Recipe: Chocolate Molten Lava Cake

  There’s nothing I love more than an easy recipe that tastes like it’s from a professional bakery. You can ditch the store bought and whip this out within 45 minutes from start to finish - it’s gooey, moreish, and everything you crave in a sticky, chocolatey desert - with perfect moisture, a brownie like texture and perfect sweetness. 

You will need

For the batter:

• 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup (65 g) unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
• ⅓ cup (70 g) light brown sugar, packed
• 1 cup (240 ml) whole milk, room temperature
• ½ cup (115 g) unsalted butter, melted
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• ¼ tsp espresso powder (optional, enhances the chocolate)
• ½ cup (85 g) chopped dark chocolate or chocolate chunks (70% cocoa or higher)

For the molten topping:

• ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
• ½ cup (45 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 ¾ cups (420 ml) hot strong coffee or boiling water

To finish:

• Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling
• Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, for serving

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven: Heat to 175 °C / 350 °F. Butter a 9-inch square (or similar-sized) baking dish.
2. Make the batter: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder, salt, and both sugars. Add milk, melted butter, vanilla, and espresso powder. Stir until just combined - like a thick brownie batter.
   Fold in the dark chocolate chunks. Spread evenly in the baking dish.
3. Add the molten topping: In a small bowl, whisk ¾ cup sugar with ½ cup cocoa powder. Sprinkle evenly over the batter - don’t stir. Gently pour 1¾ cups hot coffee or water over the top (I used water but using coffee will deepen the flavour without adding sweetness). It will look like chocolate soup - trust the process. Again, do not mix.
4. Bake: Bake for 30–35 minutes, until the top looks set and cracked but the center jiggles slightly. The bottom will have turned into a molten chocolate sauce.
5. Rest and serve: Let it sit for 10 minutes so the sauce thickens beneath the cake layer.
   Spoon into bowls, making sure to scoop from the bottom for that gooey lava.
   Finish with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt and a scoop of ice cream.