Valentine's Day Chocolate-Raspberry Lava Cake Recipe

Valentine's Day is all about love, but not necessarily the romantic kind. Love comes in all shapes and sizes — love for friends, love for family, love for yourself, and let's not forget one of the greatest loves of all — the love of chocolate. Yes, Valentine's Day is definitely all about chocolate, so it's a great time to celebrate with a chocolate treat, no matter your relationship status. This chocolate-raspberry lava cake recipe is something developer Michelle McGlinn describes as "perfect for anyone who loves chocolate, but wants something a little different for Valentine's Day," adding that the use of raspberry jam provides an "extra-sweet, fruity take on chocolate lava [cake]."

McGlinn notes that these "decadent, rich, and chocolatey" cakes are something that can be made quickly and easily, and also notes that the recipe makes 2 pieces in case you're planning a dinner à deux. If you're celebrating Palentine's Day with a group, it should be simple enough to make a double or triple batch, while if you prefer a solo celebration, that just means there'll be twice the cake for you to enjoy. 

This lava cake recipe is simpler than you think, as you'll only need 7 ingredients to make it. For starters, you'll need some baking chocolate to flavor the cake — McGlinn favors bittersweet chocolate with 60% cacao. You'll also need butter, confectioners' sugar, a couple of eggs (or rather, an egg and a half), salt, and flour to make the batter, along with some raspberry jam for the lava filling.

Preheat the oven to 425 F, then pour about ½ inch of water into a pot. Bring the water to a boil, and as it's heating, find a heatproof bowl to fit over the pot. Fill the bowl with the chocolate and butter. Once the water is boiling, put the bowl on top of the pot, and stir the chocolate and butter until it's melted. Keep stirring until you have a smooth, homogeneous mixture, then turn the heat off. 

If you don't have a heatproof bowl, or just don't want to futz with boiling water, McGlinn notes that you can also melt the chocolate and butter in the microwave. She advises heating them together for 30 seconds, stirring, then microwaving for another 15 seconds, and stirring again. Heat in 15-second increments as needed, until both the chocolate and butter have melted and are well-combined.

Beat the eggs and sugar together until the mixture is foamy, then add the salt and 3 tablespoons of the flour. Beat the melted chocolate into the batter, stirring until everything is well-combined.

Spray 2 ramekins with cooking spray. If you don't have ramekins, McGlinn says you can use a muffin pan instead. If the muffin pan is a standard one, though, she advises that you'll likely have enough to make 3 lava cakes instead of 2, which is "Not a bad thing." Lightly dust the greased ramekins or muffin cups with the remaining 1 teaspoon of flour. While you don't really need to measure the flour here, McGlinn says that if you use too much, "the flour will stick to the cake, and you'll have an unappealing white-yellow film on the top of your cake." To prevent this, shake off any excess flour from the cups.

Pour the cake batter into each ramekin until it's about halfway full — McGlinn says this should take maybe 3 tablespoons. Divide the jam between the ramekins, plopping it right in the middle of the batter. Use the remaining batter to cover the jam and fill the ramekins.

Put the ramekins on a baking sheet, and cook the cakes for 12 to 15 minutes. Use a toothpick to check if they're done — if you stick it in close to the edge of the ramekin, it should come out clean. If you check in the center, it may be slightly gooey, but shouldn't be too wet. Once the lava cakes finish cooking, let them cool in the ramekins for 1 minute, then turn the ramekins over, and remove the cakes. If the cakes don't slide out easily, McGlinn advises that they may need another minute or so in the oven.

If you want to garnish the lava cakes, you can sprinkle them with more powdered sugar, or top them with raspberries, mint leaves, or both. While these lava cakes are best if eaten warm, McGlinn says "They reheat well, and taste almost as good as fresh." The best way to reheat them is in the microwave for about 30 seconds, or just a bit longer if needed.