Healthy Molten Chocolate Lava Cake Recipe (Paleo, Gluten-free) (2024)

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This easy paleo molten chocolate lava cake recipe is the ideal dessert for the holidays! Gooey, rich runny molten chocolate centers surrounded by a light and fluffy gluten-free chocolate cake! A dairy-free and gluten-free chocolate dessert for special occasions.

Healthy Molten Chocolate Lava Cake Recipe (Paleo, Gluten-free) (1)

Girlfriend, if you’re looking for a quick and easy, healthy-ish and delicious chocolate treat to make this holiday season, look no further!

I got you more than covered with these Paleo Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes. These individual-sized paleo chocolate cakes are made with only 4 ingredients, you guys! Got some chocolate, almond flour, coconut oil and eggs? BAM - you can make lava cakes!

Healthy Molten Chocolate Lava Cake Recipe (Paleo, Gluten-free) (2)

These are made without added sugar and are dairy-free, gluten-free and grain-free. Should you find yourself wondering if these chocolate molten lava cakes taste healthy… !? Ahem, take another close look at them.

They’re super rich and decadent and you would never know they are secretly healthy once you dig your spoon into those glorious molten chocolate centers! And what's not to love about a chocolate dessert with no bloat, no tummy ache, and no guilty feelings whatsoever afterward?

Why this Healthy Paleo Chocolate Molten Lava Cakes recipe is a total must-bake:

  • These paleo chocolate cakes are super gooey, runny and rich in the center but the cake part surrounding the center is light and fluffy.
  • This is a simple 4-ingredient chocolate dessert that comes together super easily - no water bath and no whipping egg whites!
  • These mini cakes are paleo, dairy-free, gluten-free, grain-free, and made with no added sugar, making them the healthiest way to get your chocolate dessert fix.

Healthy Molten Chocolate Lava Cake Recipe (Paleo, Gluten-free) (3)

How to serve Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes?

This time, I kept things simple and served my paleo lava cakes only with the slightest dusting of paleo icing sugar. You can make paleo icing sugar yourself using arrowroot starch and maple sugar. Here's a great recipe.

Obviously, these are also totes amazing with some fresh berries or a scoop of homemade dairy-free coconut ice cream on top! Oh hey, what about a pinch of sea salt or chopped nuts. Chocolate loves salt, you know.

Healthy Molten Chocolate Lava Cake Recipe (Paleo, Gluten-free) (4)

How to make this Paleo Molten Chocolate Lava Cake recipe:

Prep:Preheat oven to 435F - 220C and place 6 4-oz ramekins on a baking sheet and set aside. You do not have to grease the ramekins as we serve the cakes in the mold.

Step 1 & 2 - Place chopped chocolate and coconut oil in a medium bowl. Melt in the microwave. I do this in 30 seconds increments, stirring well in between each increment with a silicon spatula. Set aside and let cool down a bit.

Healthy Molten Chocolate Lava Cake Recipe (Paleo, Gluten-free) (5)

Step 3 & 4 -Crack the eggs into a large bowl. Now mix with a hand mixer until they are foamy. This should take about 3 minutes.

Step 5 -Add cooled melted chocolate to the eggs and mix on low speed to incorporate.

Healthy Molten Chocolate Lava Cake Recipe (Paleo, Gluten-free) (6)

Step 6 & 7 -Add the almond flour and mix with your spatula or hand mixer until just combined. Make sure not to overmix the batter or the paleo chocolate cakes will be dense.

Healthy Molten Chocolate Lava Cake Recipe (Paleo, Gluten-free) (7)

Step 8 & 9 - Spoon the paleo chocolate cake batter into the 6 prepared ramekins. I like to use an ice cream scoop for that to get them portioned out perfectly.

Step 10 -Bake your healthy molten lava cakes for 6 minutes and remove from the oven. It's important to let them cool for about 15 minutes before serving them to give the chocolate batter time to settle around the molten center!

Healthy Molten Chocolate Lava Cake Recipe (Paleo, Gluten-free) (8)

Can these be made in advance?

To make these ahead of time, prepare lava cakes up until baking then chill them in the fridge. About half an hour before baking them, remove the tray from the refrigerator to let the batter come to room temperature.

If you forget to take them out, you can still try and bake the cakes straight out of the refrigerator, adding about 1-2 minutes to the baking time.

Healthy Molten Chocolate Lava Cake Recipe (Paleo, Gluten-free) (9)

Tips for making this easy Paleo Chocolate Lava Cakes recipe:

  • You want to watch your cakes closely so as not to under- or over-bake.
  • Let the paleo chocolate cakes cool down after baking! They will fall apart if you eat them straight out of the oven.
  • Keep leftover lava cakes in the fridge. They will harden but they will still be fudgy, rich and delicious so perfect as a sneaky sweet treat.

Variations on this healthy lava cakes recipe:

  • You can add a little bit of espresso powder to the batter to jazz these up. This step will bring out the chocolate flavor even more.
  • For Mexican Chocolate Molten Lava Cakes, add a pinch of cinnamon, chili and some vanilla essence to the batter.
  • Everyone who tried these lava cakes found them sweet enough without any added sugar. However, this will depend on the chocolate you are using and your personal preferences. If you’d like to, feel free to add one to two tablespoons of (coconut) sugar when mixing the eggs.

Healthy Molten Chocolate Lava Cake Recipe (Paleo, Gluten-free) (10)

5 from 8 votes

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Healthy Chocolate Lava Cakes

This easy paleo molten chocolate lava cake recipe is the ideal dessert for the holidays! Gooey, rich runny molten chocolate centers surrounded by a light and fluffy gluten-free chocolate cake! A dairy-free and gluten-free chocolate dessert for special occasions.

CourseDessert

CuisineAmerican, Gluten-free, Paleo

Keywordgluten-free lava cake, healthy lava cakes, paleo chocolate cake

Servings 6 servings

Calories 199 kcal

Author Marie

Ingredients

  • 8oz semi-sweet or dark chocolate2 baking bars - roughly chopped, 200 g
  • ⅓cupcoconut oiluse refined coconut oil for no coconut flavor
  • 4large eggs
  • ½cupalmond flour

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 435F - 220C. Place 6 ramekins (ideally 4 oz ones) on a baking sheet and set aside.

  2. Place chocolate and coconut oil in a medium bowl. Melt in the microwave, by 30 seconds increments, stirring well in between each increment. Set aside and let cool.

  3. Crack the eggs in a large bowl and with a hand mixer, mix until they are foamy.

  4. Add cooled melted chocolate to the eggs and mix on low speed to incorporate. Add almond flour and mix until just combined.

  5. Spoon into the 6 prepared ramekins (I like to use an ice cream/cookie scoop for that)

  6. Bake for 6 minutes and remove from the oven.

  7. Let them cool for about 15 minutes and serve (they will fall apart if you eat them straight out of the oven).

  8. Keep the leftovers in the fridge. The cakes will harden but they will still be fudgy, rich and delicious!

Recipe Notes

Tips :

  • You want to watch your cakes closely so as not to under - or over-bake.
  • Let the paleo chocolate cakes cool down after baking! They will fall apart if you eat them straight out of the oven.
  • Keep leftover lava cakes in the fridge. They will harden but they will still be fudgy, rich and delicious so perfect as a sneaky sweet treat.

Variations:

  • You can add a little bit of espresso powder to the batter to jazz these up a little bit. This will bring out the chocolate flavor even more.
  • For Mexican Chocolate Molten Lava Cakes, add a pinch of cinnamon, chili and some vanilla essence to the batter.
  • Everyone who tried these lava cakes found them sweet enough without any added sugar. However, this will depend on the chocolate you are using and your personal preferences. If you’d like to, feel free to add one to two tablespoons of (coconut) sugar when mixing the eggs.

Recipe adapted from My Organic Diary

Nutrition Facts

Healthy Chocolate Lava Cakes

Amount Per Serving (1 serving)

Calories 199Calories from Fat 171

% Daily Value*

Fat 19g29%

Saturated Fat 11g69%

Cholesterol 109mg36%

Sodium 41mg2%

Potassium 40mg1%

Carbohydrates 2g1%

Protein 5g10%

Vitamin A 160IU3%

Calcium 36mg4%

Iron 0.9mg5%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

If you tried this Healthy Paleo Molten Chocolate Lava Cake Recipe, don’t forget to rate the recipe below and let me know how it went in the comments – I love hearing from you! You can also follow me onInstagram,PinterestandFacebookfor more deliciousness and behind-the-scenes!

More healthy chocolate dessert recipes you would love:

  • Fudgy Paleo Brownies
  • Salted Peanut Butter Chocolate Fudge
  • Healthy Avocado Chocolate Mousse
  • Healthier Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate

« Easy Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Ashley @ Sweetpea Lifestyle

    Yum, Marie!! I can't wait to share this recipe with my brother who is a chocolate lava cake fanatic!

  2. Kiki Johnson

    So, I made these the other day and they turned out A-MAAAAZING! Everybody loved them, no one thought they were anything other than a super decadent chocolate treat! I fool 'em all hahahaha!

  3. Deanne Frieders

    Totally drooling over here, these are going on my weekend plans. Yum!

  4. Jamie

    I love how this is healthy but looks so decadent! I'm a huge fan of dark chocolate so will definitely be trying this!

  5. Andrea

    Wow, these look delicious! What a wonderful chocolaty dessert. I really like the idea of jazzing them up with some Mexican flavors.

  6. Veronica

    This molten chocolate lava cake is true chocolaty heaven, the way this cake just bursts with flavor in your mouth is just divine!

  7. Lulu

    What size ramekins are these? 4 oz? 6oz? Did I miss that in the recipe? (I swear I looked!)

    • Marie

      4 oz is best - will add it to the recipe, thanks for spotting that oversight Lulu!

  8. Lucy

    Thank you for the recipe, I am craving for chocolate now, at least make it healthy

    • Marie

      When the craving hits, there's no point fighting it 😉

  9. Anonymous

    Hi, I just made this but didn't know it would be this bitter. I already took it out of the oven,
    do you know how I could fix this?

    • Marie

      Bitter? That's not normal. What kind of chocolate did you use?

  10. Amal Motiwala

    Although this recipe resulted in a delicious and decadent sweet treat, the nutritional information provided and the total calorie count is inaccurate. The accurate calorie count is 290 calories per serving.

    • Marie

      Thanks Amal! This is what my calculator came up with but feel free to calculate your own nutrition facts if you prefer 🙂

  11. Jacob @FlavorThyme

    I'm all for any healthy dessert, especially if it has chocolate in it. Would this work with Hazelnut flour?

    • Marie

      I believe it would, yes (but I haven't tried myself). Let us know how it goes if you give it a try with hazelnut flour!

  12. melina stratigakis

    just made these and they are so good!!! i added the espresso powder and i think it made it so much better! very nice texture, although i may have overcooked a little, the middle was still gooey but not as drippy as usual, which i actually didn’t mind! definitely recommend!!

    • Marie

      So happy to hear Melina! Thanks for the stellar review!!

  13. Yeo Peck See

    may I know what oil can I use to substitute coconut oil? Thanks

    • Marie

      You could use any mild tasting oil - like vegetable oil. Or even butter, if you wanted to!

  14. Katharine Giddings

    Do you know if I could sub applesauce for the coconut oil?

    • Marie

      I haven't tried but I wouldn't in this particular recipe, I think it would mess up the chemistry. If you still want to give it a try, I'd start by sub only half of the coconut oil for applesauce.

  15. Eve

    Can i use oats flour instead of almond flour?

    • Marie

      Oat flour and almond flour have a very different profile and I haven't tested this recipe with oat flour so I can't say it would work for sure, I'm sorry!

  16. Sierra

    Can I use smart balance instead of coconut oil?

    • Marie

      Hi Sierra! I've never used smart balance and haven't tested the recipe with it so I'm not sure, sorry. Let us know if you give it a try!

  17. carmen

    Best lava cake ever! I used olive oil infused with chocolate instead of coconut oil (I wanted a monounsaturated fat instead of a saturated fat) and it came out tasting like a restaurant worthy dish. Definitely repeating this recipe again.

    • Marie

      That makes me super happy! Thanks for sharing!

Healthy Molten Chocolate Lava Cake Recipe (Paleo, Gluten-free) (2024)

FAQs

What's the difference between a lava cake and a molten cake? ›

Lava cakes are typically small individual-sized cakes baked in a ramekin. In summary, molten cake is a broader term that can refer to cakes with a liquid center, whereas lava cake is a specific type of chocolate cake with a melted center.

Are molten Lava Cakes safe to eat? ›

Is the molten center of lava cake safe to eat? Answer: Yes, while the molten center is not fully cooked it still reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. Therefore, it is perfectly safe to enjoy.

What is the lava in lava cake made of? ›

Molten Chocolate Cakes, also known as Lava Cakes, are warm individual-size chocolate cakes with oozing chocolate centres. Most recipes will simply have you undercooking a chocolate cake batter, so the outside is set like cake but the inside is raw batter that pours out like lava when you cut into it. Hence the name!

What is the nutritional value of molten Lava Cakes? ›

Nutritional Information & Ingredient Listing. Chocolate Lava Cakes: (1 cake (6 oz)) calories 790, calories from fat 500g, total fat 56g, saturated fat 18g, trans fat 0g, cholesterol 330mg, sodium 55mg, total carbohydrate 66g, dietary fiber 5g, sugars 54g, protein 10g, vitamin a 35%, vitamin c 0%, calcium 8%, iron 15%.

What is a fancy name for lava cake? ›

Molten chocolate cake is a French dessert that consists of a chocolate cake with a liquid chocolate core. It is named for that molten center, and it is also known as mi-cuit au chocolat, chocolat coulant ("flowing"), chocolate lava cake, or simply lava cake.

What can I use instead of ramekins for lava cake? ›

And bonus, if you don't have ramekins, you can use a muffin pan instead! 5 Pantry friendly ingredients. This recipe is made with just chocolate, butter, sugar, eggs, and flour. Quick to make and bake.

Is lava cake good for anxiety? ›

Among medicinal marijuana consumers, Lava Cake is cherished for its stress and pain-relieving properties. In other words, it may be beneficial to people dealing with anxiety, depression, stress, migraines, headaches, and chronic pain.

How are Lava Cakes safe to eat? ›

Lava cakes typically include eggs so a common question, given that the center is molten, is if Lava Cakes are safe to eat. These Chocolate Peanut Butter Lava Cakes are baked at 425 degrees so the batter is able to reach 165 degrees in the center, rendering them safe to eat.

Should you refrigerate lava cake? ›

Absolutely! After making the Chocolate Lava Cake batter and filling the ramekins, cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day.

What is a fun fact about lava cake? ›

Most would cite Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten as the creator of the cake, the story of how the chef accidentally pulled a chocolate sponge cake out of the oven before it was finished and discovered a runny center. Chocolatier Jacques Torres claims that the dish itself has been available in France before, by himself.

What country does lava cake originate from? ›

The history of chocolate lava cakes is a bit of a mystery. Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten claims to have invented it at his restaurant in New York City in the 1980s. However, fellow New York-based French chef Jacques Torres argues that this dish already existed in France.

What nationality is lava cake? ›

If You Love Lava Cake, Then You'll Love Domino's. The internet tells us that the French invented the lava cake, which is no real surprise. France is famous for its food, especially pastries. New York City restaurants popularized lava cake in the United States in the 1990s.

What are the effects of lava cake? ›

Lava Cake is a powerful indica-hybrid marijuana strain made by crossing Thin Mint GSC with Grape Pie. Lava Cake produces deeply relaxing effects that ease the mind and body. This strain is ideal for after work, lazy days off, or for anyone seeking to relax.

Is lava cake just undercooked cake? ›

In the 2014 movie "Chef," chef Carl Caper, portrayed by Jon Favreau, argues that chocolate lava cake isn't just "undercooked chocolate cake." The "molten" aspect of the dessert comes from a disc of frozen chocolate ganache that melts in the center of the treat as the cake bakes around it. He's not wrong.

Is molten lava cake served hot or cold? ›

A molten lava cake is ideally served when hot. It tastes just as fine when cold but the molten chocolate sets and gets hard when it is chilled. Even at room temperature, it may go hard if made with normal chocolate. If you want to have the best molten lava cake, then get it from cakefite.

What is molten cake made of? ›

The ingredient list is short — butter, chocolate, eggs, sugar and flour — and the video that accompanies this recipe shows exactly how the magic of the chocolate-oozing molten cake comes to be.

What is the meaning of molten lava cake? ›

A molten lava cake, also known as a chocolate lava cake or a molten chocolate cake, is a popular dessert that features a rich, decadent chocolate cake with a gooey, melted chocolate center.

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