Healthy Molten Chocolate Lava Cake

This easy paleo molten chocolate lava cake recipe is the ideal dessert for the holidays! Gooey, rich runny molten chocolate centers surrounded by a light and fluffy gluten-free chocolate cake!  A dairy-free and gluten-free chocolate dessert for special occasions. 

Girlfriend, if you’re looking for a quick and easy, healthy-ish and delicious chocolate treat to make this holiday season, look no further!

I got you more than covered with these Paleo Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes. These individual-sized paleo chocolate cakes are made with only 4 ingredients, you guys! Got some chocolate, almond flour, coconut oil and eggs? BAM - you can make lava cakes!

These are made without added sugar and are dairy-free, gluten-free and grain-free. Should you find yourself wondering if these chocolate molten lava cakes taste healthy… !? Ahem, take another close look at them.

They’re super rich and decadent and you would never know they are secretly healthy once you dig your spoon into those glorious molten chocolate centers! And what's not to love about a chocolate dessert with no bloat, no tummy ache, and no guilty feelings whatsoever afterward?

Why this Healthy Paleo Chocolate Molten Lava Cakes recipe is a total must-bake:

• These paleo chocolate cakes are super gooey, runny and rich in the center but the cake part surrounding the center is light and fluffy.
• This is a simple 4-ingredient chocolate dessert that comes together super easily - no water bath and no whipping egg whites!
• These mini cakes are paleo, dairy-free, gluten-free, grain-free, and made with no added sugar, making them the healthiest way to get your chocolate dessert fix.

How to serve Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes?

This time, I kept things simple and served my paleo lava cakes only with the slightest dusting of paleo icing sugar. You can make paleo icing sugar yourself using arrowroot starch and maple sugar. Here's a great recipe.

Obviously,  these are also totes amazing with some fresh berries or a scoop of homemade dairy-free coconut ice cream on top! Oh hey, what about a pinch of sea salt or chopped nuts. Chocolate loves salt, you know.

How to make this Paleo Molten Chocolate Lava Cake recipe:

Prep: Preheat oven to 435F - 220C and place 6 4-oz ramekins on a baking sheet and set aside. You do not have to grease the ramekins as we serve the cakes in the mold.

Step 1 & 2 -  Place chopped chocolate and coconut oil in a medium bowl. Melt in the microwave. I do this in 30 seconds increments, stirring well in between each increment with a silicon spatula. Set aside and let cool down a bit.

Step 3 & 4 - Crack the eggs into a large bowl. Now mix with a hand mixer until they are foamy. This should take about 3  minutes.

Step 5 - Add cooled melted chocolate to the eggs and mix on low speed to incorporate.

Step 6 & 7 - Add the almond flour and mix with your spatula or hand mixer until just combined. Make sure not to overmix the batter or the paleo chocolate cakes will be dense.

Step 8 & 9  - Spoon the paleo chocolate cake batter into the 6 prepared ramekins. I like to use an ice cream scoop for that to get them portioned out perfectly.

Step 10 - Bake your healthy molten lava cakes for 6 minutes and remove from the oven. It's important to let them cool for about 15 minutes before serving them to give the chocolate batter time to settle around the molten center!

Can these be made in advance?

To make these ahead of time, prepare lava cakes up until baking then chill them in the fridge. About half an hour before baking them, remove the tray from the refrigerator to let the batter come to room temperature.

If you forget to take them out, you can still try and bake the cakes straight out of the refrigerator, adding about 1-2 minutes to the baking time.

Tips for making this easy Paleo Chocolate Lava Cakes recipe:

• You want to watch your cakes closely so as not to under- or over-bake.
• Let the paleo chocolate cakes cool down after baking! They will fall apart if you eat them straight out of the oven.
• Keep leftover lava cakes in the fridge. They will harden but they will still be fudgy, rich and delicious so perfect as a sneaky sweet treat.

Variations on this healthy lava cakes recipe:

• You can add a little bit of espresso powder to the batter to jazz these up. This step will bring out the chocolate flavor even more.
• For Mexican Chocolate Molten Lava Cakes, add a pinch of cinnamon, chili and some vanilla essence to the batter.
•  Everyone who tried these lava cakes found them sweet enough without any added sugar. However, this will depend on the chocolate you are using and your personal preferences. If you’d like to, feel free to add one to two tablespoons of (coconut) sugar when mixing the eggs.

5 from 8 votes

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Healthy Chocolate Lava Cakes

This easy paleo molten chocolate lava cake recipe is the ideal dessert for the holidays! Gooey, rich runny molten chocolate centers surrounded by a light and fluffy gluten-free chocolate cake!  A dairy-free and gluten-free chocolate dessert for special occasions. 

Course Dessert

Cuisine American, Gluten-free, Paleo

Keyword gluten-free lava cake, healthy lava cakes, paleo chocolate cake

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 6 minutes

Resting time 15 minutes

Total Time 36 minutes

Servings 6 servings

Calories 199 kcal

Author Marie

Ingredients

• 8 oz semi-sweet or dark chocolate 2 baking bars - roughly chopped, 200 g
• ⅓ cup coconut oil use refined coconut oil for no coconut flavor
• 4 large eggs
• ½ cup almond flour

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 435F - 220C. Place 6 ramekins (ideally 4 oz ones) on a baking sheet and set aside.

2. Place chocolate and coconut oil in a medium bowl. Melt in the microwave, by 30 seconds increments, stirring well in between each increment. Set aside and let cool.
3. Crack the eggs in a large bowl and with a hand mixer, mix until they are foamy.
4. Add cooled melted chocolate to the eggs and mix on low speed to incorporate. Add almond flour and mix until just combined.

5. Spoon into the 6 prepared ramekins (I like to use an ice cream/cookie scoop for that)

6. Bake for 6 minutes and remove from the oven.
7. Let them cool for about 15 minutes and serve (they will fall apart if you eat them straight out of the oven).
8. Keep the leftovers in the fridge. The cakes will harden but they will still be fudgy, rich and delicious!

Recipe Notes

Tips :

• You want to watch your cakes closely so as not to under - or over-bake.
• Let the paleo chocolate cakes cool down after baking! They will fall apart if you eat them straight out of the oven.
• Keep leftover lava cakes in the fridge. They will harden but they will still be fudgy, rich and delicious so perfect as a sneaky sweet treat.

Variations:

• You can add a little bit of espresso powder to the batter to jazz these up a little bit. This will bring out the chocolate flavor even more.
• For Mexican Chocolate Molten Lava Cakes, add a pinch of cinnamon, chili and some vanilla essence to the batter.
•  Everyone who tried these lava cakes found them sweet enough without any added sugar. However, this will depend on the chocolate you are using and your personal preferences. If you’d like to, feel free to add one to two tablespoons of (coconut) sugar when mixing the eggs.

Recipe adapted from My Organic Diary

Nutrition Facts

Healthy Chocolate Lava Cakes

Amount Per Serving (1 serving)

Calories 199 Calories from Fat 171

% Daily Value*

Fat 19g29%

Saturated Fat 11g69%

Cholesterol 109mg36%

Sodium 41mg2%

Potassium 40mg1%

Carbohydrates 2g1%

Protein 5g10%

Vitamin A 160IU3%

Calcium 36mg4%

Iron 0.9mg5%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

If you tried this Healthy Paleo Molten Chocolate Lava Cake Recipe, don’t forget to rate the recipe below and let me know how it went in the comments – I love hearing from you! You can also follow me on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook for more deliciousness and behind-the-scenes!

More healthy chocolate dessert recipes you would love:

• Fudgy Paleo Brownies
• Salted Peanut Butter Chocolate Fudge
• Healthy Avocado Chocolate Mousse
• Healthier Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate