Red Velvet Lava Cakes

Red Velvet Lava Cakes are rich and decadent red velvet molten cakes baked in two ramekins then served with cream cheese whipped cream. They make the perfect dessert for two for Valentine’s Day and date night in general.

With Valentine’s Day coming up, it’s time to start planning romantic desserts for two.

When I think of February, I always think of red velvet. And what better way to celebrate love than with Red Velvet Lava Cakes?

Also known as red velvet molten cakes, they’re rich, sinful cakes with a gooey fudgy center that are baked in two ramekins

When you break them open with a spoon, chocolate oozes out onto the plate, much like lava (hence the name).

Now when I say these are red velvet lava cakes, I truly mean it.

Some recipes out there are mini chocolate lava cakes with red food coloring added.

Sorry friends, but that isn’t red velvet. Red velvet cake must have cocoa powder, buttermilk, baking soda, and vinegar.

These mini lava cakes taste exactly like red velvet cake – a subtle chocolate cake flavored with buttermilk and vinegar then enhanced in color with red food coloring.

In the middle I added chocolate ganache that oozes out when you cut into it with your spoon.

Normally the batter itself flows out from the middle so you don’t have to do any extra work.

Although you can technically do that with red velvet volcano cake, I felt it was a better dessert with semisweet chocolate in the middle.

I highly recommend making the ganache for the best lava filling, but in a pinch you can use a piece of chocolate. It’ll just be more melty than oozey.

To balance all the decadence, I added cream cheese whipped cream on top.

Typically you would pair cream cheese frosting with red velvet cake, but frosting is too heavy for red velvet molten cakes.

So here we are – after multiple rounds of testing, I’m bringing you the best red velvet lava cake recipe you can make.

I mean, who doesn’t love dessert for two with an ooey gooey chocolate middle?

Ingredients For Red Velvet Lava Cakes

To make your red velvet molten cakes, you’ll need the following ingredients:

• Baking chocolate: Use semisweet chocolate for a mild flavor or bittersweet for a richer flavor
• Heavy cream: Helps melt the chocolate to set the ganache
• Flour: Forms the cake structure so it doesn’t fall apart after baking
• Cocoa powder: Gives red velvet cake a subtle chocolate flavor
• Baking soda: Reacts with the acidity from the buttermilk and vinegar to help the cakes rise
• Salt: Makes the cakes not taste bland. Not needed if you’re using salted butter.
• Unsalted butter: Used for the fat to moisten the cake. If you’re using salted butter, omit the salt as the cakes will be too salty.
• Egg yolk: Yes, you’ll need an egg yolk. I tried using a whole egg, but it was too eggy for my liking. Check out my post on what to do with egg whites so you don’t waste it. I highly recommend my Egg White Cookies.
• Sugar: Sweetens the cake batter
• Buttermilk: Because buttermilk is acidic, it’ll activate the baking soda, which is what causes your cake to rise properly. Once you’re done making your cakes, check out my other recipes using buttermilk. Only have regular milk? Add lemon juice or vinegar then wait 5 minutes or until curdled.
• Vanilla: Absolutely needed to boost the flavor
• Red food coloring: I used liquid food coloring, the kind you add by the drop. You can also use gel or paste, but the amount used will vary. The color will bake out a little, so make your batter a little brighter than what you want.
• Vinegar: Reacts with the baking soda

The chemical reaction among cocoa powder, buttermilk, vinegar, and baking soda help give red velvet a natural deep maroon color, which is often enhanced with food coloring.

If you’re ever reading a red velvet recipe without those ingredients, it’s not red velvet cake.

Making Red Velvet Lava Cakes in Ramekins

I’ve seen similar recipes make their red velvet volcano cakes in a muffin pan. Although doable, I much prefer ramekins as they make a larger, more substantial mini cake.

However, I learned through several rounds of testing that ramekin size and even thickness matters.

I personally have four 6-ounce ramekins which are narrow and deep. Two of them technically measure at 5.75 fluid ounces and have a thin ceramic wall. The other two measure at 6 fluid ounces and have a thicker ceramic wall.

Although both sizes held the batter perfectly, the slightly smaller ramekins baked a little faster than the slightly larger ramekins.

Normally this doesn’t matter as you’d bake your ramekin dessert until done as directed, but for mini lava cakes every minute counts.

If you bake them a minute too long, the middle won’t be as molten.

And then there are glass ramekins which don’t conduct heat as well as ceramic, so you may need a minute or two longer to bake.

The more you use your ramekins, the more you’ll know how they work.

Follow the visual cues in the recipe. And if you’re still unsure, it’s better to pull them a minute early than a minute late.

And when you’re done, check out my other Ramekin Dessert Recipes.

Can I make lava cakes in a muffin pan?

Don’t have ramekins? This recipe will make 4 mini cakes in a standard 12-cup muffin pan. Because they’ll be smaller, you likely only need to bake for 6-8 minutes.

How To Make Red Velvet Lava Cakes

Here’s how to make your red velvet molten cakes:

1. Make the ganache filling by melting together chocolate and heavy cream then refrigerating until firm enough to scoop.
2. Lightly grease two 6-ounce ramekins. This is important so the cakes easily slide out without breaking.
3. Mix flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together in medium bowl.
4. Beat melted butter, egg yolk, sugar, buttermilk, vanilla, food coloring, and vinegar until smooth.
5. Gradually add flour mixture to gently incorporate on low speed.
6. Transfer batter to ramekins then stick a scoop of ganache in the middle. It’s ok if the top sticks out as the batter will cover it when it rises.
7. Bake at 400F until the edges and most of the top are firm but centers are soft. This will take about 15-18 minutes, depending on your ramekins.
8. Invert onto a plate and serve immediately before the centers cool.

What To Serve With Red Velvet Lava Cakes

Because these individual lava cakes are rich and decadent, I highly recommend serving them with cream cheese whipped cream and fresh strawberries.

You can also use homemade whipped cream and strawberry sauce.

For extra chocolate flavor, serve them with chocolate whipped cream.

You can also serve your lava cakes for two with vanilla bean ice cream for a play on a hot and cold dessert.

Don’t have time (or the energy) to make garnishes? The easiest way to decorate your red lava cakes is with a dusting of powdered sugar.

How To Store Lava Mini Cakes

Too full from a big dinner? Or maybe you’re single and saving your second cake for later. Whatever the reason, you can save it for the next day.

Store your mini lava cakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Of course the middle will no longer be molten, but it’s still a delicious chocolatey center (kinda like a truffle).

You can also rewarm your cake in the microwave for 10-15 seconds.

More Red Velvet Recipes

If you enjoyed these mini molten cakes, check out these other red velvet recipes:

• Red Velvet Cupcakes
• Red Velvet Sugar Cookies
• Red Velvet Bars
• Red Velvet Oreo Cheesecake