Easy Pumpkin Lava Cake
Whether you're a seasoned baker or a novice in the kitchen, this easy Pumpkin Lava Cake dessert recipe is a breeze to prepare, and the result is a melt-in-your-mouth delight that will leave your taste buds dancing. It's the perfect fall sweet indulgence that combines the flavors of pumpkin with the richness of chocolate!
Ingredients
Chocolate Ganache Ingredients:
- 2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Lava Cake Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons dry milk (or sub with 1 teaspoon heavy cream)
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Put the chocolate chips and heavy cream in a small microwave-safe bowl. Heat in 20–30 second bursts, stirring between each, until smooth. Stir in the vanilla.Cover and refrigerate for an hour or until solid and scoopable, not runny. This step is necessary so the center stays in the middle.Use two 6–8 oz oven-safe ceramic or glass ramekins or 4 smaller ones. Butter them well, then dust with flour and tap out the extra. Do not use plastic.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar, powdered sugar, pumpkin , egg and egg yolk, vanilla, and dry milk or heavy cream. Whisk until combined. It does not need to look perfectly smooth.Add the flour, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Whisk just until no dry streaks remain. Do not overmix.
- Pour the lava cake mixture evenly into the prepared ramekins (either 2 - 4 ramekins). Divide most of the batter between the two or four ramekins (about ⅔ full), leaving enough batter to cover the top to hide the chocolate ganache.Spoon the chilled ganache into the center of each. Cover any exposed chocolate with the remaining batter so the top is mostly sealed. Fill only about ¾ full so they don’t overflow.
- Bake. For the Oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Bake the two lava cakes for about 18 minutes. The edges should be firm and the middle should be slightly squishy. If using 4 smaller ramekins, bake for about 12-15 minutes.For the Air Fryer. Preheat the air fryer to 380 F. Bake the 2 ramekins for 13–16 minutes. For the 4 smaller ramekins, bake between 7-10 minutes. They're done when the edges look set though the center is still slightly soft/squishy.To test, tap the side of the ramekin. If the whole thing ripples like pudding, it needs more time. If only the very center jiggles and the walls look set, pull it. Cool for a 2-3 minutes then run a butter knife around the edges to loosen from the ramekin.
- Flip upside down onto a plate and serve with vanilla ice cream! Or enjoy it straight from the ramekin!
Notes
Notes:
- Skipping dry milk is fine. The pumpkin, brown sugar, butter, spice, and chocolate do the flavor work.
- The ganache must be chilled. The filled-ramekin chill is optional.
- ½ cup butter + ⅓ cup pumpkin + only ¼ cup flour is a very rich, wet batter on purpose. That is why it stays molten if you don’t overbake.
- If the center comes out solid, it cooked too long. Next time, pull it earlier.
- If the cakes stick, the ramekins were not buttered and floured well enough.
Nutrition
Calories: 513kcalCarbohydrates: 44gProtein: 5gFat: 36gSaturated Fat: 22gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 168mgSodium: 358mgPotassium: 200mgFiber: 2gSugar: 34gVitamin A: 4238IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 63mgIron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!