Baked treats don't get much better than a classic vegan chocolate lava cake and these delectable and gooey, mini lava cakes really do hit that chocolatey sweet spot. They make a perfect supper to satisfy your sweet tooth.
Vegan puddings are always better when the filling oozes out from the center. Once you spoon them open, the chocolate inside elegantly flows onto your plate. These easy desserts take less than 30 minutes to make so give them a try!
The great thing about the filling is that you can literally add as much chocolate as you wish. Some people would say the more chocolate in the middle, the better. I only added a few squares but there honestly isn't a wrong answer. Be as adventurous or cautious as you see fit.
Some other simple vegan chocolate recipes that you'll enjoy include my vegan chocolate mug cake, vegan chocolate mud cake and vegan single serve double chocolate chip cookie.
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Why You Will Love These Lava Cakes
- Plenty of Chocolate - If you love all things chocolate, you'll love these cakes (especially the filling). The filling is the part that contributes to the majority of the melty utopia. The cocoa isn't as overtly 'chocolatey' as the melted vegan chocolate in the middle but combined with the sweetness of the maple syrup, it is also really tasty!
- Delicious Texture - Gooey is the first word that comes to mind when I'm describing these vegan chocolate lava cakes. They're so delicate and can be spooned so easily. When you're craving a melt-in-your-mouth snack, look no further.
- Easy to Make - Another amazing thing about these vegan lava cakes is that they are ready in a pretty short amount of time, just like my vegan lemon poppy seed mug cake, vegan raspberry coconut slices and vegan melted snowman cookies. All you need to do is mix all of your ingredients to form a batter, pour them into ramekins and bake the lava cakes in the oven. Enjoy!
- Allergy Friendly & Plant Based - This vegan chocolate lava cake recipe is wholly vegan and dairy free.
Ingredient Notes
- All purpose flour - This is the best kind of flour that you can use for this recipe. Regular plain, white flour gives my chocolate lava cakes a perfect light and fluffy texture just like my vegan banana mug cake.
- Hazelnuts (chopped) - Chocolate and hazelnuts are a match made in heaven. You simply can't beat the combination of the two and this recipe is no different. They're so complimentary and tasty together.
- Maple syrup - This is the main sweetener that I opted to use for the cake. I decided to use this as it has a strong distinct flavor and it is a healthier option, overall that the likes of granulated sugar and brown sugar.
- Small banana - I add a banana to the batter as a vegan 'egg replacer'. Bananas are one of the best options for this and help to create a fantastic cake consistency. This method also worked well in my vegan pistachio blueberry muffins recipe.
- Vegan milk chocolate bar - Add chocolate pieces to the center of the lava cakes so that they can become melty inside the oven.
See recipe card for full information on individual ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- If you're required to, you can easily make this lava cake gluten free. All you need to do is swap out one of the main ingredients. Instead of using regular all-purpose flour, use a 1:1 gluten free all-purpose flour baking blend which you can find in most large grocery stores.
- Some people prefer vegan white and dark chocolate to vegan milk chocolate. If this applies to your own preferences, you can totally use a different kind of dairy free chocolate. As long as the chocolate that you choose is of a good quality and can melt nicely, everything is great! Vegan white chocolate is a favorite of mine. See my vegan white chocolate macadamia nut cookies for a yummy snack which incorporates it.
How To Make Vegan Chocolate Lava Cakes
For the full method, please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
1: Combine all of your dry ingredients.
2: Mix in the wet ingredients.
3: Pour the chocolate batter mixture into ramekins.
4: Place squares of chocolate into the center of the unbaked chocolate mixture inside the ramekins.
5: Bake the vegan chocolate lava cakes in the oven.
6: Let it cool and enjoy!
Expert Tips
Serve warm - If you want to enjoy these cakes maximally, I suggest that you eat these lava cakes while they are still warm. When they cool down they are still super tasty, but nothing beats a warm vegan pudding. The warmness of the cake really compliments both the coolness of vegan single cream and also warm custard. Either option is delicious!
Make a larger lava cake - This recipe typically makes four smaller cakes inside ramekins, but you can alternatively make one larger cake. All you need to do is add more chocolate squares/pieces into the center so that it isn't too dry. You can add as many chocolate squares to the middle as you wish but make sure it's at least 4x the recommended recipe card amount. The baking time will also likely be longer, although I haven't tested it.
Recipe FAQs
Depending on the size of your ramekin, you may need to add more vegan chocolate squares to the center of the lava cake. Small ramekins usually only need 2-3. A larger ramekin may need 4x that amount depending on how gooey you want your center to be.
Recipe times can vary. This one only needs 15-20 minutes in the oven which isn't too long to wait!
I recommend serving your lava cakes warm with cold vegan cream or vegan custard!
I recommend eating lava cakes on the day for ultimate satisfaction. Otherwise place it on a plate, cover with plastic wrap and store inside the fridge. Consume within 24-48 hours.
More Vegan Chocolate Cake Recipes
If you tried this Vegan Chocolate Fudge Lava Cake Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you!
Vegan Chocolate Lava Cake
Ingredients
Dry:
- 100 g all purpose flour
- 40 g chopped hazelnuts
- 20 g cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 0.5 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
Wet:
- 170 ml plant milk
- 70 ml maple syrup
- 1 small banana mashed
- 0.5 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Filling:
- 8-12 squares of vegan milk chocolate divided between the 4 ramekins. use 8-12 squares of chocolate if you're making one big lava cake
Instructions
Preparation:
- Preheat your oven to 180 Celsius (350F).
- Grease 4 small, oven-proof ramekins.
Making the cake mixture:
- Combine all of the dry ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and then mix in the wet ingredients until they're fully incorporated.
- Equally, pour your chocolatey mixture into the 4 ramekins and place either 2 or 3 vegan chocolate squares into the middle of each one. Make sure that they're completely covered by the mixture.
Baking the cakes:
- Bake the lava cakes in the oven for 15-20 minutes. Once they're ready, allow them to cool for a further 8 minutes or so.
- Remove the lava cakes from the ramekins and enjoy.
Video
Notes
- If you don't want chopped hazelnuts in your lava cake, you could try using ground hazelnuts instead. Maybe you'd like to try a different type of nut altogether!
- If you want to enjoy these cakes maximally, I suggest that you eat these lava cakes while they are still warm. When they cool down they are still super tasty, but nothing beats a warm vegan pudding. The warmness of the cake really compliments both the coolness of vegan single cream and also warm custard. Either option is delicious!
- This recipe typically makes four smaller cakes inside ramekins, but you can alternatively make one larger cake. All you need to do is add more chocolate squares/pieces into the center so that it isn't too dry. You can add as many chocolate squares to the middle as you wish but make sure it's at least 4x the recommended recipe card amount. The baking time will also likely be longer, although I haven't tested it.
Claire says
Mmm this looks absolutely delicious.