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I don’t know about you all, but I always thought that lava cakes were super challenging to make…until I made this recipe! These easy vegan chocolate lava cakes are foolproof and the perfect dessert for a stay at home date night, Valentine’s Day, or Galentine’s day!
Why You’ll Love this Vegan Lava Cake
These vegan chocolate lava cakes are so incredibly easy! They take just a few minutes to bake but feel and look so fancy. The chocolate cake is tender and moist. And the molten center is rich and decadent.
Emily’s Recipe Notes:
- Flavor: Rich, chocolatey, sweet.
- Texture: A soft, moist, and fluffy cake with a gooey center.
- Difficulty: Easy.
- Time: Under 1 hour.
Why We Love this Lava Cake: I love that this cake is so easy but perfect for a special occasion. It’s made with simple ingredients and the end result is pretty much any chocolate lover’s dream. Topped off with fresh berries and a sprinkle of powdered sugar it’s the perfect chocolate dessert. So good.
Ingredients
These vegan chocolate lava cakes are made with cocoa powder instead of melted chocolate in the cake batter. This helps provide a more stable base that helps support the molten center.
- All-Purpose Flour: This is the base of the bake. I love King Arthur’s flour.
- Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder: I definitely recommend Dutch processed cocoa over natural cocoa powder. It creates a really intense chocolatey flavor.
- Sugar: Regular cane sugar helps sweeten the cake.
- Instant Coffee or Espresso Powder: This helps bring out a more intense chocolate flavor. It’s optional but definitely helps enhance the flavor.
- Soy Milk: You can use another plant milk like almond milk or oat milk.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: Any neutral vinegar will work. You could use white vinegar in it’s place. This helps create the dairy free buttermilk.
- Salted Vegan Butter: I prefer Earth Balance or Violife. You could also use a neutral oil in it’s place. Be sure to add another pinch of salt if using oil.
- Pure Vanilla Extract: For flavor.
For the Gooey Molten Center:
For the ganache filling you only need two ingredients:
- Dark Chocolate Chips or Chopped Dark Chocolate
- Coconut Cream
Helpful Equipment
You’ll want to use ramekins for this recipe. Ramekins come in lots of different sizes, but I’m using 4″ ones today.
- The ones I have are from IKEA and they’re super affordable, plus the cakes always release perfectly from them.
- If you don’t have an IKEA near you, you could also order these 4″ ramekins online for similar results.
Step By Step Guide
Melt the dark chocolate chips and the coconut cream together. Place in the freezer for 20-30 minutes until set.
Make the vegan buttermilk by combining the soy milk with the apple cider vinegar. Set aside
Whisk or sift together the flour, cocoa powder, salt, sugar, instant coffee, and baking powder. Make a well in the center.
Pour in the vegan buttermilk, melted vegan butter, and vanilla.
Stir until just combined. The batter should be thick yet pourable.
Scoop or pour the batter into the bottom of the ramekins so they are ¼ of the way full. Scoop about 1 tablespoon of chocolate ganache and place in the center of the batter.
baking the vegan chocolate lava cakes
The bake time for this cake recipe is 17-18 minutes with the 4″ ramekins. If you are using a different size, the bake time will need to adjust. With larger ramekins, bake the cakes for 19-20 minutes. If your ramekins are smaller, bake for 16-17 minutes.
Cover the ganache with more batter and bake.
Place on a wire cooling rack and cool for 2-3 minutes.
How to Know if the Cakes are Done:
- The edges are firm and but the center is still a little wiggly.
- The cakes do not look sunken in the center.
- The entire top of the cake is fairly matte, appears baked, and no longer looks super shiny like batter.
releasing the lava cakes from the ramekin
The first step to making sure the cakes release cleanly is prepping the ramekins. This step is crucial, so don’t skip it! I greased my ramekins with some cooking spray prior to filling them.
When the cakes are done baking, it’s best to let them cool on a wire rack for about 2-3 minutes. This is important so you don’t burn yourself when trying to transfer them to a plate.
Before transferring the cakes, gently take a knife and run it along the edges of the cake to help loosen it from the ramekin.
Place a flat plate on top of the ramekin. I found it helpful to scoot the ramekin close to the edge of the counter, so I could get my hand under it. Next, gently flip the cake upside down.
You may want to tap the bottom of the ramekin a few times to make sure the cakes release. Then, gently wiggle the ramekin off.
Serving Ideas
This lava cake is great paired with a scoop of dairy-free vanilla ice cream, vegan whipped cream or dusted with powdered sugar.
I love topping it with some sliced strawberries or a few raspberries. And there you go… you have yourself a perfect dessert!
Why this Recipe Works
While some non-vegan lava cakes are essentially undercooked cakes, this recipe uses a molten chocolate ganache center. Because this is an egg free recipe, under-baking or undercooking doesn’t work. Eggs typically provide structure and can hold the cake together even with short bake times.
Since we’re not using them, the cake needs to bake for longer, around 18 minutes instead of the usual 10 minutes non-vegan recipes call for.
This means this recipe isn’t just an undercooked cake. Instead, this cake has a rich ganache center that is ooey-gooey and decadent.
Recipe Development
When developing this recipe, I tested both natural and Dutch-process cocoa powders. While both can technically work, Dutch-process cocoa delivered a much better flavor and texture. Here’s why:
This recipe uses baking powder, so it doesn’t depend on the acidity of natural cocoa for leavening. The real difference, however, comes down to the cake’s texture and flavor.
Test 1: natural Cocoa
- Natural cocoa is acidic with a milder flavor (pH 5-6). It’s also lighter in color.
- The cakes turned out slightly gummier and a bit stodgy.
- The acidity of natural cocoa can throw off the balance of the batter, especially with other acidic ingredients like vegan buttermilk and vinegar.
dense & slightly gummy
Test 2: Dutch-Process Cocoa
- Dutch-process cocoa is alkalized to neutralize acidity, resulting in a smoother, deeper flavor (pH 7-8). It’s darker in color.
- The cakes were moist, rich, and fudgy—but not overly so.
- They held their structure while maintaining that gooey, molten center.
moist, rich & fudgy
The Verdict: If you want chocolate lava cakes with a rich flavor and well risen texture, Dutch-process cocoa is the way to go. It creates that balance of moist, molten, and fudgy without any unwanted gumminess.
FAQ
Vegan buttermilk is very easy to make. All you need to do is mix together dairy-free milk, like soy milk, and a little vinegar.
The ganache needs about 20-30 minutes in the freezer to set, but the exact time may vary depending on how warm your chocolate was when melted. Once firm, it’s ready to scoop into the cakes. If you’re making it ahead, store the ganache in the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for 15-20 minutes, or until it reaches a scoopable consistency, before assembling the cakes.
I recommend making these vegan lava cakes right before you’re ready to serve them. Because the lava center is melted chocolate, the texture is the best right after removing from the oven (or within 30-45 minutes).
This is honestly such a rich, decadent, and luscious cake. If you’re looking for a fun date night dessert, this is the best vegan molten lava cake for two! It’s easy, delicious, and will have you wanting one more bite.
More Delicious Vegan Desserts
- Vegan Chocolate Crunch Cake
- The Best Vegan Brownies
- Chocolate Puff Pastry Twists
- Classic Vegan Pound Cake
Easy Vegan Chocolate Lava Cakes
Rate this RecipeIngredients
Molten Chocolate Center
- 2 oz dark chocolate chips, dairy-free
- 2 tbsp coconut cream
Cake Batter
- ½ cup vegan buttermilk, ½ cup soy milk mixed with 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup all-purpose flour, 65g
- ¼ cup cocoa powder, 20g
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- ¼ cup + 2 tbsp granulated sugar, 75g
- 1 tsp instant coffee or espresso powder
- 1 pinch salt, about 1/16 tsp
- 2 ½ tbsp salted vegan butter, melted
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Instructions
To make the ganache center:
- Combine the dark chocolate and coconut cream in a medium bowl. Microwave for 45 seconds, stirring halfway through, until melted and smooth. Freeze for 20-30 minutes until set, then transfer to the fridge if not using right away.2 oz dark chocolate chips, 2 tbsp coconut cream
- If made ahead, let it sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before using. The ganache should be firm but scoopable for the best results.
To make the cake batter:
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and grease two 4" ramekins well. Place them on a baking tray.
- Make vegan buttermilk by mixing soy milk and vinegar; set aside for 5 minutes.½ cup vegan buttermilk
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, salt, sugar, instant coffee, and baking powder until smooth.½ cup all-purpose flour, ¼ cup cocoa powder, ¼ tsp baking powder, ¼ cup + 2 tbsp granulated sugar, 1 tsp instant coffee or espresso powder, 1 pinch salt
- Add the buttermilk, melted butter, and vanilla. Stir until just combined; don’t overmix. Fill each ramekin ¼ full with batter.2 ½ tbsp salted vegan butter, 1 tsp pure vanilla extract, ½ cup vegan buttermilk
- Scoop 1½ tbsp of chilled ganache and place it on top of the batter in each ramekin. Cover with the remaining batter, filling the ramekins ¾ full.
- Bake for 17-19 minutes, until firm at the edges but slightly jiggly in the center. Let cool for 2-3 minutes on a wire rack before serving.
To serve the cake:
- Gently wiggle a knife around the edges of the cakes. Place a plate on the top of the ramekin and gently flip it upside down. Tap the bottom of the ramekin a few times to help the cake slide out. Be careful since the ramekins are still hot.
- Serve by dusting the tops with powdered sugar, or with a scoop of dairy-free ice cream and berries.
Video
Recipe notes
- The ganache needs about 20-30 minutes in the freezer to set, but the exact time may vary depending on how warm your chocolate was when melted.
- Once firm, it’s ready to scoop into the cakes.
- If you’re making it ahead of time, store the ganache in the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for 15-20 minutes, or until it reaches a scoopable consistency, before assembling the cakes.
Equipment
- To make these cakes, you’ll need 4″ ramekins. The ramekins I used are from IKEA. You can also order 4″ ramekins online.
Did You Make This?
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Categories:
10 Ingredients or Less, Baked Goods, Chocolate, Comfort Food, Date Night, Desserts, Recipes, Seasonal, Valentine's Day, Vegan Cakes,
This recipe is amazing! We made it for my birthday dessert and it delivered ❤️ It turned out exactly like the photo. Instead of a small dish, we used a larger one which worked well with extra time in the oven! Will make this regularly from now on ( ◠‿◠ )
I’m glad you liked it! 🙂
I made this recipe for my son’s birthday and it was just like he remembered. we we really happy with the results and will definitely make these again. Thank you!
Dear Emiliy,
Thanks for this very fascinating recipe. My cakes turned out delicious, but, the lava didn’t really flow. It seemed to have “mingled” with the main part of the cake. When trying to find my mistake, I discovered that in the tips and tricks you write that the ganache needs 4 hours to freeze; in the recipe itself the time is 30 minutes; which is what I used. Should the ganache be really cold and frozen or just set?
Thank you so much!
Greetings from Portugal!
Hi Sophie! Thanks so much for reaching out. The ganache should chill in the freezer for at least 30 minutes, or for up to 4 hours. The chilling time will depend on how hot the chocolate is after melting it. The ganache should be firm to the touch, yet scoop-able like in the process photos. I’ve updated the instructions in the recipe card to be more clear, and I’m sorry for the confusion!
Thanks, Emily, for the quick reply and the clarifications! I’ll try again, if I get the lava flowing more liquidly 🙂
OMG this is absolutely amazing! We’re not even totally vegan! I even bought the ramekins for the occasion because I have always wanted to make lava cake. Never in my wildest dreams did I think it would be a vegan recipe as my first try 🙂 The ganache is seriously to die for and the cake was so moist it was truly unbelievable I made this for hubby and me as part of our super bowl spread and it turns out this was the real winner. The lava flowed no problem! Dreaming of making it again!
Hi Pam, I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe! 🙂