Peppermint Lava Cakes

Ingredients

Here’s what you need to know as you gather your lava cake ingredients and supplies: (Links are affiliate links and I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.)

• Semi-sweet chocolate: This recipe uses semi-sweet chocolate in both the filling and the cake batter itself. Since all of the cake’s flavor comes from the chocolate, it’s important to use a high-quality, flavorful chocolate that you enjoy the taste of. Using old or waxy chocolate chips will produce disappointing results! Instead, get quality semi-sweet chocolate bars and chop them up for this recipe. I recommend Trader Joe’s Pound Plus Bars, if those are available to you. Other good options are Lindt, Guittard, and Ghirardelli bars.
• Unsweetened chocolate: The cake batter uses a small amount of unsweetened chocolate to deepen the flavor. If you don’t have unsweetened, you can use a bittersweet chocolate instead, or just use more semi-sweet. The cake will still be delicious, just a touch sweeter.
• Butter: We’re using butter in the cake batter, and also just a bit in the ganache filling to make it extra rich and creamy. I recommend using unsalted butter in this recipe, but if you have salted butter, leave out the additional salt in the cake batter.
• Cream: I like heavy cream best for the rich texture it gives to ganache, but you can use whipping cream if that’s what’s available to you. 
• Eggs & yolks: This recipe uses four eggs and four egg yolks, to make a supremely tender and melting cake texture. Here’s my full guide to separating egg yolks and whites if you need a refresher, and don’t forget to save the egg whites for a future batch of Meringue Cookies or buttercream!
• Peppermint extract: Peppermint extract adds a brisk, refreshing flavor that’s a perfect contrast to the rich chocolate! It’s easy to find in grocery stores, usually in the baking or spices section. If you’re purchasing online, I prefer this Peppermint Bakery Emulsion from LorAnn over a traditional alcohol-based extract. It can stand up to high heat, so the flavor doesn’t evaporate during baking and it produces consistent results, every time.
• Candy cane bits: I like to sprinkle a pinch of crushed candy canes bits on top of the cakes right before serving. You can either crush up candy canes yourself, or purchase a bag of candy cane pieces. Sometimes called “Candy Cane Bits,” these little minty pieces are super convenient, and a great way to add candy cane taste and texture to your desserts!
• Powdered sugar: Powdered sugar is whipped with the eggs to create a super frothy cake base. It is important to use powdered sugar and not substitute granulated or brown sugar in this recipe.

Equipment

• Candy scoop: A candy scoop makes it fast and easy to create consistently sized truffle balls in just a few minutes.
• Ice cream scoop: Use a large ice cream scoop to quickly portion out the cake batter into ramekins.
• Ramekins:Ramekins or small bowls are a MUST when making lava cakes! White ramekins are the more traditional option, and this ramekin set is high-quality and economical. If you want to use bowls like I did, I used and recommend this set of glass “custard cups.”
• Mixer: You will need some kind of mixer to properly beat the eggs and sugar to make the right texture for the cake batter. Either a stand mixer or hand mixer will work fine.

Make the Truffle Filling

• Combine chopped chocolate, cream, and butter in a medium bowl.
• Microwave for 45 seconds, then whisk well.

• Whisk until the chocolate mixture is smooth and shiny. If a few chunks of chocolate remain, continue to heat it in small bursts and whisk until everything is melt and glossy. This is your “ganache.”
• Press a layer of plastic wrap directly on top of the chocolate, and refrigerate for about 90 minutes. It might still be slightly soft, you just need to be able to scoop and roll it.
• Use a small candy scoop to scoop up a small ball of ganache.

• Dust your hands with cocoa powder, and roll the ganache into a round ball.
• Set the truffle on a parchment-covered baking sheet, and repeat until you have 8 truffles.
• Place the tray of truffles in the freezer while you make the lava cake batter.
• Set aside the remaining ganache to use as a chocolate sauce for serving.

Make the Lava Cake Batter

• Combine the semi-sweet chocolate, unsweetened chocolate, and butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl.
• Microwave for 1 minute, then whisk well. If chunks remain, heat in short bursts and whisk until the mixture is completely smooth and melted.

• In a large mixing bowl, combine the eggs, yolks, and powdered sugar.
• Whip them for 1-2 minutes, until light in color and very voluminous and frothy.

• Add the melted chocolate to the egg mixture and mix until combined.
• Finally, add the all-purpose flour and peppermint extract, and gently fold everything together until no streaks of flour remain. The cake batter will be thick and glossy.

Scoop and Bake the Cakes

• Divide the lava cake batter evenly between the ramekins.
• Press a frozen truffle into the center of each cake, and gently swirl the top of the batter to cover the truffle.

• Bake the cakes for 14-16 minutes. They should be set around the edges, but very soft and jiggly and almost “wet” looking in the middle.
• IMPORTANT: do not overbake these! If you bake until they look set and dry in the center, their final texture will be too dry.
• Let them sit for 10 minutes, then carefully unmold the cakes onto your serving plates. Top with whipped cream or ice cream, and a drizzle of warmed-up ganache. Enjoy warm!

💭 Variations

If you want to play around with this recipe, try one of these ideas:

• Plain chocolate lava cakes: not a fan of chocolate and mint? No problem! Omit the peppermint extract and you have a delicious, deep dark lava cake. You can also swap in other extracts, like orange, lemon, almond, or coconut, to make a wide variety of different lava cake flavors.
• Leave out the truffle centers: if you are pressed for time or just want to simplify, you can omit the truffle center entirely. The cakes will still have a melting chocolate center as long as you don’t overbake them. They won’t be as gooey, but some people prefer them that way!
• White chocolate center: you can make a white chocolate truffle to put in the center instead. Follow the recipe but reduce the cream to 1/4 cup instead, and dust your hands with powdered sugar instead of cocoa powder.
• Peppermint mocha variation: Who doesn’t love a good peppermint mocha? Add 2 tsp of instant espresso powder when adding the melted chocolate in step 4 to give your cakes a light coffee undertone.

💡 Tips and FAQs