I’ve never done a Molten Lava Cake.  I’ve always wanted to, just haven’t gotten around to it.  I hear they are very easy.  I googled around to find one that had good ratings.  The recipes vary greatly, so I decided to go to a reliable source:  The Pioneer Woman.  She liked this recipe from Tasty Kitchen.

Molten Chocolate Cake – by Brandielle

• 4 pieces (squares) Semi-sweet Baking Chocolate
• ½ cups Butter
• 1 cup Powdered Sugar
• 2 whole Eggs
• 2 whole Egg Yolks
• 6 Tablespoons Flour
• 2 cups Real Whipping Cream (seriously It’s So Much Better!)
• 2 Tablespoons Sugar

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Spray 4 custard cups with Pam and place on cookie sheet.

Microwave chocolate and butter in large bowl on high for about 1 minute, until butter is melted. whisk until chocolate is also melted.

Stir in sugar until well blended. Whisk in eggs and egg yolks. Stir in flour.

Divide between cups.

Bake 13-14 minutes until sides are firm and center is soft. Let stand 1 minute.

Combine sugar and heavy cream and whip until stiff.

Invert cakes on dishes and top with whipped cream.

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I do make a mean pudding cake – which is basically an extra-large lava cake.  And to make it even tastier, I substitute coffee for the boiling water.   It doesn’t get any simpler than this:

Mocha Cake

• 1 cup flour
• ¾ cup sugar
• ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ cup milk
• 3 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp vanilla

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• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa
• 1 cup very hot coffee**
• 8×8 inch baking dish, lightly oiled

Preheat oven to 350°

This is a pudding style cake, so you don’t want to over bake it. You’ll serve it warm and directly from the pan. When you cut into it a thick, gooey chocolate center will be revealed.

From the top list: combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder & salt. Combine milk, oil, & vanilla, mix well and add to flour mixture. Stir well. Pour batter into baking dish. From the bottom list: combine sugar & cocoa and sprinkle over batter. Pour hot coffee over batter – DO NOT stir. Bake for 30 minutes or until center springs back when touched, do not over bake.

** for a stronger coffee flavor, double the ground coffee to water ratio, or use espresso.

Also, for a fun read, head over to The Pioneer Woman.