can enjoy your recipe?
Thanks
Jan
Hi Jan, we don’t typically bake with sugar substitutes. In this recipe, the powdered sugar is important for the overall structure/texture of the cake. Unfortunately, we don’t think sugar substitutes will produce the same results for this cake. Thank you for your question!
I’m saving this for Valentine’s Day! It looks so good and decadent!
Has anyone tried to make this dairy-free as well? What would be a good substitute for the butter – coconut oil, or something more like Earth Balance?
Hi Caroline, we haven’t tried dairy-free with this recipe ourselves, but if you were to try it, we would think Earth Balance buttery sticks would be a good option. And then df chocolate of your choice. We’d love to hear how it goes!