The ultimate dinner-party showstopper — individual dark chocolate lava cakes with a perfectly set outer cake and a dramatically flowing, warm liquid chocolate centre. Made with just 5 core ingredients and ready in 25 minutes.
Preheat your oven to 220°C (425°F). Generously butter four 6-ounce ramekins, then dust them with cocoa powder, tapping out any excess. Place ramekins on a baking sheet and refrigerate while you prepare the batter.
Melt the dark chocolate and butter together in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water (double boiler), stirring gently until completely smooth. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the whole eggs, egg yolks, and caster sugar vigorously for 2 full minutes until the mixture turns pale, thick, and forms a ribbon trail off the whisk. This step is essential for the cake's structure.
Pour the cooled chocolate mixture into the egg mixture and fold gently with a spatula. Sift in the 2 tablespoons of flour and fold once more until just combined and no flour streaks are visible. Divide the batter evenly between the chilled ramekins.
Bake the ramekins for exactly 11–12 minutes until the edges are completely set and a thin crust has formed on top, but the centre still has a definite jiggle when you gently shake the baking sheet. Run a knife around the edge of each ramekin, invert onto a plate, wait 10 seconds, then lift off. Finish with a pinch of flaky sea salt and serve immediately with vanilla ice cream.
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