This gluten-free chocolate molten lava cake recipe makes just enough for two! Can be made with all-purpose flour or whole wheat if a gluten-free version isn’t needed. It’s also naturally dairy-free!
I spent my morning looking for something slightly healthier and chocolatey to make for a Valentine’s Day post. I came across a lot of chocolate molten lava cakes, which all looked amazing, but I don’t need a stick of butter. Or a cup of sugar.
It’s not like these are healthy but I cut way down on the sugar and fat. Plus I used coconut oil instead of butter and made it 100% whole grain. I also used coconut sugar instead of granulated sugar. If you don’t have coconut sugar, you can use unrefined sugar or granulated. As a bonus, these molten lava cakes are also dairy-free!
I added a little bit of espresso powder because I wanted to jazz these up a little bit, but you can leave it out if you want. I also added some Frangelico, the hazelnut liqueur, just because I love it.
I was going for a chocolate hazelnut molten lava cake but it really “just” tastes like coffee and chocolate. So what does that mean? Feel free to leave the Frangelico out! I know that it’s not a common liqueur to have around (but it should be! ;))
You can replace it with whatever alcohol you fancy or vanilla. Make sure whatever alcohol you use is gluten-free, if that’s what you need.
I still used the hazelnuts for decoration. It was either that or powdered sugar but since I was trying to avoid refined sugar here, I went with nuts.
I’m not a fan of dark chocolate so I used semi-sweet and it was perfect. However, if you like dark chocolate – go for it! Remember when we discussed how dark chocolate and its antioxidants are gobblers in this homemade chocolate peanut butter post? Dark chocolate would definitely boost the healthfulness of these molten lava cakes!
And if you’re wondering if these gluten-free chocolate molten lava cakes taste whole grain or healthy… pssh! Look at them. They’re super rich and decadent and perfect for Valentine’s Day! Or if you’re like me – breakfast.
Nothing like some antioxidant gobblers to start the day! (if I had actually used dark chocolate ;)) The ingredient list is quite short and it takes less than 20 minutes to prepare and bake. It’s like instant chocolate gratification.
And finally, on my journey to find the perfect molten lava cake, I found a ton of recipes that made a large portion. These should be served while still warm and I don’t know about you, but if I have 6 or 8 of anything that’s warm, gooey and chocolatey sitting around, and I know it won’t taste as good later… I’m going to eat it ALL.
That problem is avoided with this molten lava cakes for two recipe! Two servings. One for you and your best friend. Your special lover friend. Your elderly neighbor. OR! Two for yourself if you’re feelin’ naughty.
If you prefer something a little different, try these white chocolate molten lava cakes! They look SO good.
Molten Lava Cakes for Two (gluten-free, dairy-free, whole grain options)
- Prep Time:
- Cook Time:
- Ready in:
- Yield: 2 cakes
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup (40 grams) coconut sugar, unrefined sugar or granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons Frangelico or another type of liqueur or vanilla (make sure it's gluten-free, if necessary)
- 1/2 teaspoon espresso powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cup (120 grams) semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips (use Enjoy Life chocolate chips for dairy-free)
- 3 tablespoons (42 grams) unsalted butter or refined coconut oil1 (use coconut oil for dairy-free)
- 3 tablespoon (28 grams) buckwheat flour (for a gluten-free version) or whole wheat flour, whole spelt flour, all-purpose flour for a non-GF version
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C) and spray two 6-ounce (180ml) ramekins very well with cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the sugar, egg, egg yolk, Frangelico, espresso powder and salt. Let it sit for 10 minutes. This is so the coconut sugar has a chance to dissolve.
- Meanwhile, melt the chocolate and coconut oil in the microwave at half power, in 30 second increments, until melted. Stir after every increment.
- Add the chocolate mixture to the sugar mixture and stir just until combined.
- Sprinkle the flour over the chocolate mixture and fold in. Do not over mix! Your cakes will be tough if you do. Only fold in until no more flour streaks remain.
- Pour the batter, which will be quite sticky, into the ramekins and bake for 13 minutes. The center should not longer appear wet when they're ready.
- Let them cool for 10 minutes in the ramekins and then flip out onto a plate.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
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118 comments on “Gluten-free Chocolate Lava Cake (dairy-free, whole grain options)” — Add one!
These look an sound amazing!
xx Kelly
Thanks, Kelly! :)
Chocolate has become a symbol of St. Valentine`s Day! This recipe is a perfect desert for a romantic dinner with your boyfriend or husband. What inspired you to bake exactly this desert?
Hi, Maria! I agree! Perfect for a romantic dessert. :) I was just looking for something decadent for Valentine’s Day and came across molten lava cakes and I thought that I should finally give them. I’m so happy I did! :)
Here coconut oil is unavailable please suggest what other alternative can b used?
I haven’t tried it but coconut oil and regular butter are usually interchangeable. It should work! Let me know how it goes. :)
I have made lava cakes before, but went the butter route :) Love this option though for next time. I always just make 1 or 2 and freeze the batter for next time, because I would eat all 6 in one sitting if I didn’t!
Hi Erin.. Will this cake bake well without adding baking powder or baking soda?? How will the outside be baked and the inside be molten if we mix all the ingredients together?? I wanna try but I dont wanna mess with it.
Hi, Sharon! Yes, it absolutely doesn’t need baking powder or baking soda. These cakes don’t actually rise at all and they shouldn’t. :) And I don’t know how to answer your second question – I guess it’s just magic? ;) I’ve made lots of pudding cakes and similar goodies where you mix everything together and it just separates when baking. I think it has something to do with the sugar content but I’m not positive! Just follow the recipe and you’ll be fine. :) I hope you’ll enjoy them!
Thanks alot Erin.. Im definitely gonna try it. Will let u know the results :)
Thanks, Sharon! :)
You can freeze the batter?! Genius!
Oh my gosh, IN LOVE!!! The melty chocolate has my heart.
The melty chocolate loves you, too. ;)
Can these be made with almond flour? They look so yummy I can’t wait to make them.
I haven’t tried it so I can’t really say. :( Sorry! I think it would because it’s such a small amount but I’m not positive. Do you need it to be grain-free or would gluten-free do? Because a gluten-free baking mix should work well!
I love, love, love molten lava cakes! I just love that they’re healthy too! :)
Thanks, Christina!:) I was so giddy when these actually came out. Didn’t think a healthier version would be possible!
These sound and look absolutely divine- I would never have guessed they were healthy for you! Definitely trying the recipe out :)
I hope you’ll love them! Let me know how they come out. :)
Oh my i love love LOVE molten lava cakes! This looks incredible. I will definitely have to give this a try. :)
Yay! I hope you do. Let me know how they come out. :)
They look wonderful! These pictures are so tempting!
Thank you! :)
I love everything you have done with these – smaller portions, healthier but loaded with delicious, and of course melty-oooey-gooey chocolate!!
LOVE IT, thanks for the creation :-)
And thank you for your kind comment! :) So happy that you appreciate the ooey gooiness. :D
You know how I love hazelnuts and chocolate, so this special healthier treat is right up my alley. Really like how this recipe is also dairy free. Thank you, Erin. :) Pinning!
Thanks! And thanks for pinning. :)
Love this healthier spin on lava cakes, these are definitely one of my favourites!
I don’t know what took me so long to try them! So, so good. :)
I WILL be trying these today!
I hope you’ll love them as much as we did! :)
I was looking for a recipe like this yesterday! Just recently became intolerant to dairy and was hoping for a molten chocolate cake to make for date night. But, like you said, all the recipes I could find called for a stick of butter. I am so excited to make this!
I hope you’ll be able to make these for the next date night! (make sure to get the dairy-free chocolate chips!) Good luck and enjoy. :D Let me know how they come out!
I seriously need this as much as I love lava cakes! Healthy ones would be right up my alley!
I hope you get a chance to make ’em! Especially if you love lava cakes. :)
Looks amazing, Erin!!
Thanks, Julie! :)
I have only recently started using whole grain flours other than wheat. I have spelt and oat but would like to know more about their properties. When a recipe calls for whole wheat or spelt, does one give a better texture than another. Which do you prefer for the molten lava cakes. Btw, I am definitely making these!
It depends on what you’re making. For example, I’ve made these whole grain dinner muffins with both whole spelt and whole wheat. Whole spelt resulted in a much fluffier muffin! Probably because spelt absorbs more moisture than wheat. But in something like this where you don’t want fluffy, it wouldn’t matter. On the other hand, if you have something light flavored, like lemon or vanilla, I wouldn’t use 100% whole spelt. Then I’d use white whole whole wheat or whole wheat pastry flour (which also produces fluffy goodies!) I made incredibly fluffy lemon cupcakes last week with whole wheat pastry flour and you couldn’t tell that they were whole grain at all. If I would’ve used whole spelt, I’m pretty sure you could have. And I never use oat flour interchangeably with other flours. Oat flour doesn’t have the gluten to make that possible! I mentioned using it here because there’s such a tiny amount of flour and gluten isn’t really important (the cake falls apart anyway ;)) I hope all of that makes sense. Let me know if it doesn’t! Thanks so much for your comment and I hope you’ll love the lava cakes. :)
These look delish! first time reading your blog, and I look forward to reading more! Can you tell me though — is this one product: “white whole wheat whole spelt flour” or did you mean I could choose between white, whole wheat, whole spelt flour? I’ve not used spelt so please elaborate. thanks!
Hi, Barbara! In my excitement I forgot the “or.” Thanks so much for catching that! It’s fixed now. :) You can choose between white whole wheat flour, whole spelt flour, or even all-purpose flour. I haven’t tried it with regular whole wheat flour but I’m pretty sure that’d be okay, too! Whole spelt is another type of grain but it’s quite difficult to find and sometimes expensive. Wheat will work fine here! I hope you’ll enjoy the cakes and thanks for your comment. :)
I am definitely into these – so much goodness!!
Thanks, Katrina! :)