Copycat Chili’s Molten Lava Cake Recipe

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5 from 1 vote
Published: February 28, 2022Updated: April 21, 2022Author: Elyse Ellis
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Ooey Gooey center, melted icream dripping down the sides, hot fudge drizzled on top. Do I have your attention yet? GOOD! You need to make this!
Copycat Chili’s Molten Lava Cake Recipe

If you asked me my favorite dessert, I would tell you Chili’s Molten Lava Cake without any hesitation!  

I don’t know if anything gets better than moist chocolate cake with a gooey center topped with vanilla ice cream and chocolate shell topping.  Seriously, it is perfection!  You’ll be shocked how easy this recipe is to make!

Copycat Chili’s Molten Lava Cake topped with a scoop of ice cream and chocolate sauce

So, we love this recipe so much. You can bake them and then when they have cooled, put them into freezer Ziploc bags and stack them in your freezer.

When you are ready for a delicious dessert, just pull them out of the freezer and thaw at room temp for about an hour.

Here is the recipe for Chili’s Molten Hot Fudge Molten Lava Cakes that make 12 cakes at a time. This is the recipe our mom used when making hundreds for a wedding reception. They are moist and so delicious and use a cake mix.

Easy Copycat Chili's Molten Lava Cakes from SixSistersStuff.com. You probably have all the ingredients on hand to make these!

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 Tips when making molten hot lava cakes:

  1. If you don’t have oven safe bowls, you can get some Pyrex bowls HERE.  You can also use a muffin tin, but instead of making 4, it will make 6 smaller ones.
  2. I would suggest buying Nestle, or Kroger Milk Chocolate Chips. They just tend to melt better in the microwave.
  3. Make sure you spray the bowls well with non stick spray, so they will come out easier.
  4. Bake on a cookie sheet. This is important just in case it goes over the edge! Then it will be on your cookie sheet instead of burning on the bottom of your oven.
  5. When it is done, don’t let it cool for too long! Remember, you want to eat them HOT and Gooey! (well, at least I do!)

Looking for more of Six Sisters’ Stuff Copy Cat recipes? Find our favorites here:

Serves: 4

Copycat Chili’s Molten Lava Cake Recipe

5 from 1 vote
Ooey Gooey center, melted icream dripping down the sides, hot fudge drizzled on top. Do I have your attention yet? GOOD! You need to make this!
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 15 mins
Total Time 25 mins
Print Pin

Ingredients

  • 1 cup milk chocolate chips (or semi sweet)
  • ½ cup butter
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 egg yolk
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 6 Tablespoons flour
  • caramel sauce for drizzling
  • Vanilla ice cream
  • Smuckers Chocolate Magic Shell ice cream topping for drizzling

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  • In a microwave-safe bowl combine chocolate chips and butter. Microwave for 2 minutes and whisk until smooth.
  • Whisk in powdered sugar until combined.
  • Add 3 eggs and 1 egg yolk, and whisk until combined.
  • Add vanilla and flour and mix again.
  • Generously spray four 1 cup oven-safe cups with cooking spray, and evenly fill with batter.
  • Bake on a cookie sheet in the oven for 13-15 minutes until the outer edges are set and the center is still soft.
  • Remove from oven and let cool for 2-3 minutes before inverting onto a plate drizzled with caramel sauce.
  • Top cake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and drizzle magic shell topping on top.

Video

Notes

Recipe adapted from I Wash, You Dry

Nutrition

Calories: 571 kcal · Carbohydrates: 58 g · Protein: 6 g · Fat: 36 g · Saturated Fat: 21 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 2 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 8 g · Trans Fat: 1 g · Cholesterol: 241 mg · Sodium: 263 mg · Potassium: 71 mg · Fiber: 1 g · Sugar: 46 g · Vitamin A: 952 IU · Calcium: 33 mg · Iron: 1 mg

Equipment

  • Microwave Safe Bowl
  • 4 1 cup, Oven Safe Cups
  • Cookie Sheet
  • Non-stick Cooking Spray

Recipe Details

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Copycat Chili’s Molten Lava Cake

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  1. Monica says:
    February 4, 2017
    Can you make and hold the cooking?
    Reply
    • Wendy says:
      November 9, 2017
      Yes you can..!
      Reply
  2. Rachel Radue says:
    September 19, 2017
    I'm confused. What makes the "lava" inside? The warm runny chocolate that's inside the cake????
    Reply
    • Cyd says:
      September 25, 2017
      It just happens with the ingredients! Trust us! This is one of our favorite dessert recipes.
      Reply
    • Kelly says:
      September 4, 2020
      My kids loved this! It is spot on first chili's lava cake.
      Reply
  3. CVD says:
    November 2, 2017
    I just made this and it was yummy ?
    Reply
  4. Cindy says:
    December 23, 2017
    Can I make them the day before and warm them to surve
    Reply
  5. Sarah says:
    February 28, 2018
    Do you use plain flour or self rising?
    Reply
    • Cyd says:
      March 1, 2018
      We used regular all purpose flour.
      Reply
    • Larry Twoass says:
      May 11, 2020
      yes
      Reply
  6. Annie says:
    March 26, 2018
    What size of the egg? Medium or large?
    Reply
    • Cyd says:
      March 26, 2018
      We always use large eggs.
      Reply
  7. Mary says:
    April 11, 2018
    Loved this super easy recipe. I wasn’t sure how the large amount of confectioners sugar and the small amount of flour would work out in a “cake”, but it was fantastic. Now one of my grandkid’s go-to dessert recipes. Thanks
    Reply
  8. Angel says:
    April 26, 2018
    I just tried this but I didn't have a gooey center. I may have placed this in the oven a minute or so longer than I should have. It was delicious though. Thank you for sharing the recipe
    Reply
  9. Kas says:
    September 9, 2018
    When your mom made these and froze them, how did she warm them for the reception? It's just my husband and I and he does not eat dessert. And fortunately I cannot eat all of them myself LOL.
    Reply
    • Cyd says:
      September 14, 2018
      Hi Kas. I am the mom of the Six Sisters. We did not serve them warm for the reception. They were served at room temp. But they are best when served warm. You can easily microwave them and they are so amazing. Maybe microwave for about 20 - 30 seconds. You'll just have to experiment on the length of time to heat them up. Enjoy! They are so yummy. We had hot fudge on them at the reception, so that warmed them up a little. :)
      Reply
  10. Kait says:
    September 14, 2018
    I don’t understand what makes the runny center. It was just a cake and not super goey either when completely cooked. It must have been I put the cake in the oven a minute or two longer.
    Reply
  11. Ashley Hall says:
    February 5, 2019
    How long should I cook them in a muffin tin?
    Reply
    • Cyd says:
      February 6, 2019
      You will kind of have to keep an eye on them. It will be less cooking time. Cook until the outer edges are set and the middle is still kind of soft.
      Reply
  12. Deanna says:
    February 20, 2019
    Is it possible to make this dairy free? Could I use coconut oil or Crisco instead of butter? I have dairy free chocolate chips.
    Reply
    • Cyd says:
      February 26, 2019
      We have not made this recipe using coconut oil or Crisco. So we can't give you an accurate answer. But if you have used it as a substitute before in a cake recipe that is similar, it will probably work out fine.
      Reply
  13. Haley says:
    July 15, 2019
    How many lava cakes does this recipe make? I’m excited to try it!
    Reply
    • Cyd says:
      August 12, 2019
      This recipe makes 4.
      Reply
  14. Christym says:
    February 16, 2020
    What size muffin tin was used for this. It sounds very yummy.
    Reply
    • Cyd says:
      February 17, 2020
      This is the fluted muffin pan we used. https://amzn.to/2SD8pfw
      Reply
  15. Leola says:
    May 1, 2020
    Can I make the batter ahead of time and bake later?
    Reply
    • Cyd says:
      May 6, 2020
      We have only baked these lava cakes right after making the batter. The good thing is that you can make the batter in 10 minutes or less.
      Reply
  16. Pamela Bailey says:
    May 16, 2020
    Do you use milk chocolate chips or semisweet? In your notes above you suggest Nestle or Kroger milk chocolate chips, but the recipe says semisweet.
    Reply
    • Cyd says:
      May 22, 2020
      We used Milk Chocolate Chips, but if you love semi sweet that will work too.
      Reply
  17. Rabia Shaik says:
    September 18, 2020
    I made this today, and I cooked it for exactly 13 minutes, but the middle wasn't runny :(
    Reply
  18. Lu says:
    October 10, 2020
    I accidentally used more sugar instead of flour...
    Reply
  19. Kathy says:
    November 7, 2020
    My family loved this cake! It was so easy to make. We will definitely have it again and again.
    Reply
  20. Rebecca says:
    December 6, 2020
    The instructions say to spray four 1 cup bowls and links bowls on Amazon, but the linked bowls are four cups each. What size bowls should be used in this recipe?
    Reply
    • Momma Cyd says:
      December 9, 2020
      Thanks so much for catching that. We have updated the post. Here is the link to the bowls. 6 ounce Pyrex bowls
      Reply
  21. Joy and Annelise says:
    December 16, 2020
    My daughter and I made these. I didn't think it would work because there is no rising agent in the recipe. But they turned out great!
    Reply
  22. Ana says:
    January 24, 2021
    Hello! I am new at baking. I wonder - can I substitute the powdered sugar for cocoa powder? Thanks!
    Reply
    • Momma Cyd says:
      January 26, 2021
      That will not work out well for this recipe.
      Reply
      • Ana says:
        January 27, 2021
        Thanks so much for the reply. I bought the powdered sugar and will try the recipe this weekend! :)
        Reply
        • Momma Cyd says:
          February 3, 2021
          Good luck! It's so yummy!
          Reply
  23. Linda Adkins says:
    February 3, 2021
    These are AWESOME ! CAN you make these into brownies maybe 8x8 pan ? What's your thoughts and how long should I bake them ? Thanks
    Reply
    • Momma Cyd says:
      February 9, 2021
      We have only made these as directed on the recipe. We have not tried them in an 8x8 inch pan.
      Reply
  24. Ana says:
    April 10, 2021
    I baked them a while ago and they were heavenly!! I searched and your recipe is the best and easiest of all. I left a couple in the freezer and ate them later and they were so fresh and delicious! I don’t have a Chili’s in NYC but thanks to you I have my lava molten cake! Thanks so much :)
    Reply
    • Momma Cyd says:
      April 12, 2021
      We are so glad to hear that you like these copycat Molten Lava Cakes. Have a great week!!
      Reply
  25. Edith says:
    June 18, 2022
    My guests went wild over it. Thank you for the recipe 👍🏻

    5 stars

    Reply
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