Microwave Chocolate Lava Cake in 70 Seconds

This is a chocolate cake for one, made in a bowl and cooked in 70 seconds. No oven, no pan, no waiting for anything to preheat. The center stays molten because a whole chocolate truffle sits in the middle of the batter and melts while the cake sets around it.

The batter is five dry things and two wet things you probably already have: flour, baking powder, sugar, cocoa powder, salt, oil and milk. You stir it to a paste, drop in the truffle, and microwave. That's the whole recipe.

One warning before you start. Seventy seconds is the number that works in most microwaves, but a more powerful machine can dry the cake out. Read the doneness cue below and trust your eyes over the timer.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Stir the dry ingredients

Put the flour, baking powder, sugar, cocoa powder and salt in a small bowl. Mix until the color is even and no cocoa lumps are left.

2. Add the oil and milk

Pour in the oil and milk and stir until you get a thick, smooth paste. Scrape it into a microwave-safe bowl or large mug.

3. Bury the truffle

Push the chocolate truffle into the middle of the batter so it's completely covered. Smooth the batter over the top.

4. Microwave for 70 seconds

Cook on full power for about 70 seconds. The edges should look set and the center still soft and glossy. If it's still wet on top, add 10 seconds.

5. Top and eat

Let it sit for a minute, then add a scoop of ice cream if you like. Eat it warm, while the middle is still runny.

Tips & Tricks

• Use a microwave-safe bowl or mug with room to spare. The cake rises as it cooks and can spill over the rim if the bowl is full to the top.
• Mix the dry ingredients first, before any liquid goes in. Cocoa powder clumps, and lumps in the dry mix turn into bitter pockets in the finished cake.
• Push the truffle down so it sits in the middle of the batter, not on top. If it touches the surface it can scorch.
• Stop the microwave at 60 seconds and look. If the top is still wet and jiggly, add 10 seconds at a time.

Variations

Nutella center

swap the truffle for a rounded tablespoon of Nutella, pushed into the middle the same way.

Peanut butter center

use a spoon of peanut butter plus a few chocolate chips for a salty, melty middle.

Mocha version

stir a pinch of instant coffee into the dry mix to deepen the chocolate flavor.

How to Store Microwave Chocolate Lava Cake

Frequently Asked Questions

Microwave Chocolate Lava Cake in 70 Seconds

One small bowl, one mug, 70 seconds in the microwave and you get a warm chocolate lava cake with a molten truffle center. Single serving, no oven needed.

5 minPrep time2 minCook time8 minTotal1Servings

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Ingredients

• ¼ cup flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• â…› teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 chocolate truffle
• 1 scoop ice cream (optional)

Instructions

1. 1Stir the dry ingredients — Put the flour, baking powder, sugar, cocoa powder and salt in a small bowl. Mix until the color is even and no cocoa lumps are left.
2. 2Add the oil and milk — Pour in the oil and milk and stir until you get a thick, smooth paste. Scrape it into a microwave-safe bowl or large mug.
3. 3Bury the truffle — Push the chocolate truffle into the middle of the batter so it's completely covered. Smooth the batter over the top.
4. 4Microwave for 70 seconds — Cook on full power for about 70 seconds. The edges should look set and the center still soft and glossy. If it's still wet on top, add 10 seconds.
5. 5Top and eat — Let it sit for a minute, then add a scoop of ice cream if you like. Eat it warm, while the middle is still runny.

Cook's note: Seventy seconds is a starting point, not a rule. Your microwave's wattage decides the real time, so check at 60 seconds and add small bursts until the edges are set and the middle still looks soft.

Servings: 1

Cuisine: American

Course: Dessert

RecipesCooker5 minutes2 minutes8 minutes

Written by Marta Kowalczyk
Muffins & quick breads are my whole kitchen philosophy: one bowl, a whisk, and a batter that goes from counter to oven before the coffee cools. I write for cooks who want banana bread and blueberry muffins that work on a Tuesday, with ingredient swaps and bake times tested in an ordinary home oven. My angle is making quick breads forgiving, so a slightly overripe fruit or a forgotten timer still ends in something worth slicing.