Tag: Dessert Recipes

The spoon breaks through the warm chocolate cake and the middle gives. Glossy chocolate slips onto the plate, a streak of marshmallow follows, and toasted graham gives the soft cake a little crackle.

That reveal is half the fun of this S’mores Lava Cake. For it to actually taste like a s’more, the chocolate, marshmallow and graham need to stay recognizable instead of disappearing into one very sweet chocolate dessert.

If Domino’s S’mores Lava Cakes sent you looking, think of this as a homemade take rather than an exact copycat. Here, the center is molten chocolate, the marshmallow gets properly toasted, and some of the graham stays crisp.

Once the cakes reach the oven, remember one thing: set outside, moving inside.

---

S’mores Lava Cake Recipe

This recipe makes 4 individual cakes in 6-ounce / 175–180 ml ramekins. Bake at 425°F / 218°C. Start checking at 11 minutes; most should be ready somewhere around 11–13 minutes. Let the cake, not the clock, decide that final minute.

The separate chocolate center earns its extra step. It lets the outside become cake while melted chocolate waits in the middle instead of asking barely baked batter to provide all the lava.

Yield	4 individual cakes
Ramekins	4 × 6 oz / 175–180 ml
Ganache	Chill until thick enough to portion and shape
Bake	About 11–13 minutes; start checking at 11
Rest	1–2 minutes before unmolding
Best served	Immediately

You need 220 g / about 8 oz semisweet or bittersweet chocolate altogether, ideally around 60–65% cacao. Chop it all at once, set aside 50 g for the ganache, and use the remaining 170 g in the cake.

For the molten chocolate centers

• 50 g (1¾ oz) of the chopped semisweet or bittersweet chocolate
• 30 ml (2 tablespoons) heavy cream
• Small pinch of fine salt

For the graham cracker layer and crunch

• 45 g (about ½ cup) graham cracker crumbs
• 18 g (about 1¼ tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
• 5 g (about 1¼ teaspoons) granulated sugar
• Small pinch of fine salt

For the chocolate cake

• 170 g (6 oz) of the chopped chocolate
• 113 g (½ cup / 4 oz) unsalted butter, plus more for the ramekins
• 2 large eggs
• 2 large egg yolks
• 55 g (about ¼ cup plus 1 teaspoon) granulated sugar
• 24 g (about 3 tablespoons) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon fine salt
• 26 g marshmallow creme or fluff, divided among the 4 cakes; if you are not weighing it, divide into 4 small, roughly equal spoonfuls
• Unsweetened cocoa powder, for the ramekins

For finishing

• 4 large marshmallows, or enough mini marshmallows or marshmallow creme to top 4 cakes
• Reserved toasted graham cracker crumbs
• Dark or semisweet chocolate shavings, or a light chocolate drizzle
• Optional tiny pinch of flaky salt

What you need

Use four 6-ounce / 175–180 ml ceramic ramekins, a baking sheet, heatproof bowl, whisk and silicone spatula. A kitchen scale gives the most even results, but the cakes can still be divided carefully by eye. A thin knife or small offset spatula helps with unmolding, and you will want an oven mitt or folded dry kitchen towel for the hot ramekins.

If your oven tends to run hot or cool, an oven thermometer is worth using. In a bake this short, a minute can change the center noticeably.

Not sure how large your ramekins are? Fill one to the rim with water, then pour that water into a measuring jug.

Using an unfamiliar dish? See why ramekin shape changes the bake as well as capacity.

1. Make the chocolate centers

Put the reserved 50 g chopped chocolate in a small heatproof bowl.

Heat the cream until steaming. Pour it over the chocolate, wait about a minute, then stir slowly from the middle until smooth and glossy. Add a small pinch of salt.

Let the ganache cool for a few minutes, then refrigerate it until thick enough to scoop and hold a shape. How quickly that happens depends on the bowl, the chocolate and the refrigerator, so judge the texture rather than the clock.

Divide the thickened ganache into 4 roughly equal portions and flatten each into a small, low disc.

They don’t need to be perfect circles. Small and flat matters more.

If shaping softens them, return the discs to the refrigerator until they are firm enough to lift cleanly.

2. Toast the graham cracker crumbs

Mix the graham cracker crumbs with the melted butter, sugar and salt. Toast over medium-low heat for a few minutes, stirring often, until the crumbs smell nutty and deepen slightly in color.

Reserve roughly half for serving. The other half will be divided among the four ramekins in thin layers.

3. Prepare the oven and ramekins

Place an oven rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 425°F / 218°C. The timing here assumes a conventional oven. With fan or convection, use your oven’s usual adjustment and start looking sooner.

Set the ramekins on a baking sheet. Butter the interiors thoroughly, including around the upper edge, then dust lightly with cocoa and tap out the excess.

Divide the graham mixture meant for baking among the four ramekins and press it into thin layers across the bottoms. Once the cakes are inverted, the graham ends up on top beneath the marshmallow.

This is lava cake, not a miniature pie crust, so don’t build the layer up thickly.

4. Make the chocolate batter

Melt the remaining 170 g chocolate with the 113 g butter, either over barely simmering water or in short microwave bursts. Stir until smooth and let it cool for a few minutes.

In another bowl, whisk the whole eggs, yolks and sugar until the mixture looks smooth, slightly paler and a little thicker than when you started. Whisk in the vanilla and salt, then the warm chocolate mixture.

Add the flour and fold just until the last dry streak disappears.

Twenty-four grams looks like very little flour. It is. A heavy scoop can make a real difference in a cake this small, so weigh it if you can.

5. Fill the ramekins

For the most even cakes, weigh the finished batter and divide it into 4 equal portions. No scale? Divide the batter as evenly as you can by eye.

Put roughly half of one batter portion into a ramekin. Set a chilled ganache disc in the middle, then add one-quarter of the marshmallow filling. Cover the center with the remaining batter from that portion, then repeat with the other ramekins.

Before they go into the oven, look around the sides. If chocolate or marshmallow is touching the ramekin wall, nudge it inward and cover the spot with batter.

That border lets the cake survive the flip and still spill warm chocolate when the spoon reaches the middle.

Want the filling logic in one place? Jump to Keep the Lava in the Middle.

6. Bake

Start checking at 11 minutes.

The outer edge should look set and most of the wet shine on top should be gone. Movement should be concentrated in the middle rather than running across the entire surface.

Many 6-ounce ramekins will land somewhere around 11–13 minutes, but don’t force the cake to match the clock. A completely firm, motionless top usually means the center is already thickening.

Still unsure whether the center is molten or simply underbaked? Compare the doneness signs side by side.

7. Rest, flip and finish

Rest the cakes for 1–2 minutes. If one spot is hanging on, loosen it gently with a thin knife.

The flip is the slightly nerve-racking bit. Using an oven mitt or folded dry kitchen towel to protect your hand, put a serving plate over the hot ramekin, hold the two firmly together and turn them in one confident motion. Leave the ramekin upside down for about 10 seconds, then lift it straight up.

If the cake stands cleanly, finish it while the middle is still hot. If it feels too fragile to turn out, do not destroy dessert for the sake of presentation. Leave it in the ramekin and serve it warm there.

Cake stuck, collapsed or leaked? Go straight to the troubleshooting guide.

Toast and finish the s’mores topping

Top with a large marshmallow, a few minis or a spoonful of marshmallow creme and toast until browned in spots. Scatter over the reserved graham crumbs and, if you like, add chocolate shavings or a light drizzle of homemade chocolate syrup.

No kitchen torch? Brown whole or mini marshmallows briefly on lightly greased foil under a hot broiler, watching constantly, then move them onto the cakes.

Add a tiny pinch of flaky salt if the sweetness needs it.

Serve immediately. Put the cakes down whole and let everyone break into their own.

---

The Moment to Pull Them From the Oven

A lava cake is ready when the outer edge is set, the top has mostly lost its wet shine, and the remaining movement is concentrated in the center.

Molten, Not Raw: Read the Crumb

Don’t wait for the middle to become as still as the edge. The cakes keep cooking while they rest and while you get them onto the plate.

When you break it open	What happened	Next batch
Glossy melted chocolate flows from the middle, with some marshmallow through it; the cake around it looks baked	Right where you want it	Keep the timing
The cake itself looks wet, thin or streaky with uncooked batter	It came out too soon	Give the next batch about 1 minute more
The middle is soft and fudgy, but the chocolate barely spreads	A little too long in the oven	Check about 1 minute earlier
The middle looks much like the outside	The cake baked through	Start checking earlier and check the oven temperature

The liquid you want is melted chocolate and marshmallow from the middle. The cake around it should look cooked.

If you have made fudgy brownies, the judgment is similar: soft and chocolatey is not the same thing as wet, uncooked batter.

If you’re using an unfamiliar oven for an important dinner, a trial bake on another day is more useful than sacrificing one of the four cakes at serving time.

↑ Back to the recipe

Keep the Lava in the Middle

A large frozen ball of ganache can still be cold when the cake around it is ready. A small, flat chilled piece warms more readily.

The marshmallow doesn’t need to be generous either. A small portion gives you the sticky streak without crowding the chocolate filling.

Then give both fillings room: batter underneath, batter above, clean batter around the sides.

Chocolate, Marshmallow & Graham Each Need a Job

Semisweet or bittersweet chocolate around 60–65% cacao is a good middle ground. Milk chocolate can work, but beside marshmallow it pushes the finished cake much sweeter.

Chocolate chips can work in a pinch, though chopped bar chocolate usually melts more freely—especially useful in a molten chocolate cake where you actually want movement in the middle.

Marshmallow creme gives you the sticky pull inside. Browned marshmallow on top gives you something else entirely: caramelized edges and the toasted smell that makes the dessert register as s’mores before the first bite.

Graham is the awkward one because moisture wins eventually. The thin baked layer carries the graham flavor; the crumbs saved for serving bring back the crunch. Trying to keep buried cracker crumbs crisp inside warm chocolate and marshmallow is a losing argument with physics.

Your Ramekin Changes the Bake

Two 6-ounce ramekins are not necessarily the same bake. A broad, shallow dish spreads the batter thinner; a narrow, deeper one puts more distance between the heat and the middle.

The 11–13 minute range above is meant for the stated 6-ounce capacity, but even within that size the physical cues matter more than hitting one exact minute.

How to measure your ramekin

Fill it to the rim with water, then pour that water into a measuring jug.

• 4 oz ramekin: roughly 120 ml
• 6 oz ramekin: roughly 175–180 ml
• 8 oz ramekin: roughly 235 ml

Use those numbers to identify what you own. The 4-ounce and 8-ounce sizes are not direct substitutes for the timing above; changing the capacity changes the depth of the cake and therefore the bake.

No ramekins? A muffin pan is possible

A metal muffin pan is a possible variation, but this recipe’s timing is written for 6-ounce ceramic ramekins. Standard muffin wells are smaller and metal heats faster.

If you try it, use smaller portions of cake and filling and begin checking several minutes earlier. Treat the first batch as a separate variation rather than borrowing another lava-cake recipe’s timing.

↑ Back to the recipe

Make Them Ahead, Then Move Fast

Most of this dessert can be organized before the moment you want to serve it. The few minutes after baking are the part you can’t pause.

You can assemble the cakes earlier the same day, cover them and refrigerate them. Let them lose some of their refrigerator chill before baking, and expect fully cold cakes to behave differently from freshly assembled ones.

I wouldn’t promise a fixed extra bake time for a fully chilled cake. Use the set edge and movement in the middle to decide when it is ready.

Set out the plates, marshmallow and graham crumbs before the tray goes in. You don’t want to be hunting through a cupboard while four lava cakes quietly become four chocolate cakes.

Fix the Cake in Front of You

No flowing center? The usual culprits are too much oven time, an oven running hot, too much flour, or simply waiting too long to serve.

What you see	Likely cause	What to change
The cake around the filling looks raw	It needed a little longer	Add about 1 minute to the next batch
The cake collapses when flipped	The outside needed longer, or there was too much filling	Give it a little more oven time or reduce the filling next time
The cake sticks	The ramekin was not coated thoroughly, or the outside is very soft	Loosen the stuck area; serve in the ramekin if necessary
Chocolate or marshmallow leaks during baking	The filling reached the side or top	Center the filling more carefully next time
The chocolate barely melts	The ganache piece was too large, thick or very cold	Make smaller, flatter chilled pieces

Too sweet? Use bittersweet rather than milk chocolate, measure the marshmallow instead of heaping it in, and skip powdered sugar unless you specifically want it. A little salt usually helps more.

Chocolatey, but not really s’mores? One of the three has probably gone quiet. Brown the marshmallow more deeply, bring back the reserved graham crumbs, or use chocolate with a little more cocoa character.

Graham went soft? Some softening is normal anywhere crumbs touch warm cake or marshmallow. Add the reserved crumbs at the very end for the contrast that matters.

↑ Back to the recipe

Swaps Worth Knowing

Chocolate chips: yes, though chopped bar chocolate generally melts more freely in both the batter and ganache.

Digestive biscuits: yes. Use plain digestives by weight. If yours are already quite sweet and buttery, leave the extra sugar out of the crumb mixture.

Cocoa powder for the melted chocolate: not gram for gram. Melted chocolate contributes cocoa butter as well as cocoa solids, so a direct dry-cocoa swap changes the way the cake sets.

Regular marshmallows inside: possible, but less predictable. They expand and melt unevenly. I would rather put them on top, where those toasted edges are useful.

Eggless, vegan or gluten-free: those versions need their own formula rather than a casual swap. If eggs or dairy are the issue, this vegan chocolate cake collection includes a dedicated vegan chocolate lava cake.

Leftovers & Reheating

These are much better freshly baked. The contrast between set cake and a flowing middle does not last forever.

Refrigerate leftovers once cool. For the best texture, keep it short and eat them within 1–2 days. Reheat gently in short microwave bursts until warm. The middle can become gooey again, but it won’t be quite the same cake.

If you’re planning ahead, assembling and baking later makes more sense than baking the cakes early and trying to rebuild the lava at serving time.

---

Take the cakes to the table while the centers are still loose. The marshmallow should smell toasted, the graham should crackle here and there, and once the spoon breaks through the cake, the chocolate should not need much introduction.

↑ Back to the recipe · ↑ Back to top