Copycat Chili’s Molten Lava Cake

Name: Copycat Chili’s Molten Lava Cake Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 1 cup milk chocolate chips ( (or semi sweet)); ½ cup butter; 1 cup powdered sugar; 3 eggs; 1 egg yolk; ½ teaspoon vanilla extract; 6 Tablespoons flour; caramel sauce (for drizzling); Vanilla ice cream; Smuckers Chocolate Magic Shell ice cream topping (for drizzling)

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56 Comments

4.85 from 13 votes

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Enjoy our copycat version of Chili’s Molten Lava Cake, featuring an gooey center, melted ice cream, and drizzled with hot fudge.

If you asked me my favorite dessert, I would tell you Chili’s Molten Lava Cake without any hesitation. I don’t know if anything gets better than moist chocolate cake with a gooey center topped with vanilla ice cream and chocolate shell topping. Seriously, it is perfection! You’ll be shocked how easy this recipe is to make!

Recipe Ingredient Notes

To make Chili’s Molten Lava Cake, you will need the following ingredients:

1 cup milk chocolate chips, (or semi sweet)
½ cup butter
1 cup powdered sugar
3 eggs
1 egg yolk
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
6 Tablespoons flour
Caramel sauce, for drizzling
Vanilla ice cream
Smuckers Chocolate Magic Shell

Equipment Needed

For this recipe, you only need a few simple kitchen tools. We recommend using the following equipment:

How to Make Chili’s Molten Lava Cakes

Preheat oven to 400℉.
In a microwave-safe bowl combine chocolate chips and butter. Microwave for 2 minutes and whisk until smooth.
Whisk in powdered sugar until combined.
Add 3 eggs and 1 egg yolk, and whisk until combined.
Add vanilla and flour and mix again.
Generously spray four 1 cup oven-safe cups with cooking spray, and evenly fill with batter.
Bake on a cookie sheet in the oven for 13-15 minutes until the outer edges are set and the center is still soft.
Remove from oven and let cool for 2-3 minutes before inverting onto a plate drizzled with caramel sauce.
Top cake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and drizzle magic shell topping on top.

Recipe Tips

If you don’t have oven safe bowls, you can get some Pyrex bowls HERE. You can also use a muffin tin, but instead of making 4, it will make 6 smaller ones.
I would suggest buying Nestle, or Kroger Milk Chocolate Chips. They just tend to melt better in the microwave.
Make sure you spray the bowls well with non stick spray, so they will come out easier.
Bake on a cookie sheet. This is important just in case it goes over the edge! Then it will be on your cookie sheet instead of burning on the bottom of your oven.
When it is done, don’t let it cool for too long! Remember, you want to eat them HOT and Gooey! (well, at least I do!)

Storage and Freezing Suggestions

Once the cakes have cooled completely, place them in an airtight, Ziploc freezer bag. They stack nicely in the freezer. When you are ready for a delicious dessert, pull one out and let it thaw at room temperature for about an hour.

Enjoy More Delicious Chocolate Cake Recipes

Somedays there’s nothing we want more than a slice of chocolate cake. Check out our comprehensive list of cake recipes here.

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Questions & Reviews

Impulsive Addict says:

I'm drooling! This looks amazing! It's fat free, right? ;)
Camille says:

@ Impulsive Addict- Of course! :) I'm pretty sure calories don't count during the holidays! Ha ha!
Lisa says:

That is a work of art.
edavis3 says:

when mixing the cake mix and pudding, do you actually MAKE the cake and instant pudding like the box says? or do you just mix the powder together??
Camille says:

Just mix the powders together! Disregard anything that it says on the cake mix box and the pudding box and just use the ingredients and directions from my recipe. :) They are yummy! Hope you like them!
Bonnie and Trish @ Uncommon says:

oh my!! you girls do not help my diet! but, it is soooo yummy! ;) Bonnie @ Uncommon
Alisa says:

I made these for Super Bowl Sunday. They were fabulous!! I used a cupcake pan and baked them for 13-14 minutes. They were perfect! So yummy that I made them again 2 days later. Thanks Ladies!
Wendi Weiks says:

Made these last nite and they were a hit!!! A question about reheating from frozen tho...what do you find works best?? Seems like microwave would be easy, but might burn the choc chips? Sounds like you all have reheated them a few times tho, so I'll trust your opinion, lol. Thanks!!
Grace says:

Hi! Would love to know ...what is the best way to reheat these without drying out cake and burning chocolate chips? Thanks
Monica says:

Can you make and hold the cooking?
Rachel Radue says:

I'm confused. What makes the "lava" inside? The warm runny chocolate that's inside the cake????
Cyd says:

It just happens with the ingredients! Trust us! This is one of our favorite dessert recipes.
Chistela says:

I just made this and it was yummy!
Wendy says:

Yes you can..!
Cindy says:

Can I make them the day before and warm them to surve
Cyd says:

Hi Sarah. I'm the mom of the six sisters and made so many of these for my daughter's wedding. I have only made these in the little fluted mold pan, but I really think you could make it in a pan version. An 8 inch pan might be too small. Looking over the ingredients I think a 9 x 13 inch pan might be better. As far as the cooking time, you'll just have to watch closely. Be prepared to experiment with a batch or two to get it right. (sorry about that because the cost of ingredients add up!) I would love to hear how it all turns out if you try this in a pan. They are seriously so delicious. We have an updated picture that I will try and add to this post soon.
Sarah says:

Do you use plain flour or self rising?
Cyd says:

We used regular all purpose flour.
Annie says:

What size of the egg? Medium or large?
Cyd says:

We always use large eggs.
Mary says:

Loved this super easy recipe. I wasn’t sure how the large amount of confectioners sugar and the small amount of flour would work out in a “cake”, but it was fantastic. Now one of my grandkid’s go-to dessert recipes. Thanks
Angel says:

I just tried this but I didn't have a gooey center. I may have placed this in the oven a minute or so longer than I should have. It was delicious though. Thank you for sharing the recipe
Kas says:

When your mom made these and froze them, how did she warm them for the reception? It's just my husband and I and he does not eat dessert. And fortunately I cannot eat all of them myself LOL.
Cyd says:

Hi Kas. I am the mom of the Six Sisters. We did not serve them warm for the reception. They were served at room temp. But they are best when served warm. You can easily microwave them and they are so amazing. Maybe microwave for about 20 - 30 seconds. You'll just have to experiment on the length of time to heat them up. Enjoy! They are so yummy. We had hot fudge on them at the reception, so that warmed them up a little. :)
Kait says:

I don’t understand what makes the runny center. It was just a cake and not super goey either when completely cooked. It must have been I put the cake in the oven a minute or two longer.
Ashley Hall says:

How long should I cook them in a muffin tin?
Cyd says:

You will kind of have to keep an eye on them. It will be less cooking time. Cook until the outer edges are set and the middle is still kind of soft.
Deanna says:

Is it possible to make this dairy free? Could I use coconut oil or Crisco instead of butter? I have dairy free chocolate chips.
Cyd says:

We have not made this recipe using coconut oil or Crisco. So we can't give you an accurate answer. But if you have used it as a substitute before in a cake recipe that is similar, it will probably work out fine.
Cyd says:

Just add in the dry pudding mix to the recipe.
Christym says:

What size muffin tin was used for this. It sounds very yummy.
Cyd says:

This is the fluted muffin pan we used. https://amzn.to/2SD8pfw
RoMi says:

SO you don't use eggs for the lava cake made with boxed cake mix
Leola says:

Can I make the batter ahead of time and bake later?
Cyd says:

We have only baked these lava cakes right after making the batter. The good thing is that you can make the batter in 10 minutes or less.
Larry Twoass says:

yes
Pamela Bailey says:

Do you use milk chocolate chips or semisweet? In your notes above you suggest Nestle or Kroger milk chocolate chips, but the recipe says semisweet.
Cyd says:

We used Milk Chocolate Chips, but if you love semi sweet that will work too.
Kelly says:

My kids loved this! It is spot on first chili's lava cake.
Rabia Shaik says:

I made this today, and I cooked it for exactly 13 minutes, but the middle wasn't runny :(
Lu says:

I accidentally used more sugar instead of flour...
Kathy says:

My family loved this cake! It was so easy to make. We will definitely have it again and again.
Rebecca says:

The instructions say to spray four 1 cup bowls and links bowls on Amazon, but the linked bowls are four cups each. What size bowls should be used in this recipe?
Momma Cyd says:

Thanks so much for catching that. We have updated the post. Here is the link to the bowls. 6 ounce Pyrex bowls
Joy and Annelise says:

My daughter and I made these. I didn't think it would work because there is no rising agent in the recipe. But they turned out great!
Ana says:

Hello! I am new at baking. I wonder - can I substitute the powdered sugar for cocoa powder? Thanks!
Momma Cyd says:

That will not work out well for this recipe.
Ana says:

Thanks so much for the reply. I bought the powdered sugar and will try the recipe this weekend! :)
Momma Cyd says:

Good luck! It's so yummy!
Linda Adkins says:

These are AWESOME ! CAN you make these into brownies maybe 8x8 pan ? What's your thoughts and how long should I bake them ? Thanks
Momma Cyd says:

We have only made these as directed on the recipe. We have not tried them in an 8x8 inch pan.
Ana says:

I baked them a while ago and they were heavenly!! I searched and your recipe is the best and easiest of all. I left a couple in the freezer and ate them later and they were so fresh and delicious! I don’t have a Chili’s in NYC but thanks to you I have my lava molten cake! Thanks so much :)
Momma Cyd says:

We are so glad to hear that you like these copycat Molten Lava Cakes. Have a great week!!
Edith says:

My guests went wild over it. Thank you for the recipe 👍🏻
Mary says:

Do you bake for the same amount of time in the fluted muffin tin as for the bowls? How high do you fill?
Bobbi @ Six Sisters says:

We bake these in a fluted muffin tin so I would bake as directed in the recipe - You will kind of have to keep an eye on them. Cook until the outer edges are set and the middle is still kind of soft.