Ever have a chocolate craving that a normal dessert just cannot satisfy? When you have to call in the big guns, definitely reach for this recipe. It’s so decadent and versatile that it makes a perfect ending for a fancy dinner, but so simple that it’s also perfect after a pizza party. Both the young and the young at heart fall for chocolate lava cakes- and there’s no reason that they have to be a treat just for special occasions. Once you give this simple recipe a shot, I bet you’ll add them into your regular dessert rotation.

I honestly never came across a lava cake as a kid. It wasn’t a dessert made in my house, and it wasn’t a dessert served in any restaurant that I visited. I first tasted this particular confection while on, of all things, a cruise ship in the Caribbean. I immediately fell in love, and my waiter had learned by the third day to bring me two of those suckers for dessert every night. Don’t show me the menu, no need to be polite, just put those cakes in front of my face. It was wonderful but fleeting. Once the cruise was over, it was back to my lava-less existence. Years later, when I moved to the Bay Area of California, I was able to pick up a lava cake mix direct from Ghirardelli, but it still hadn’t dawned on me to try and make this myself. It seemed like it would be so much work.

Well, it’s not too much work. I swear! In the time it will take to preheat an oven, you can have this prepared. There’s only a few steps standing between you and chocolate goodness, but there are a few hints to ensure ultimate dessert success. Follow along and I can almost guarantee a great result.

Do I Have to Use Bittersweet Chocolate?

No, you don’t. If all you have handy is semi-sweet chocolate chips (or milk chocolate) you can still follow this recipe, just omit 1 tsp of the white sugar. The taste will change but the times will not. I prefer the more complex taste that the bittersweet chocolate (look for at least 60% cacao) gives the cakes, but you can use what your prefer. Additionally, you you either chop chocolate bars or use chocolate already in chunk/chip form. The shape is not important, all that matters is how you melt it. To that point, pay special attention to the next tip!

How Do I Avoid My Chocolate Seizing?

In this recipe, you’ll be melting chocolate and butter together. You can do this the traditional way, in a double boiler, or take the microwave shortcut. I usually microwave my chocolate to melt it because it takes much less time and work. What you want to watch out for is overheating your chocolate as it melts- all of the sudden it will get crumbly/grainy (this is called seizing) and no amount of stirring will fix it. There are lots of suggested solutions to rescue seized chocolate, but the easiest thing to do is prevent the problem in the first place. If you use your stovetop, heat under low heat and stir constantly. If you use the microwave, heat in 30 second bursts at 50-70% power, stirring between each interval. Stop heating when your chocolate is mostly melted after stirring, with small lumps of solid pieces left. Just continue to stir and be patient while those last pieces take their time to melt.

How Do I Know When the Cakes Are Cooked?

An understandable worry when it comes to something that looks gooey in the middle. How do you know when it’s really ready? You can’t exactly cut into the middle of it or you’ll ruin the whole thing, and if you overbake it, you’ve defeated the whole purpose of the dessert. What you want to look for is a top that is firm enough for you to gently press upon it with a fingertip, and sides that are just starting to pull away from the edges of the baking dish. Avoid the temptation to poke anything like a toothpick into the middle of your cakes, because they can collapse and leak. They’ll still taste wonderful, but they won’t be half as pretty. You can either eat them right out of their baking dishes, or you can overturn them onto a plate.

How Do I Get the Cakes Onto Plates?

When your cakes come out of the oven, you’ll see the edges are just separating from their ramekins. Allow them several minutes to cool, and then carefully run a knife around the edge of your cakes. Place your dessert plate on top of the ramekin and then turn them both upside down together. Give the bottom of your ramekin a few firm taps to dislodge the cake. If it won’t come out easily, turn everything right side up again, and gently use the knife again to check for sticking edges. You can also carefully try and loosen the bottom of the cake with the tip of your knife while you go around the edges.

Alright, with all the tricks out of the way, let’s get our lava flowing!