Giant Chocolate Lava Cake Recipe
We know how excited people get when it’s time for dessert. This eagerness is what you’re looking for when you’re serving a cake you made! Imagine the glee you exhibit when the chocolate cake you have presented oozes more ganache than you ever dreamed it could contain!
That’s what this giant chocolate lava cake seeks to evoke and the best news is yet is that this is the way to make an easy lava cake, too.
What Is A Giant Chocolate Lava Cake?
A lava cake is a cake that features a molten center which is why it’s also known as a molten cake. This center is the highlight of the dessert wherein diners break into the cake and a seemingly melted chocolate flows out from it. It’s a visually stunning dessert.
This particular chocolate cake is inspired by the bundt cake recipe video from Delish which featured a cake box mix with a peanut butter lava center. This was followed a few years later by Tasty’s giant chocolate cake with a molten center made with ganache.
Both cakes featured a cake boxed mix and while that’s the easy way to make this cake, you can also make the chocolate cake from scratch as we did.
How to Serve Giant Chocolate Lava Cake
This cake is best when served before you pour in the ganache in the center of the cake. The lava flow is the star of the show so don’t steal that moment away from your friends! Present the “ordinary chocolate cake” with a hole in the center then watch as your friends’ eyes light up with delight when you bring out the pitcher of melted chocolate and realize what you’re about to do.
Then pour! Let the chocolate “lava” flow gently from the tops and then cut a slice for that dramatic chocolate eruption from the center. Cut everyone a slice onto a plate and a scoop (or three!) of the chocolate ganache to drizzle on top of every slice you give away.
How to Make Giant Chocolate Lava Cake
The cake starts with a regular chocolate cake recipe but the key here is to use a special cake pan called the Bundt pan.
A bundt pan is a tube pan similar to what is used for angel food cake or sponge cake but has a more decorative shape. Instead of a plain flat surface, the bundt pan has ridges, swirls, and designs embedded in the pan. This embedded design makes the cake unique and impressive with minimal effort. These decorative ridges, etc however mean you have to ensure that the cake won’t stick to the pan as it bakes. This means knowing how to properly grease the pan.
Once done, you have your cake baking in the oven, and you can prepare the ganache that will be your lava. This is simply made with cream and chocolate. You can thin this down even more with more cream so it flows really well when sliced.
You may need to warm up the ganache right before serving so that it will be more liquid when the time is right aka when you slice it.
Tips to Make A Delicious Giant Chocolate Lava Cake
1 Choose your cake recipe!
Any chocolate cake recipe will work for this recipe but we chose this recipe because it’s not too moist that it will not crumble under the weight of all that ganache. Instead, the cake will absorb some of the chocolate ganache that will eventually drench the cake.
2 Make more ganache!
The fun idea behind this lava cake is really the ganache so if you’re a chocolate fan, make more ganache than you think you need so you can really enjoy the chocolate-on-chocolate action that is meant to happen with this cake. Besides, you can always reserve any extra ganache to drizzle over pancakes, waffles, or to make hot chocolate and peppermint mocha drinks the next day!
3 Remember to use a LARGE plate with a rim!
You might forget it but use a plate much bigger than your cake and preferably one with a rim. This will help you not only catch the ganache as it flows out of your cake but stops the overflow of it onto your table.
How to Store Giant Chocolate Lava Cake
This cake is best stored just like most chocolate cakes: on your counter until the next day. If you haven’t eaten the entire thing yet, refrigerate it so you can keep it for longer.
Watch: Giant Chocolate Lava Cake Recipe
Giant Chocolate Lava Cake Recipe
20 mins
1 hr
1 hr 30 mins
10
American
Bake and cook
Giant Chocolate Lava Cake Ingredients
2 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup natural cocoa powder, extra for dusting the baking pan
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, more for greasing the baking pan
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla flavoring
3/4 cup fresh milk
1 1/2 cups dark chocolate buttons, or semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups all-purpose cream
How to MakeGiant Chocolate Lava Cake
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F/180 degrees C. Lightly grease with butter and then dust with cocoa powder the inside of an 8-cup Bundt pan (tube pan with fluted edges). Set aside.
In a large bowl, sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix butter and sugar on Medium speed for 3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Turn the speed down to Low and add eggs one at a time, mixing well between each addition and scraping sides as needed. Pour in vanilla flavoring into the milk.
With the mixer on Low, alternately add the flour and the milk mixtures, starting and ending with the flour mixture. As soon as the batter is combined, turn off mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Scoop mixture into the prepared Bundt pan, spreading evenly with a spatula. Lightly tap the pan on a flat surface to remove air bubbles. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until a skewer inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. Let cool slightly before turning over onto a large plate. (Use a large platter to account for the excess lava flow when plated and trim the top of the cake if desired.)
Meanwhile, make the chocolate “lava”: place chocolate and cream in a heatproof bowl. Heat in the microwave on High for 30 seconds, mixing then heating again until the mixture is smooth. Let stand, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate is completely melted.
When ready to serve, pour chocolate “lava” into the center of the bundt cake and let overflow. Slice, and serve while still warm.
