These Mini Chocolate Cakes come with a gooey center and are so easy to make. Learn everything you need to know about making Mini Chocolate Cakes. With video and step-by-step photos.
What will I learn in this post about making Mini Chocolate Cakes?
Here is what you can expect:
- What are Mini Chocolate Cakes?
- What do I need to make them? From tools to ingredients to time at a glance.
- How to make Mini Chocolate Cakes?
- Can I bake them in a muffin pan instead of ramekins?
- Which chocolate is the best to use? The key to a gooey center and out of this world taste!
- Is there a small batch option?
- How to store them?
- Can I prepare them in advance?
- How to freeze them?
What are Mini Chocolate Cakes?
These are small chocolate cakes baked in ramekins. They have a gooey center, and the sides are firm and solid. The intense chocolate taste will blast you away. Eat them when they are still warm and dust with powdered sugar, top with ice cream, chocolate fudge sauce, and berries. Heaven, guys!
You could also add some additions. Think of melting caramel, peanut butter, or pure chocolate in the center. Therefore, place a piece of soft caramel, a dollop of peanut butter, or a piece of chocolate in the center. Or Reeses? You get the idea.
The best? No electric mixer, super easy to make, and the most important, within 30 minutes in your belly.
What do I need to make these Mini Chocolate Cakes?
- 4 bowls
- 1 wooden spoon or rubber spatula
- 6 ramekins
- 9 ingredients
- 10 minutes of active preparation time
- toppings of your choice
How to make Mini Chocolate Cakes?
Mini Chocolate Cakes are pretty easy to make. Start with combining chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and microwave until melted. I suggest placing the chocolate in the bowl first and put the butter on top because it helps with stirring. Stir every 20 seconds to prevent seizing.
In a small bowl whisk eggs, egg yolks, and vanilla.
Combine sifted powdered sugar, flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, and salt. It is not relevant which cocoa powder you use. You can use either natural cocoa powder or dutch-processed cocoa powder. But I don’t recommend using sweetened cocoa powder.
Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula. If there are lumps of flour, use a whisk to break them up. But be careful that you don’t overmix the batter that you don’t create air pockets. Too much air would make the Mini Chocolate Cakes cakey rather than gooey.
Butter and flour 6 ramekins. You can see in the photos and the video how to do that the easiest way. I put a fork into a piece of butter and circle around inside the ramekins until the bottom, and the sides are completely buttered. Make sure the butter is cold and not soft.
Then place one tablespoon of flour into the first ramekin and move and shake carefully until the bottom and the sides are evenly coated with flour. Then tap excess flour out of the first ramekin into the second ramekin and repeat until all ramekins are floured.
Spoon batter into the ramekins and bake for about 11-13 minutes until the sides look solid, dry, and firm and the center soft. I baked mine for exactly 12 minutes.
The center is gooey and thick rather than completely liquid. So, you don’t need to worry about raw eggs because the center is warm enough that there is no risk of salmonella from the eggs.
Do not overbake the Mini Chocolate Cakes, or you end up with a dry cake. So please resist the urge to let them in the oven until it looks completely dry in the center. In the photo below, you see the center is still soft.
Let stand for 1 minute then place an inverted plate on top of each ramekin and turn over. The ramekins are very hot. So, use a napkin or an oven mitt to invert the cakes.
Can I bake Mini Chocolate Cakes in a muffin pan instead of ramekins?
Absolutely. You will have enough to get about 8 cakes. In this case, I recommend reducing the baking time to 8-9 minutes. Don’t use muffin liners. Butter and flour the muffin pan exactly like the ramekins.
Which chocolate is the best for Mini Chocolate Cakes?
I recommend using high-quality semi-sweet or dark chocolate from Ghiradelli, Lindt, Baker’s or Nestle. My personal favorites are Ghiradelli and Lindt. Chocolate chips are not a good choice for these cakes because they are not as tenderly melting as high-quality chocolate and the core wouldn’t be that gooey. The chocolate is the key to a gooey center.
Think about it. Chocolate chips are made to stay stable throughout baking like in cookies for example. But we want to have a gooey center. The better the quality of the chocolate, the gooier the center.
The taste will also depend on the quality of the chocolate. Use high-quality chocolate for the best possible taste of the cakes.
Is there a small batch option?
Yes. Just divide the ingredients by half, and you end up with just 3 mini cakes instead of 6.
How to store Mini Chocolate Cakes?
I recommend eating them on the same day and fresh out of the oven. But you can store leftover cakes in an airtight container in the fridge up to 1 day and reheat them in the microwave for about 20 seconds before serving.
Can I prepare them in advance?
Yes. You can make the batter in advance, let in the bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and store in the fridge up to 2 days. Let come to room temperature before you spoon the batter into the ramekins.
How to freeze Mini Chocolate Cakes?
You can freeze the baked cakes. Therefore, let cool completely then wrap each cake tightly in plastic wrap and place in freezer bags. Remove as much air as possible. They freeze well up to 3 months. To thaw, unwrap the cakes and let sit on the counter for about 1 hour. Then reheat in the microwave before serving.
These Mini Chocolate Cakes are
- are very easy to make
- are prepared in 10 minutes
- have a gooey chocolate center
- freeze well and can be made in advance
- come with a video and a detailed step-by-step instruction including photos
- are out of this world delicious
If you make this Mini Chocolate Cakes recipe, leave a comment, rate it and tag a photo #alsothecrumbsplease on Instagram! Would love to see your snap!
Do you need more chocolate inspo? Check out my other chocolate recipes here!
These Mini Chocolate Cakes come with a gooey center and are so easy to make. Learn everything you need to know about making Mini Chocolate Cakes. With video and step-by-step photos.
- 1+1/2 cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate, chopped (255g)
- 3/4 cup butter (170g)
- 2 large eggs
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 vanilla bean* or (1 tsp vanilla extract)
- 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted (120g)
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (30g)
- 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder (14g)
- 1/4 tsp salt
Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C).
In a heatproof bowl, combine chocolate and butter and microwave for about 2 minutes, until fully melted. Stir every 15-20 seconds to prevent seizing. Set aside.
In a small bowl, stir eggs, egg yolks, and vanilla* to combine. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk powdered sugar, flour, cocoa, and salt to combine. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients. Using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, slowly stir just until combined. Use a whisk to remove any lumps, if there are any. The batter will be thick. Watch 1-minute video and detailed step-by-step photos for better understanding. Set aside.
Butter and flour six 1-cup-sized (6oz / 240ml) ramekins.
Spoon batter evenly into the ramekins. Bake for 11-13 minutes. I baked mine for exactly 12 minutes. The edges will look solid and firm and the center soft. Remove from the oven and let stand 1 minute. Then place an inverted plate on top of each ramekin and turn over. Caution: the ramekins are still super hot! Use a napkin or oven mitt. Top with powdered sugar, ice cream, berries, or chocolate fudge sauce to your preference. Serve immediately.
Store leftover cakes in an airtight container in the fridge up to 1-2 days. Reheat in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds. Mini chocolate cakes are best eaten fresh on the same day. For freezing instructions, read the blog post above.
Recipe Video
*First, cut off the straight end of the vanilla bean. Then place the tip of your sharp knife below the curled end and cut the vanilla bean through the middle of the bean lengthwise. Although you don't need to cut it all the way through, it's ok when you do so. Then open the vanilla bean and scrape out the flavorful seeds with the back of your knife. Just use the seeds.
what if I bake them a little more? A fudgy moist cake is better to my taste..
I don’t recommend this because the consistency of the cake dries out when baked longer. It’s not designed to bake it longer. But I might have a recipe that suits your taste better: https://www.alsothecrumbsplease.com/fudge-brownie-ice-cream-cake-recipe/