Eggless Choco Lava Cake is a warm, gooey, oozy chocolate dessert that’s impossible to resist after just one bite.
The name alone makes my mouth water. Baking is a joy: watching chocolate melt to a glossy shine, sifting dry ingredients into a fluffy pile, and folding them with milk to create a silky, chocolatey batter that tempts you to taste.
Under heat the batter rises and clings to the ramekin sides, revealing a jiggly centre that beckons. When you slice through the cake, a bubbling river of warm molten chocolate flows out, and served with cold ice cream and fresh fruit, it feels like chocolate heaven.
This eggless choco lava cake uses both butter and oil: butter for flavor and oil to keep the cake moist. Unlike recipes that hide molten centers with chocolate pieces, this recipe relies on precise baking. There’s a fine line between raw batter, the perfect lava center, and an overbaked cake.
If underbaked by a minute, the center will be beautifully molten but may taste slightly raw. If overbaked, you’ll still have a delicious cake but lose the oozy center. I recommend test-baking one ramekin first to determine the exact time your oven or cooker needs before baking the rest.
Eggless Chocolate Lava Cake in Pressure Cooker and Oven
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Flour
- 1/3 cup Cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup Powdered or Icing sugar
- 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
- Pinch of salt
- 140 gms Chocolate or 1 cup chocolate melts
- 15 gms (about 2 tsp) Butter
- 1/4 cup Oil
- 1/2 cup Milk
Instructions
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Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder and salt. Keep aside.
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Melt butter and chocolate over a double boiler until smooth. Stir in the oil and combine well.
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Add the chocolate mixture to the dry ingredients and mix until combined.
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Finally add the milk and mix to form a smooth cake batter.
To Bake in Oven
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Divide batter into buttered and floured ramekins. Bake in a preheated oven at 200°C for 12–15 minutes. Start checking at 12 minutes to avoid overbaking.
To Bake in a Pressure Cooker
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Preheat the cooker by spreading a layer of salt on the base, placing a stand and a perforated plate if available. Close the lid without the gasket or whistle and preheat on medium-high for 10 minutes.
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Place the ramekins inside and bake in the preheated cooker for about 12–14 minutes. Timing varies by vessel; check one ramekin first.
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Adjust timing as needed—I found steel bowls took about 14 minutes, while ramekins were done in around 12 minutes.
For pressure cooker baking I used a steel coffee davra bowl and it took about 14 minutes, producing a decent lava center. Ramekins baked faster and produced a slightly better texture and lava—both methods taste wonderful.
For easy unmolding you can use silicon molds. Oven mitts or finger mittens are handy to avoid burns.
I often halve the recipe to make just two ramekins for a special treat. If you try pressure cooker baking, a trial batch helps determine the best timing for your equipment.
See you soon with another recipe.
Until then
Hugs
Sushma