Giving the love of your life a white chocolate molten lava cake is ultra decadent, but surprisingly easy. White chocolate, coconut flakes, and almond flavor are an ideal match. Decorate with raspberries or strawberries for Valentine’s Day or a romantic dinner at home.
If you love regular chocolate lava cake with that rich, gooey center, you’ll love the white chocolate version. After adequately recovering from my chocolate-induced blackout, I started dreaming up more recipes to put me back in that zen state. It wasn’t long enough before I stumbled upon this one and my heart leaped with joy…..I had found the one.
This white chocolate molten cake is simply a rich chocolate cake that is undercooked so that the center overflows with chocolate sauce. It is made out of white chocolate, coconut, and laced with rum for an extra kick.
Why Eat Lava Cake While Still Warm
These lovely treats are so easy to make once you have the ingredients measured out. One of the great things about this recipe is that you can make the batter and fill the cakes ahead of time. However, wait until 30 minutes before serving time to bake them. For the most exquisite experience, lava cakes should be eaten within 30 minutes of being made.
The same thing happens to lava cake that happens to real lava. Once it cools, there’s not much you can do with it. Fortunately, cooled lava cakes are still edible, though the lava flow will be no more.
How to Make White Chocolate Lava Cakes
- Grease the ramekins and coat the sides with toasted coconut (omit the coconut if desired). (Photo 1)
- Microwave the white chocolate and butter for 1½ minutes in 30-second intervals, stirring between intervals. (Photos 2-4)
- Whisk the powdered sugar and flour into the chocolate mixture, making sure everything is incorporated. (Photo 5)
- Stir in the yolks and eggs until everything is even and smooth. Add the almond extract and rum, mixing well and scraping down the sides as you go.
- Divide the mixture evenly between the custard cups. (Photo 6)
- Bake for 15-18 minutes (start checking at around 12 minutes). The cakes will rise and wiggle slightly in the center when you shake the pans. (Photo 7)
- Serve the cakes on individual dessert plates immediately. Optionally, sprinkle with optional powdered sugar and top each one with a couple of raspberries.
Recipe Tips
- The tricky part about this cake is getting the right consistency; a shorter baking time will make the cake too runny, and overbaking the cake will result in a moist cake with no lava. It should stay soft and wobbly in the center but not too wiggly. Mine took about 16 minutes, but start checking after 12 minutes.
- As long as you get good chocolate, it will still taste great even if the lava solidifies. Bars work better than chips (though I used chips and it came out fine). The bag of Ghirardelli white chocolate melting wafers I get at Sam’s Club also works great.
- I love adding a dash of ground nutmeg with the dry ingredients for a tasty twist. And feel free to replace the almond extract with vanilla for another version. It’s just that almond and coconut go so well together.
Make Ahead and Storage Instructions
Make the batter the day before and divide it between the prepped ramekins. Bake them around 30 minutes before serving time. They need to be warm for the butter and chocolate to be runny.
Leftovers keep in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for 4-5 months. They’ll still taste great, they just won’t be molten and lava-like.
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By Imma
This blog post was originally published in February 2017 and has been updated with additional tips and beautiful photos.
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