Can I make these Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Lava Cakes ahead of time?

Sure, can! After making the batter, fill the muffin pan. Then cover with cling film and refrigerate for up to 1 day. Bake according to the recipe instructions when you are ready to enjoy them!

Can I freeze these lava cakes?

Yes! Bake the lava cakes for 5 minutes at 430°F (220°C) and let them cool down completely. Remove them from the muffin pan and place them in a heavy-duty ziplock bag. Freeze for up to 2 months. Reheat in a preheated oven at 430°F (220°C) for 10 minutes.

What to serve these Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Lava Cakes with?

When they are in season, I love serving these lava cakes with fresh raspberries. This is a must! Fresh blackcurrants are absolutely fantastic to pair with this recipe too, but more difficult to find. Fresh blueberries work well too!

Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Lava Cakes

Name: Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Lava Cakes
Prep time: 18 min
Cook time: 7 min
Total time: 25 min
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 7 ounces (200 g) of 70% dark chocolate, roughly chopped; ⅓ cup (70 g) of unsalted butter, cut into 1 inch (2.5 cm) cubes, plus more at room temperature for coating the muffin pan; ⅓ cup (70 g) of light brown sugar; 4 free-range eggs; 6 and ½ tablespoons (50 g) of all-purpose flour; ½ teaspoon (3 g) of flaky sea salt (also called fleur de sel in French), plus more to serve

Ingredients

Scale

7 ounces (200 g) of 70% dark chocolate, roughly chopped

⅓ cup (70 g) of unsalted butter, cut into 1 inch (2.5 cm) cubes, plus more at room temperature for coating the muffin pan

⅓ cup (70 g) of light brown sugar

4 free-range eggs

6 and ½ tablespoons (50 g) of all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon (3 g) of flaky sea salt (also called fleur de sel in French), plus more to serve

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Instructions

Preheat the oven to 430°F (220°C).
In a saucepan, add the butter and dark chocolate. Melt over very low heat (I recommend the lowest you can go on your stoves).
Stir with a wooden spoon from time to time, until glossy.
Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, vigorously whisk together the eggs and sugar. Continue whisking until the batter is whiter and foamy, and most of the sugar has dissolved.
Gently sift the flour into the mixing bowl and whisk vigorously until there are no lumps.
Add the melted chocolate and whisk until well combined. The mixture will thicken significantly at this stage, this is normal.
When everything is combined, add the flaky sea salt.
Generously coat the muffin pan with room-temperature butter.
Transfer the lava cake batter to the muffin tins. You can fill the cups entirely as the cakes will barely rise.
Bake for 7 minutes then wait 2 minutes before removing from the pan.
Remove from the pan and serve immediately. Sprinkle some optional flaky sea salt on top just before serving.

NIM KEYS

Make sure to melt the chocolate and butter at the lowest temperature available on your stoves. Yes, it will take more time but it will ensure that your chocolate is glossy, adequately tempered, and not overly heated (which often results in an accentuated bitterness).
The baking temperature for this recipe is 430°F (220°C). It may seem a lot but it will actually allow for your lava cakes to be cooked on the outside and runny with warm dark chocolate on the outside. Feel free to adjust the cooking time according to your oven’s specificities. Of all the tests I made, 7 minutes was the perfect baking time for my oven.
Wait 2 minutes before removing the lava cakes from the muffin pan. It will allow the outer layer of the cakes to harden and avoid any spilling of warm gooey chocolate hearts.
Lava Cakes are meant to be baked at the last minute (just before serving) for the warm chocolate heart to be at the perfect consistency. If baked in advance, the heart will harden which is not what we want in a lava cake.

Author: Ninon Michels
Prep Time: 18
Cook Time: 7
Category: Dessert
Method: Oven Baked
Cuisine: French

Keywords: dark chocolate lava cakes, molten cakes, dark chocolate and sea salt lava cakes