The Best Air Fryer Molten Lava Cake

Molten Lava Air Fryer Cake from scratch!

These air fryer cakes are so delicious and dangerously easy to make. They are incredibly easy and perfect for a new air fryer owner! If you want to go a bit healthier, find our list of 24 Healthy Air Fryer recipes!

Mix up all of the ingredients, then just bake in the air fryer for about 10 minutes. They taste amazing, especially served with vanilla ice cream! I almost couldn’t believe this delicious chocolate cake came out of my air fryer. If you love this one, you’ll want to check out these other delicious air fryer desserts like this one!

Can you bake a cake in an air fryer?

That’s a big yes! An air fryer can be pretty awesome for cake (and other air fryer desserts like these air fryer donuts or air fryer cookies!).

Why? Because there’s no need to preheat and it doesn’t heat up the whole house like an oven. The cook time is often less with an air fryer too because it circulates air more quickly than a convection oven. I have a Philips XXL Airfryer and love it!

Air Fryer Cake Ingredients

The flavor of these molten lava air fryer cakes is highly dependent on the chocolate you use, so choose a good quality chocolate. For this recipe, you’ll want to go with a bittersweet chocolate, about 60% cacao.

I highly recommend using two 4-ounce Ghirardelli Bittersweet 60% cacao baking bars. Find them at most grocery stores right next to the chocolate chips.

You can try using chocolate chips instead, but they may not melt or ooze as well as the high quality baking bar. And your results may vary because the ingredients in chocolate chips often vary!

How will I know when the air fryer cake is done?

About 10 minutes in the air fryer at 400°F should do it. You can go a little less, at about 8 minutes, for a more runny center, or keep it at about 10 minutes for a thicker center. Note that after the first batch, your air fryer will be warmed up more, so a second batch may require a minute or so less cooking time.

The cakes are done when the tops look cakey with large cracks and the edges may be darker. There may be some molten chocolate oozing in some of the cracks too, but not necessary.

If you’re concerned about whether or not the cakes are done, especially with all of those eggs in there, know that eggs are considered safe when cooked to an internal temperature of 160°F. Use an instant thermometer to check your air fryer cake, if desired. When I checked, the cakes were definitely at a higher temperature than 160°F.

Please be careful because those ramekins are HOT when the air fryer cake is done cooking! Use some sort of pot holder, oven mitt, or pit mitt to remove the ramekins from the air fryer.

What size ramekins should I use?

I use 6-ounce ramekins in this recipe, but you can try using a 4-ounce or 8-ounce with cooking time adjusted accordingly. A smaller container will usually require less cooking time. The yield may also vary depending on the size of ramekin you use. Use an instant read thermometer and aim for an internal temp of 160˚.

If you don’t own any ramekins, you can try using silicone baking cups, custard cups, or another similar small oven-proof container. I have the HIC 6-ounce ramekins.

Can I freeze air fryer cake?

Yes! Make sure the baked lava air fryer cakes cool completely first, then wrap them up and freeze them for up to 3 months.

You can make the batter ahead of time! Store the batter in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. For best results, allow the batter to come to room temperature before cooking in the air fryer.

More air fryer dessert recipes:

• Air Fryer Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Air Fryer Donuts
• Air Fryer S’mores
• 10 Easy Air Fryer Desserts

See more of our favorite air fryer recipes!

The Best Air Fryer Molten Lava Cake

You won't believe how quick and easy this delicious chocolate molten lava air fryer cake recipe is! Enjoy for a special occasion or just a special treat!

4.80 / 5 ( 15 Reviews )

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Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes minutes

Serves: 6

Adjust Servings: 6

US CustomaryMetric

Equipment

• Air Fryer
• Ramekin

Ingredients

• 8 ounces Ghirardelli bittersweet 60% cacao chocolate baking bar 227 grams
• 10 tablespoons unsalted butter 141.8 grams
• 3 large eggs
• 3 egg yolks
• ½ teaspoon salt 4 grams
• 1 ½ cups powdered sugar 170 grams
• ½ cup all-purpose flour 70 grams

Instructions

• Grease or spray six oven-safe 6-ounce ramekins.
• Break the chocolate bars into pieces. Combine chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe bowl and heat at half power for about 1 1/2 minutes, stirring about every 30 seconds, until smooth. Or use double boiler method on the stovetop, if preferred.
• Add salt, powdered sugar, and flour. Stir until well combine. Mixture will be very thick, like cookie dough.
• Add eggs and egg yolks and whisk until well combined. Batter will be fudgy and thick, but pourable.
• Divide batter evenly among ramekins. Place as many as fit in your air fryer into the air fryer basket.
• Cook at 400˚F/204˚C in the air fryer for about 8-10 minutes. 8 minutes for more runny center and 10 for thicker. Top of cakes will look cakey with cracks and darker edges. Allow to set for 2 minutes. The ramekins will be hot!
• Run a knife around edged to loosen cakes. Invert onto a plate and tap the bottom of ramekin to help release cake. May need to gently wiggle it a little too. Don't skip the tapping or part of your cake may stick to the ramekin.
• Serve warm garnished with powdered sugar, berries, whipped cream, or ice cream.

Recipe Notes

If using salted butter, decrease salt to 1/4 teaspoon (1.25 ml)

Nutrition

Calories: 574kcal | Carbohydrates: 61g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 36g | Sodium: 239mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 49g

Recipe Source: Bitz & Giggles