Get ready to wow your guests with this stunning Nutella lava cake! Rich chocolate and nutty hazelnut flavors blend perfectly in this indulgent, gluten-free treat.
Recipe Science
- A 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate delivers a robust flavor and smooth melting, which is crucial for making the base of the cake.
- A gluten-free 1-to-1 baking flour blend with brown and white rice, sorghum and tapioca flour, potato starch, and xanthan gum delivers a light, tender texture and a wheat-like consistency.
- Precise baking time is key to achieving the optimal texture in Nutella lava cakes, setting the structure with a gooey center.
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Why It Works
If you’re searching for an easy recipe that’s sure to impress, look no further than these gluten-free Nutella chocolate lava cakes. The perfect dessert for any occasion, especially Valentine’s Day, these delightful treats promise a show-stopping dessert experience with minimal effort. These feature a rich chocolate flavor and the irresistible allure of chocolate hazelnut spread.
The secret to Nutella lava cakes—crisp edges, tender exterior, and a molten Nutella center—is perfecting the baking time and temperature, ensuring a gooey filling with each bite. The best part? You can prepare these cakes ahead and pop them in the oven just before serving, ensuring each guest is greeted with a warm, molten center that oozes with every spoonful.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Butter: Butter enriches the cakes with a silky mouthfeel by creating a smooth consistency when melted with the chocolate.
- Chocolate: I recommend using Ghirardelli 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate bars. This type of chocolate delivers intense flavor without needing additional cocoa powder and melts smoothly.
- Eggs: Whole eggs and extra yolks are key to the structure and creaminess of Nutella lava cakes.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar balances the bitterness of the chocolate, retains moisture for a tender texture, and aids in forming a crust that contrasts delightfully with the molten center.
- Salt: A pinch of salt enhances and balances the rich flavors of the chocolate and Nutella while tempering any bitterness.
- Flour: A modest amount of gluten-free flour gives structure to keep the cakes intact while preserving their moist, tender interior.
- Nutella: Use store-bought Nutella chocolate hazelnut spread or make your own homemade Nutella. You’ll be surprised how easy it is to make!
See the recipe card below for all ingredients and measurements (US and metric).
Ingredient Substitutions
This Nutella lava cake recipe is easy to customize! Try these delicious options:
- Using All-Purpose Flour: It’s easy to swap the gluten-free flour with just a tiny amount of flour needed to create a delicate cake structure. Try my classic chocolate molten lava cake recipe!
- Chocolate Options: Other types of chocolate can be used. Use milk, semi-sweet, or dark chocolate for a sweeter flavor. Chocolate chips can be used instead of bars.
- Sweetener Swaps: Try adding brown sugar for a molasses note or coconut sugar. You can use honey or maple syrup, but the cake will be moister instead of crisper on the edges.
- Filling Swaps: To switch up the flavors, add peanut butter, cookie butter, or fruit jam as alternative fillings for a delightful twist.
- Toppings: Add powdered sugar, whipped cream, mint leaves, a scoop of vanilla ice cream, raspberries, strawberries, or caramel sauce.
How to Make Nutella Lava Cakes
Step 1: Preheat the Oven
These Nutella lava cakes are baked at a high temperature of 450ºF (230ºC), ensuring the edges set quickly while keeping the center deliciously gooey and molten. This high heat is crucial for achieving the perfect texture contrast.
Step 2: Prepare the Ramekins
I use 8-ounce ramekins for baking each cake, which yields a larger and wider cake rather than a taller one. To ensure the cakes unmold easily, brush the inside of each ramekin with melted butter, then sprinkle a bit of gluten-free flour into each one, coating the interior completely. Tap out the excess flour to avoid a white residue on the finished cakes, leaving just a light film inside the ramekin to help the cake release smoothly.
Quick Substitution: Cocoa powder could be used instead of flour if you would like.
Step 3: Melt the Chocolate
Set up a double boiler in your kitchen over gently simmering water to melt the butter with the chocolate. Whisk them until smooth, and then remove the chocolate mixture from the heat.
Step 4: Combine the Ingredients
The gluten-free baking flour is gently incorporated into the bittersweet chocolate and whipped egg mixture. There is just enough flour to help bind the ingredients together to create an incredibly crisp, cakey outside and oozy, molten, delicious center. The texture of this cake is very similar to that of wheat flour. Your guests would never detect a difference!
Ingredient Chemistry: I recommend using Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour. This baking blend combines finely ground brown rice flour, sweet white rice flour, whole grain sorghum flour, potato starch, and tapioca flour with a touch of xanthan gum. The xanthan gum helps to provide springiness to the lava cake for a light and tender dessert. The protein in the sorghum flour helps give baked goods an almost wheat-like texture.
Step 5: Add the Nutella
I enjoy making the filling from scratch for this Nutella chocolate lava cake recipe, blending fragrant sweet hazelnuts with semi-sweet chocolate morsels. However, you can also use store-bought Nutella for convenience. To assemble the cakes, fill each ramekin halfway with batter, add one tablespoon of the Nutella filling, and then cover with more batter.
Step 6: Bake
Bake the cakes on a baking sheet for 9 minutes, ensuring the sides are set and the centers are slightly jiggly. This exact timing is crucial for achieving the contrasting textures of a firm edge and a soft, molten center. Allow the cakes to rest in the ramekins for 1 minute, then carefully run a knife or small spatula around the edges to facilitate release without compromising their delicate structure.
Step 7: To Serve
Cover each ramekin with an inverted dessert plate to serve the Nutella lava cakes, then carefully flip them over and unmold. Immediately garnish with festive toppings like crushed candy canes, chopped hazelnuts, and shaved chocolate.
Add a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream, whipped cream, or fresh fruit for an extra indulgence. The molten chocolate hazelnut center surprises with each bite, making this dessert a guaranteed crowd-pleaser.
Frequently Asked Questions
For the ultimate lava cake experience, opt for a premium dark chocolate bar between 50 to 70% cacao. This choice ensures a silky, molten center that truly elevates the dessert. It’s best to steer clear of chocolate chips, as they don’t melt as uniformly, which could lead to a less-than-perfect texture in your lava cake. This is not as imperative as adding a center like Nutella, peanut butter, or jam.
You can prep the cake batter and fill the ramekins up to two days before to save time, tightly cover them with plastic wrap, and refrigerate them. When you’re ready to serve, preheat the oven to 450°F. Place the refrigerated cakes on a sheet tray and bake for 11 minutes. Since the batter was cold, it requires a few more minutes to cook, but the center will be even richer because the chocolate does not get as warm when baked compared to a room temperature batter.
More Sweet Treats
If you tried this Nutella Lava Cake recipe, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below!
Nutella Lava Cake
Ingredients
- 9 tablespoons unsalted butte, divided
- 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate , 60% cacao baking bar, chopped
- 2 large eggs
- 2 large egg yolks
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons gluten-free flour, more for dusting ramekins
- ¼ cup Nutella
Instructions
- Preheat the Oven – Set the oven rack to the middle position. Preheat the oven to 450°F (232°C).
- Prepare the Ramekins – Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a microwave-safe dish, for about 30 seconds. Brush it on the inside of four 8-ounce ramekins. Lightly coat with flour and tap out the excess. Set the ramekins on a baking sheet.
- Melt the Chocolate – In a double boiler, over simmering water, melt 8 tablespoons of butter with the chocolate. Whisk to combine until smooth, then remove from heat.
- Combine the Ingredients – Using a stand mixer with the whisk attachment or a hand-held mixer, beat the eggs and egg yolks, sugar, and salt at high speed until thickened and pale, about 3 minutes. Quickly fold the chocolate into the mixture. Fold in the gluten-free flour until just combined.
- Add the Nutella – Divide the batter evenly among the prepared ramekins, filling each about halfway. Add 1 tablespoon of Nutella into the center of the batter in each ramekin. Then, evenly distribute the remaining batter on top to cover the Nutella.
- Bake – Bake on the baking sheet for 9 minutes, or until the sides are set, the tops slightly cracked, and the centers are slightly jiggly.
- To Serve – Let the cakes cool in the ramekins for 1 minute. Run a knife or small spatula along the sides a few times to release.Cover each ramekin with an inverted dessert plate. Wear oven mitts and carefully turn each one over, and let stand for 10 seconds. Use a spatula or knife to lift the corner of the ramekin and a gloved hand to lift and unmold the cake. Add desired toppings. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Do Not Over-Bake: Each additional minute will result in a noticeably less molten chocolate cake filling.
- Make Ahead: Portion the batter in ramekins and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for several hours before baking or up to 24 hours in advance. Bake straight from the refrigerator for 10 to 11 minutes.
- Butter Substitute: Substitute coconut oil for the butter.
- Using All-purpose flour: Substitute all-purpose flour with gluten-free flour.
- Topping Suggestions: Powdered sugar, ice cream, whipped cream, chopped nuts, crushed candy canes, strawberries, chocolate shavings, or mint.
Nutrition Facts
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000-calorie diet. All nutritional information is based on estimated third-party calculations. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods, and portion sizes per household.
brittany | words like honeycomb says
homemade nutella?! I shouldn’t know such things are possible…buuuut holidays call for a little splurging 😉 <3 love this! gluten free has come SO far!
Jessica Gavin says
Oh yes!!! Homemade nutella is so yummy and you can control more of what goes into it. I seriously could not tell that the cakes were gluten free. Bob’s Red Mill did a great job with it’s baking flour formula!
Jordan says
These look SO good! You make the process of a lava cake seem much less daunting. 🙂
Jessica Gavin says
Thank you Jordan! Yes it’s really easy once you give it a try 🙂