Instant Pot Lava Cakes

Instant Pot lava cakes are great for special occasions or if you’re looking for a sweet, single serving treat. They look complicated to make, but these lava cakes are super easy.

I’d put them on the same level as my favorite chocolate cake or even a boxed chocolate cupcake recipe. The key difference with Instant Pot lava cakes, or any lava cake recipe, is timing.

You’ve got to stay on top of everything; otherwise, the cakes will overcook.

How to make Instant Pot lava cakes:

Like I just mentioned above, lava cakes aren’t difficult but they can be finicky in regards to timing. One of our favorite tried and true lava cakes recipes is this Molten Chocolate Cake recipe from Food and Wine.

I adapted their recipe to make our cakes. Although, I think theirs would work great if you’d rather use it.

1. Start by prepping the Instant Pot. Get the trivet in the place, and go ahead and add 1 cup of water to the stainless steel insert. Set aside.
2. Grease four, 6-ounce glass ramekins, with butter, then “flour” them well with cocoa powder. Set aside.
3. In a medium, microwave-safe bowl, melt together the butter and baking chocolate. Stir every 15 to 20 seconds until smooth. Set aside.

4. In a separate medium bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the eggs, egg yolk, sugar, and salt until well mixed light in color. Pour in the chocolate mixture, flour, and espresso powder.
5. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to fold the ingredients together. The batter will thicken as its stirred.

6. Scoop the batter evenly into the prepared ramekins. They should be about 2/3 of the way full after all the batter is used.
7. Place the filled ramekins on the trivet in the Instant Pot (the water should already be in the pot if you did that first). I used a 6-quart Instant Pot for this recipe, and was able to fit 3 ramekins on the bottom with the last one stacked on top.

8. Close the lid and cook for 7 minutes, then do a quick release. There will be some liquid on the tops of the cakes, but that’s fine.
9. Move quickly use a pot holder to remove the ramekins, and invert them onto plates. Sprinkle with powdered sugar or top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and enjoy immediately!

Is lava cake raw in the middle?

The center of a lava cake hasn’t set like the top, bottom, and sides. It bakes from the outside in, so the center is the last to set up, which gives it the wonderful molten, gooey center.

The center of a lava cake is hot just like the outsides.

Can you add a flavored filling to the center of a lava cake?

Yes! You can add a tablespoon or two of peanut butter, nutella, or dark chocolate to the uncooked batter.

A friend of mine has a wonderful post for Instant Pot Lava Cake that explains how to make lava cakes with a variety of fillings.

Why isn’t there “lava” in my lava cake?

If there is no molten center in the lava cake, it may be overcooked. These are very easy to overbake, which will cause the gooey center to set.

When you open the Instant Pot, the cakes will look wet and uncooked on top. Go ahead and remove them, because they’ll continue to cook in the hot ramekins until they’re removed.

Take them out of the ramekins as quickly as possible. Don’t let them sit more than a minute or two; otherwise the smooth center will being to turn into a cake-like texture.

Can you reheat a lava cake?

Personally, I have not had good luck reheating lava cakes. They always turn to cake whenever they’re in the microwave or whenever any additional heat is added.

That being said, a quick Google search will show that plenty of people do reheat lava cakes with success.

Can you save lava cake batter?

We haven’t tried to save the batter, but according to this Easy Chocolate Lava Cakes post, the batter can be saved in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Other Amazing Chocolate Desserts:

• Chocolate Lasagna
• Coca-Cola Cake Recipe
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Bundt Cake
• Mini Skillet Cookie
• Turtle Candies

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