Volcano Cake
Volcano cakes are so cute for a theme party dessert table. Make them for a kids dinosaur party, a jungle theme or a luau. It’s a delicious chocolate treat with a twist.
Serving Suggestions
This is a terrific party dessert for lots of occasions.
- Add these to themed dinner party.
- Serve them for a tropical theme party.
- Add them to a jungle theme party.
- Serve at a wild safari birthday party.
See how Debbie of Wants and Wishes makes these yummy desserts for a party, using shaped baking pans.
Check Williams Sonoma or the baking section of craft stores for similar shaped baking pans.
You can also make these in 4-ounce ramekins.
How to Make
Use orange and red tinted chocolate wafers for melting. This will be the lava flow on top.
Make the cake by prepping the baking pan. Rub the bottom and sides with softened butter or non-stick cooking spray. Then sprinkle in some of the cake mix or cocoa powder and shake lightly to coat it. Pour out remaining powder.
Prepare the cake recipe and cook according to the directions. Make sure you don’t over cook it if you want the soft, melty center.
Melt the chocolate pieces and drizzle them on separately and let them set up for a few minutes and serve.
Lava cakes need to be served immediately for the soft center effect.
NOTE: You can also use a regular chocolate cake recipe cooked in the molds. The center will not be melted in this case but will hold up longer on a dessert table.
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Volcano Cake
Mini volcano lava cakes for a party look cute and taste amazing!
Ingredients
- 8 Tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus a bit more for molds
- 2 teaspoons flour, plus a bit more for dusting molds
- 4 ounces of bittersweet chocolate
- 2 large whole eggs
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1/4 cup of sugar
Icing
- 1 cup orange tinted chocolate wafers for melting
- 1 cup red tinted chocolate wafers for melting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- Butter and lightly flour the molds or ramekins (tap out excess flour).
- On top of a double boiler set over simmering water, combine butter and chocolate. Heat until just melted.
- In a bowl using an electric mixer, beat together eggs, yolks, and sugar until light and thick.
- Add a small amount of the melted chocolate mixture to the egg mixture and beat to combine. Make sure egg mixture does not harden from heat of chocolate mixture. Slowly add in remaining chocolate mixture.
- Quickly beat in flour until just combined. Pour batter evenly into the molds.
- Place the filled molds on a baking sheet and bake until the sides have set but the center remains soft, NO MORE THAN 6 to 7 MINUTES! The key to this dessert is it cannot be over cooked.
- Invert each mold onto a plate, let rest for 10 seconds before unmolding. To unmold, lift up one corner of the mold, the cake will fall out onto the plate.
- Melt each color of chocolate in a SEPARATE bowl in the microwave, heating in 30 second increments and stirring each time. It may take up to 4 rounds of heating.
- Place a glob of orange chocolate on the top of the mini volcano cake, letting it run down the sides.
- Drizzle the red down the sides crossing over the cake in a X shape pattern.
- Swirl gently with a spoon on the top to combine the orange and red, this will cause more chocolate to cascade down the sides mixing the orange and red for an realistic, explosive feel.
- Let it set for a few minutes, and serve.
Can you make the molten lava recipe and reheat it to get the melted center effect? I would like to take these to a party, but I really need to prepare them from home.
Hi Larissa, the key to this dessert is that it’s sort of “under cooked” so to speak. Heating it up later would most likely result in a “cooked through” center.
You may want to consider the recipe here https://celebrationsathomeblog.com/chocolate-lava-cakes-in-a-jar/
The center would not be quite as runny but would still be melted.
Hi. I’m so excited to make these this weekend. Have you ever whipped up more batter and then done them in batches? Does the batter have to be baked immediately? I have to do 6 batches.
Thanks, Lisa
Hi Lisa, I haven’t’ made tht many at once before so I can’t say definitively.
Sorry I can’t be of better help,
what pan did you use from william sonoma?
I found one by googling ‘ice cream cone pan’ they are actually quite popular. I hope to find one cheap on Ebay. Good Luck.
Andrea, I’ve also used a deep pan similar to this one, but with straight sides. I found it at one of the craft stores (JoAnn’s, Hobby Lobby, or Michael’s) for less than $10. Good luck!
What a really great Idea for a party! I would have never have thought of something like this, I like how you have used the food to represent things from prehistoric times, I especially like the volcano cakes, will definitely be using this as an idea for my nephews next birthday.
Manchester Plumbers
YUM!! Looks like it tastes great! 🙂