Gooey Chocolate Lava Cakes

Decadent and gooey, these Chocolate Lava Cakes are oozing with a soft chocolate centre and are the perfect sweet dessert for that special occasion. 

I don't think I've ever made chocolate lava cakes before. Sure, I've eaten a fair few (plenty at Christmas!) and know what they're all about but never once have I taken on the challenge of making them before. 

When Sally began her Monthly Baking Challenge, these chocolate lave cakes for first on the list and I'm surprised just how easy they were to make! Just a few simple ingredient that you probably already have in your cupboards and you can whip up this sweet dessert.

Boom. You sold yet? 

I must admit, this was my second try. The first try I made the mistake of not thinking they were baked enough, kept them in for just a few extra minutes and they had lost all of their gooey centre that make them what they are. (They were still delicious enough to eat though..)

This time round, I baked them for exactly 14 minutes and they were perfect. 

That chocolate centre tastes just like ganache; creamy, smooth and warm. I would highly recommend using the best chocolate for these little guys - it makes ALL the difference. I used a combination of milk and dark swiss chocolate, as I'm not a massive fan of dark chocolate desserts and it was pretty spot on with 100g dark and 70g milk.

I found they were best served with cream or ice cream. But next time I'm going to be scaling up the fancy level and trying it with a raspberry compote. Heart eyes. Or even try putting a dollop of cookie butter in the centre before baking, because I'm all about that cookie butter life. 

This is only the first month of Sally's Baking Challenges but it's already got me motivated to try out new recipes that I wouldn't normally. I'm also hoping that it makes me try out different photography set ups too and help me develop my own photography style. I think I get kind of stuck in a pattern of cookies, brownies and banana loaves, but hopefully this is the start of many more challenges I set myself in the kitchen. Fails and all!

If you haven't tried making your own Lava Cakes before, go give them a go. You will not regret it. 

You can grab the full recipe for these Chocolate Lava Cakes over at Sally's Baking Addiction!