Nutella Lava Cake (Molten & Gooey)

This Nutella lava cake is a rich chocolate dessert with a soft, set exterior and a molten Nutella center that flows out with every bite. Made with melted chocolate, butter, eggs, powdered sugar, Frangelico (if you want) and just a little flour, the batter comes together quickly and bakes in under 15 minutes. A spoonful of Nutella tucked into the center creates that signature gooey middle, making this an easy yet impressive dessert perfect for dinner parties or a cozy night in.

I love having dinner parties something about cooking for people makes me so happy. And when you're having a dinner party you can eat the extra slice of garlic bread or cake, heck both! So basically a dinner party is an excuse for me to pig out, and pigging out on homemade fresh food is my all-time favorite.

To have a successful dinner party you need good time management skills. You've got multiple dishes or parts of one dish going at a time. So I always love to have at least one dish a make-ahead dish. This Nutella Lava Cake is perfect for that.

You can make the batter, pour them into the ramekins, wrap it in plastic, and store it in the fridge before ready to bake. And since they only take around 15 minutes to bake it is a quick dessert. It's also a WOW dessert. Because who doesn't love oozing Nutella? Yeah, no one.

And the second amazing part of this recipe is that it takes all of 5 minutes to prepare. You could leave out the Frangelico but I think it's nice to add booze to anything I can 😉 Vanilla extract would be a perfect swap for the Frangelico. But hazelnut liqueur in a Nutella Lava Cake is just meant to be!

Simple Ingredients, Big Chocolate Payoff

• Semi-sweet chocolate + butter: Melted together to form a rich, smooth base for the batter.
• Eggs + extra yolks: Provide structure while keeping the center soft and custardy.
• Powdered sugar: Sweetens and helps create a smooth batter.
• All-purpose flour: Just enough to hold the cake together while still allowing a molten center.
• Nutella: Pressed into the center before baking for that signature gooey chocolate hazelnut core.

Want to prepare ahead of time? You can prepare the lava cakes up until just before you put them in the oven. Once the batter is in the ramekin cover it with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for up to 24 hours before baking.

You can use a cupcake/muffin tin to bake the lava cakes. You'll end up with 6 lava cakes instead of 4, and they will take less time to bake. You could also use custard cups or steamed pudding cups, like the ones I use for my individual sticky toffee pudding recipe.

And of course, you'll need a big ol' scoop of vanilla ice cream to serve with each cake. I also like to add fresh berries and some roasted hazelnuts. The hazelnuts help visually tell the story of what the recipe is.

Baking is a science and to really achieve the best results I highly recommend investing in a kitchen scale. This OXO Kitchen Scale is the one I use and is also the number one recommended kitchen scale by Cook's Illustrated. Think about it -what one person scoops into a "cup" is completely different from what someone else scoops!

Gooey Dessert Goals Ahead

Serve each Nutella lava cake with vanilla ice cream, berries, and roasted hazelnuts.

Is there anything better than a warm chocolate dessert topped with rich, creamy vanilla ice cream?! I am in heaven every time I eat this. If you are a fan of chocolate and hazelnut then check out my Nutella Brownies next.

( I mean look at that photo, scrumpdidlieumptious)

What I Learned While Testing This Recipe

• After baking many lava cakes in my time I know that you need to slightly underbake them or you risk the center being set and gooey. You want to see a set outside but soft center.
• To get the nutella really in the center you must press it down into the batter. Spooning it just on top does not ensure you get that Nutella gooey center.

Make sure to check out my how to make chocolate lava cakes post with step-by-step photos for the classic recipe!

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★★★★★ Please let me know if you make this recipe by leaving a star rating and comment below!

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Nutella Lava Cake (Molten & Gooey)

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This Nutella lava cake is a rich chocolate dessert with a soft, set exterior and a molten Nutella center that flows out with every bite. Made with melted chocolate, butter, eggs, powdered sugar, Frangelico (if you want) and just a little flour, the batter comes together quickly and bakes in under 15 minutes. A spoonful of Nutella tucked into the center creates that signature gooey middle, making this an easy yet impressive dessert perfect for dinner parties or a cozy night in.

• Total Time: 20 minutes
• Yield: 4 Servings 1x

Ingredients

Units MUS Scale 1x2x3x

• 2.5oz Semi-Sweet Chocolate ( I use Ghirardelli Semi-Sweet Chocolate Baking Bars)
• 5 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
• 1 Tablespoons Frangelico Hazelnut Liqueur
• 1 Large Egg +2 Large Egg Yolks
• 60 grams (½ Cup) Confectioners Sugar
• 4 Tablespoons All-Purpose Flour
• 4 Tablespoons Nutella

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425F/218C if baking right away. Use a non-stick baking spray to heavily grease four 8-oz ramekins set aside. 
2. In a microwave-safe bowl add the chocolate callets or chopped chocolate and add butter. Cook for 30-second increments, only 1 or 2 sessions should be fine. Whisk the chocolate and butter together in between increments. Once butter is fully melted chocolate should melt quickly as well, you don't want to burn the mixture 
3. In a bowl whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, and Frangelico. After the chocolate-butter mixture has cooled for 5 minutes whisk in the eggs until fully combined.  Then mix in powdered sugar and finally mix in the flour, just until white streaks disappear.
4. Pour ¼ of batter into each ramekin. Top with a tablespoon of Nutella and use your clean finger to gently press the Nutella down a bit.
5. Place ramekins on a cookie sheet and bake for 9-12 minutes, just until the outside of the cake is set the center will still look very soft. Let the cake cool for 3 minutes. Use a knife to loosen the cake and use a towel (the ramekins will be hot) to help you invert the cake onto a serving plate. Serve with vanilla ice cream, berries, and roasted hazelnuts.

Equipment

8oz Ramekins

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Callebaut Chocolate Callets

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OXO Kitchen Scale

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Notes

Make-ahead instructions: You can prepare the cakes up until step 4. Once the Nutella has been pushed down cover each with plastic wrap and store it in the fridge for up to 24 hours before baking. 

Cupcake size lava cakes: You will get 6 cupcake size muffins, I would use 1 teaspoon of Nutella in each. Bake for 7-9 minutes. 

• Author: Elizabeth Waterson
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: American

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