Best Sellers Best Sellers
Bulk Bulk
Flour Flour
Baking Mix Baking Mix
Gluten-Free Snacks Gluten-Free Snacks
Pancake Mix Pancake Mix
Bread Mix Bread Mix
Grahams Grahams
Cake Mix Cake Mix
Snack Bars Snack Bars
Cookies Cookies
Figgies Figgies
Gluten-free chocolate lava cake with a molten center running onto the plate

Chocolate Lava Cake

on Aug 04 2025
Table of Contents

    Share

    There is a moment when you cut into a lava cake and the center runs out onto the plate, and it is worth the twenty-five minutes it takes to get there. These gluten-free chocolate lava cakes are made with our Pancake & Baking Mix, which means a small amount of mix does all the structural work while the chocolate and butter do everything else. Best of all, they bake in an ordinary muffin tin, so there are no ramekins to buy and no special equipment at all. Rich, warm, and molten in the middle. So good, no one will guess they are gluten-free, the way Pamela's has done it since 1988.

    Why you'll love them

    • A real molten center, not a cake with sauce poured over it.
    • No ramekins needed. An ordinary muffin tin does the job.
    • About 25 minutes start to finish, most of it hands-off.
    • Six ingredients, and you likely have most of them already.
    • Gluten-free without compromise, made with our GFCO-certified Pancake & Baking Mix.

    Where to buy a gluten-free lava cake

    Gluten-free lava cake is one of the harder desserts to buy. Restaurants rarely offer a gluten-free version, and the frozen single-serve ones are inconsistent and expensive. The good news is this is a genuinely fast recipe with a short ingredient list, and one bag of Pamela's Pancake & Baking Mix goes a very long way, since each batch uses only six tablespoons.

    Shop the Pancake & Baking Mix

    Prep Time 10 minutes
    Cook Time 13 minutes
    Total Time about 25 minutes
    Yield 6 to 8 lava cakes
    Serving Size 1 lava cake

    Ingredients

    • 4 ounces semi-sweet baking chocolate (a bar, not chocolate chips)
    • 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter or margarine
    • 1 tsp vanilla
    • 2 eggs plus 2 egg yolks
    • 1 cup powdered sugar
    • 6 tbsp Pamela's Gluten-Free Pancake & Baking Mix
    • Cocoa powder, for dusting the cups
    Shop Gluten-Free Pancake & Baking Mix, 4 lb.

    Directions

    1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Grease the cups of a muffin tin well, or line with paper liners and spray them, then dust with cocoa powder and tap out the excess.
    2. Melt the chocolate and butter together in the microwave, about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, and whisk until completely smooth.
    3. Whisk in the vanilla, then the eggs and yolks, whisking as you go.
    4. Whisk in the powdered sugar, then the Pancake & Baking Mix, until the batter is smooth.
    5. Divide the batter among the prepared cups, filling each about three-quarters full.
    6. Bake 10 to 13 minutes, until the edges are set and the centers still jiggle slightly when you nudge the pan. Do not bake until the centers look firm, or you will lose the molten middle.
    7. Let stand 1 minute, then serve warm, on their own or with berries, ice cream, or whipped topping.
    Back to blog

    Share

    Leave a comment

    Please note, comments need to be approved before they are published.

    Recipe Tips & Notes

    The chocolate matters more than anything else here. Use a semi-sweet baking chocolate bar, chopped, rather than chocolate chips. Chips are made with stabilizers that help them hold their shape when heated, which works against the silky molten center you are after.

    To keep them gluten-free: Pamela's Gluten-Free Pancake & Baking Mix is GFCO-certified. Note that it contains almond meal and cultured buttermilk, so this recipe is not nut-free or dairy-free.

    Recipe credit: an Honorable Mention in Pamela's 2011 Recipe Contest, submitted by Jennifer A.

    Tips for a perfect molten center

    Three things decide whether the middle runs or sets. Do not overbake, and trust the jiggle rather than the clock, since ovens vary. Do not overfill the cups, because a deeper cake holds its molten center better than a shallow one spread thin. And serve them warm, within a few minutes of coming out of the oven, since the center firms up as it cools. If your first batch sets through, pull the next one a full minute earlier.

    Can you make lava cake in a mug?

    You can, and it is the fastest possible version, though the texture is closer to a soft mug cake than a true lava cake. Our [gluten-free mug cake] has a molten variation that gets you there in about a minute. For the proper crisp-edged, runny-centered version, the muffin tin method on this page is worth the extra twenty minutes.

    Variations

    • Espresso lava cake: add 1/2 teaspoon espresso powder with the mix. It does not taste like coffee; it deepens the chocolate.
    • Dark chocolate: swap the semi-sweet for a bittersweet bar at 60 to 70 percent for a less sweet, more intense cake.
    • Salted: a few flakes of sea salt on top just before serving.
    • Peanut butter or raspberry filled: press a small spoonful into the center of the batter before baking.
    • Made with 1:1 All-Purpose Flour: worth testing. Swapping the 6 tablespoons of Pancake & Baking Mix for 6 tablespoons of Pamela's Gluten-Free 1:1 All-Purpose Flour would remove both the almond meal and the buttermilk, making the recipe nut-free and opening a dairy-free path with a plant butter. It also removes the leavening, which arguably suits a lava cake better, since you are not looking for rise. Test before publishing this as a claim.

    Make ahead & storage

    • Make ahead is where this recipe shines. Fill the muffin cups with batter, cover, and refrigerate for up to 3 days, then bake straight from the fridge, adding a minute or two.
    • Baked lava cakes are best within minutes. They are still good later, but the center will have set.
    • To reheat a baked one, microwave about 15 to 20 seconds, just until warmed through.

    Gluten-Free Pancake & Baking Mix, 4 lb.

    Featured Product

    $22.49

    View full details

    Size: 4 lbs

    Pack Size

    The same Pamela's Gluten-Free Pancake & Baking Mix families have trusted since 1988, in a 4 lb. bag that makes about 90 pancakes. GFCO-certified, made with cultured buttermilk and almond meal, with 8 grams of whole grains per serving and no added sugars.

    Built for pancake households

    If weekend pancakes are a tradition in your house, the 4 lb. bag keeps up. Make a double batch: cooked pancakes freeze beautifully and reheat in the microwave in under a minute, straight into school mornings. It covers the muffins, biscuits, and banana bread in between too, at a lower cost per serving than the 24 oz. bag.

    Never run out

    Add Subscribe & Save and your next bag arrives on your schedule with 10% off every order. Pause or cancel anytime.

    Brown Rice Flour, White Rice Flour, Cultured Buttermilk, Almond Meal, Tapioca Starch, Sweet Rice Flour, Potato Starch, Baking Powder (Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Potato Starch, Sodium Bicarbonate), Baking Soda, Sea Salt, Xanthan Gum.

    Contains Milk and Almonds.

    Pamela's Products are manufactured in a Gluten-Free Certified Facility and peanut-free facility. Our products are produced on equipment that processes Tree Nuts, Coconut, Eggs, and Soy.

    We've Got Answers

    A semi-sweet baking chocolate bar, chopped. Skip chocolate chips, which contain stabilizers that help them hold their shape when heated and work against a smooth molten center. Use 4 ounces, or a bittersweet bar for a less sweet cake.

    Pull them from the oven when the edges are set but the centers still jiggle slightly when you nudge the pan, usually 10 to 13 minutes at 425 degrees F. Serve within a few minutes, since the center firms up as it cools.

    No. This recipe uses an ordinary muffin tin. Grease the cups well, or use paper liners sprayed with cooking spray, and dust with cocoa powder so the cakes release cleanly.

    Not as written. The butter can be swapped for a plant-based butter, but Pamela's Pancake & Baking Mix contains cultured buttermilk, so the recipe would not be fully dairy-free. It also contains almond meal, so it is not nut-free.

    Yes, and it is the easiest way to serve these to guests. Fill the muffin cups, cover, and refrigerate for up to 3 days, then bake straight from the refrigerator, adding a minute or two to the time.

    Pamela's Best Sellers

    View all products
    Pamela's Pancake & Baking Mix packaging with a stack of pancakes on a white background
    Crisp gluten-free waffles made with Pamela's Pancake & Baking Mix

    Gluten-Free Pancake & Baking Mix, 4 lb.

    From $22.49

    Box of Pamela's Whenever Bars Chocolate Chip Coconut on a white background
    Cookie on a wooden board with Pamela's chocolate chip cookie packages around it.

    Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Coconut Whenever Bars

    From $11.49

    Pamela's Bread Mix package with a loaf of bread on a white background
    Sliced loaf of bread on a cooling rack with Pamela's Bread Mix packaging.

    Gluten-Free Bread Mix, 4 lb.

    From $19.99

    Gluten-Free Bread Mix, 25 LB
    Sliced loaf of bread on a cooling rack with Pamela's Bread Mix packaging.

    Gluten-Free Bread Mix, 25 LB

    $77.79

    Pamela's Mission Fig cookies packaging on a white background
    Hand holding a stack of cookies with dark filling, blurred background

    Gluten-Free Figgies & Jammies - Mission Fig

    From $10.99

    Box of Pamela's Honey Grahams gluten-free graham crackers on a white background
    S'mores dip served with Pamela's Gluten-Free Honey Grahams

    Gluten-Free Honey Grahams

    From $10.99

    Pamela's Chocolate Brownie Mix packaging on a white background
    Chocolate brownies on a cooling rack with a box of Pamela's Chocolate Brownie Mix on a marble surface.

    Gluten-Free Chocolate Brownie Mix, 16 oz.

    From $11.49

    Box of Pamela's Whenever Bars Cranberry Almond on a white background
    Pamela's Cranberry Almond bar packaging on a white background

    Gluten-Free Cranberry Almond Whenever Bars

    From $11.49

    Box of Pamela's Chunky Chocolate Chip Cookies on a white background
    A hand holds a box of Pamela's Chunky Chocolate Chip Cookies against a light blue background, while another hand holds a small stack of chocolate chip cookies in the foreground.

    Gluten-Free Chunky Chocolate Chip Cookies

    From $8.99

    Pamela's Chocolate Cake Mix packaging on a white background
    Chocolate cake roll with white cream filling on a marble surface, with a blurred background.

    Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake Mix, 21 oz.

    From $11.49

    Pamela's Gluten-Free 1:1 All-Purpose Flour 25 lb bulk bag
    Chocolate chip cookies on a plate with brown paper

    Gluten-Free 1:1 All-Purpose Flour, 25 LB

    $62.89

    Pamela's All-Purpose Flour Mix packaging with a blue bowl of flour on a white background
    Chocolate chip cookies on a plate with brown paper

    Gluten-Free 1:1 All-Purpose Flour, 4 lb.

    From $19.49

    Other Recipes You'll Love

    View all posts

    Gluten-free brookies cut to show the fudgy brownie base and chocolate chip cookie top

    Recipes

    Brookies (Cookie Brownie Bars)

    on Jul 27 2026
    Gluten-free brookies with a fudgy brownie base and a chewy chocolate chip cookie layer, made with Pamela's Chocolate Brownie Mix and 1:1 All-Purpose Flour.
    Fruit Pizza with a Sugar Cookie Crust

    Recipes

    Fruit Pizza with a Sugar Cookie Crust

    on Jul 20 2026
    An easy gluten-free fruit pizza with a sugar cookie crust, whipped cream cheese filling, and fresh fruit. Made with Pamela's Gluten-Free 1:1 All-Purpose Flour.
    Gluten-free vanilla mug cake in a white mug with a spoonful lifted out

    Recipes

    Easy Vanilla Mug Cake

    on Jul 20 2026
    A quick gluten-free vanilla mug cake made with Pamela's Vanilla Cake Mix, ready in the microwave in under 5 minutes. Dairy-free with a plant milk.

    Top Pamela's Searches