So for this recipe, you guys are going to need a combination of everyday kitchen ingredients and essential baking ingredients. In order to make 4 servings, or 4 cakes, you will need:

5 tablespoons of unsalted butter, plus a little more for greasing the ramekins.
2 tablespoons of granulated sugar
¼ cup of heavy cream
1 ¼ cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
⅓ cup of light brown sugar
½ teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons all purpose flour

1. Coat the inside of 4 ramekins with softened butter, then sprinkle with the granulated sugar, tilting to coat completely. Then, set them aside on a rimmed baking sheet. For those who are unsure of what a ramekin is, I have included a picture of one to the left. If you don’t have this exact piece of bake-ware, you can use something similar, such as a small oven-safe baking pot/bowl of this size.

2. Heat the heavy cream in a small pot until boiling.

3. Pour the boiling cream over ½ cup of semi-sweet chocolate in a small bowl and let sit for 3 minutes. After 3 minutes, stir until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or store in the freezer for up to 3 months.

4. Preheat the oven to 400°F

5. In a small microwave-safe bowl, combine the remaining ¾ cup of chocolate and the butter. Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring between, until completely melted.

6. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs, egg yolks, brown sugar, salt, and vanilla with an electric hand mixer on medium-high speed until light and frothy, about 8 minutes.

7. Gently fold the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture, being careful not to deflate the eggs. Add the flour and fold to incorporate.

8. Divide half of the batter between the prepared ramekins. Add ½ tablespoon of the chilled chocolate mixture (that you put away to chill earlier) to the center of each ramekin, then scoop the remaining batter on top.

9. Bake for 12 minutes, until the tops are set and the cakes begin to pull away from the sides of the ramekins.

10. Let the lava cakes cool slightly, flip the ramekins over onto plates, and voila! You have your delicious lava cake. My family and I love to have lava cakes with vanilla ice cream and powdered sugar, but if you don’t have those on hand, don’t worry; your lava cakes will taste amazing plain.

11. Enjoy!!

After baking them, the lava cakes came out amazing: soft and spongy on the outside, and warm and gooey on the inside. My little brothers were fighting over the last one, and I heard many “mhmms” from my parents while they shared one. My younger sister was a bit skeptical of me baking these at first, because she didn’t believe that I could top her favorite lava cake from Old Man Rafferty’s. However, after indulging in a cake later on, even she had to admit that my take on the dessert was a close match. I hope that you and your family enjoy these cakes if you decide to make them, and hopefully, you’ll get a chance to have one before they’re all gone. 😉