Desserts, especially made with rich chocolate, are always a fantastic way to end a meal. However, most of the time decadent desserts take time to make-- time you would rather spend eating your dessert! It's one of the reasons I love making desserts, like this chocolate lava cake, in the air fryer. Not only is this recipe quick to make, but it's also served in individual portions, making it perfect for a date night or a solo night at home.
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What is a Chocolate Lava Cake?
According to food historians, the first molten chocolate lava cake originated in France (chocolate moelleux) by French chef Michel Bras, however, it was Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten of JoJo in New York City that popularized the dessert in the United States.
Spongy on the outside and soft and gooey in the middle, this self-saucing dessert combines the elements of chocolate cake and chocolate souffle into one. Served individually and baked in prepared ramekins, chocolate lave cake is usually served on a plate topped with chocolate ganache, vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, and topped with raspberries or strawberries.
When baking, you have to be aware of the cook time, since you want the outside of the cake to cook through, however, you still want the middle to be soft. The best way to check this is to poke a toothpick in the cake, both in the middle and around the edges.
Essentials You Need to Make This Chocolate Dessert Recipe
The two main tools you need to make this dessert is an air fryer and a set of ramekins. You can also make this recipe in the oven, but your cooking times will differ slightly.
COSORI Air Fryer
When it comes to picking out Air Fryers, keep these three things in mind:
- Size
- Price
- Style
How big of an air fryer do you need, what is your budget, and are you looking for a basket-style or convection toaster oven-style. This COSORI Air Fryer ticks all the boxes, with its spacious 5.8-quart square basket at the low price of $109.
DOWAN Ramekins
You'll also need a pair (or more) of ramekins depending on how many chocolate lava cakes you plan on making.
This 6-pack of 4-oz ramekins is oven-safe and I love all the different colors. Use these ramekins for baked mac & cheese, brownies, and individual frittatas.
How to Make Chocolate Lava Cake in the Air Fryer
From beginning to end, this recipe takes only 30 minutes. To start, get all your ingredients out and ready. For this recipe, I used a bar of Ghirardelli semisweet chocolate but you can always substitute it for semisweet chocolate chips or even a bar of dark chocolate.
Lyndsay Cordell
In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the chocolate and unsalted butter together, stirring every 20 seconds until fully melted. Set aside while you whip the egg, egg yolk, vanilla extract, and sugar, in a bowl until frothy. Add in the all-purpose flour and temper in the chocolate mixture with the egg mixture.
The reason to temper these two mixtures is to prevent the eggs from scrambling. To do this, add a bit of the chocolate to the egg mixture while whisking. Add a bit more, whisk, then add the remaining chocolate mixture.
Prepare the ramekins by spraying with cooking spray or rubbing with butter. Pour the mixture evenly between the ramekins.
Meanwhile, preheat your air fryer to 370F. Add the ramekins (might have to be in batches) and bake until the cake is set on the sides and runny in the middle, about 6-10 minutes depending on your air fryer and amount of gooiness wanted.
Lyndsay Cordell
Remove with oven mitts and let sit 1 minute. Run a butter knife around the outside of the cake and invert it on a plate. Top with confectioners sugar, whipped cream, or vanilla ice cream.
READ MORE: Swiss Miss Hot Cocoa Mix With Lucky Charms Marshmallows is Perfect for Camping Trips
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Individual Chocolate Lava Cake in the Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 6 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 4 oz semi-sweet chocolate bar or chocolate chips
- 1 large egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 3 Tbsp white sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- pinch salt
- whipped cream for serving
Instructions
- In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the chocolate and unsalted butter together in microwave, stirring every 20 seconds until fully melted. Set aside.
- Whip the egg, egg yolk, vanilla extract, and sugar, in a bowl until frothy. Add in the all-purpose flour and temper in the chocolate mixture with the egg mixture.
- Prepare the ramekins by spraying with cooking spray or rubbing with butter. Pour the mixture evenly between the ramekins.
- Preheat your air fryer to 370F. Add the ramekins (might have to be in batches) and bake until the cake is set on the sides and runny in the middle, about 6-10 minutes depending on your air fryer.
- Remove with oven mitts and let sit 1 minute. Run a butter knife around the outside of the cake and invert it on a plate. Top with confectioners sugar, whipped cream, or vanilla ice cream.
