{Recipe} Easy Matcha Lava Cake (Molten Cake) 綠茶心太軟
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This elegant and decadent Matcha Lava Cake (molten cake) is perfect for the upcoming Valentine’s Day!
While CNY is still going strong (in China anyway) and am still suffering from all the food comma, let’s shift the focus to something less intimating, like the upcoming Valentine’s Day.
First, I’ll be very honest with you, I was never an expert in the sweets department and if you have been on this site long enough you can probably tell from my past Valentine’s offerings because it was either something savory, or a not so sweet dessert, or something sweet made by Mrs. YR.
Well, that’s about to change this year BECAUSE I decided to take baking more serious last year and I am happy to say that I have definitely had improvement as a baker.
And I am finally confident to share with you this fun, decadent, and luscious Matcha Lava Cake recipe that will win your Valentine’s heart!
Ever since I first had this matcha molten cake a few years ago at a popular NYC dessert place called Spot, I had been trying to replicate it at home. And it turned out to be pretty easy to make, a lot easier than you’d think!
If you are not familiar with lava cake (aka chocolate molten cake), it’s basically a half-baked cake where the outside of the cake is fully cooked but the inside is still liquidy. So when you eat it, the gooey and liquidy inside will flow out of the firmer shell.
Now for those of you enjoy dramatic effect, the real selling point of lava cake is when you slice open the cake, the rich and liquidy part would literally flow right out like lava from a volcano eruption. Just do this in front of your loved one and get your camera ready to capture that jaw dropping moment! .
Now, to elevate this already awesome dessert, just add a dose of matcha powder – one of the hottest, most talked about ingredients right now. BOOM, you’ve just got the prefect plan to impress your Valentine this year!
Tips on Making Perfect Matcha Lava Cake
Not a professional baker? No worries. As I mentioned that this lava cake is surprisingly easier to make than it looks and it’s definitely less complicated than my favorite handmade soft Asian milk bread, by miles!
So, just follow these tips and you’ll get your lava cake wish granted:
- The single most important factor deciding whether your lava will succeed is the timing. Generally speaking it takes 10-13mins at 425F / 219C. If you are unsure if the cake is done, do under-cook it rather than over-cook. Also start to monitor the cake at 10th minute and remove the cake as soon as the center is not wet.
- The traditional chocolate lava cake uses bittersweet chocolate but since this is a matcha lava cake, I prefer to use milk chocolate so the amount of cocoa doesn’t overshadow the matcha flavor. Also by using milk chocolate, you’ll not need to add any sugar. If you want to further reduce the cocoa flavor, you can even use white chocolate or a combination of white chocolate and milk chocolate. It’s a matter of personal preference.
- Lastly, make sure your ramekin is well greased and covered in a thin layer of flour. The first time I made this, I forgot to butter my ramekin and the cake was stuck to the bottom (but it was still super tasty)
Step by Step Recipe
Easy Matcha Lava Cake (Molten Cake) 綠茶心太軟
Yield: 2 Servings
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 12 mins
Total Time: 22 mins
Ingredients:
- 2.8oz / 80g milk chocolate chips
- 2 medium eggs
- ½ stick / 50g unsalted butter
- 3 tbsp / 24g all purpose flour
- 4 tsp matcha powder
Directions:
Set up a double boiler. Add the butter and chocolate chips and stir frequently to distribute the heat evenly. Once the mixture turns smooth, remove the pan from double boiler. Alternatively, you can also melt the chocolate and butter in microwave. 
In a mixing bowl, add the eggs and beat the eggs manually or with an electric beater until fluffy. 
Slowly pour the melted chocolate to the egg mixture. Stir continuously. 
Combine 2tsp of matcha powder with flour. Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture through a sift or mesh strainer.Gently fold the dry mixture into wet mixture until the batter is smooth and lump-free. 
Divide the batter into two and fill the two ramekins. 
Bake at 425F / 219C for 10-13 minutes. Start monitoring the cake at 10th minute. Once the outskirt of the cake is firm and the center just turns try and not jiggly when moving it, remove the ramekins from the oven and let them sit for 2 minutes.
Slide a toothpick around the lava cake and transfer then it to a plate by quickly inverting the ramekin. Sprinkle the rest of the 2 tsp of matcha powder through a mesh and a heart-shaped paper stencil to form a heart-shaped matcha. 
For the best result, serve this luscious lava cake with a scope of matcha ice cream on the side 🙂P.S. if you made this recipe, please share your picture or video with me using #YiReservation
I look forward to seeing your delicious creations!
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Hello, greeting from Adelaide in Australia. I tried your recipe on this Matcha lava cake and it turns out very nice. Simple and tasty…!! My guests love it…
Thanks for sharing the recipe 🙂
great recipe, just tried it today. with my oven 9 to 10 mins is enough. 🙂
Hi Mini, thanks for the feedback. Do you mind sharing the type of oven you have so other readers might use it as a reference?
Love these little cakes! The combination of flavors with the chocolate and matcha – two of my favorites!
Thanks. Yeah it’s really a perfect combination of the two!
I love lava cake but never made…I like the matcha version of it…looks gorgeous Yi.
Thanks for the recipe!
Have a great weekend 🙂
Thanks Juliana. I love the original lava cake but I think the lava cake version fits my palate better. Hope you get to try it!
Hi, Yi. Looks interesting but I don’t eat sweets. I’ll share this with a friend, though.
I’m single so no Valentine’s Day for me but I think I might splurge with an ikura chirashi-don, maybe with some wild caught salmon or whatever else I decide to use as toppings. Just made a batch of lacto-fermented ginger slices. Nice and refreshing. Making me hungry already!
Btw, besides kimchi, do you ever lacto-ferment any veggies? I do daikon, leeks, snow or snap peas, hot peppers, cukes, etc. There’s always something bubbling away in my kitchen, including home-made wine! Lol! Also have some whitebait (baby anchovies) fermenting with rice. They are salty and pungent and taste great on hot rice or can be mixed with some fresh veggies and lime juice. I get them from the freezer section of the Asian market in a 2.2 lb box. Not for the squeamish!
One of my cousins in Osaka loves to bake. She’s always posting images of her creations on Facebook. She even teaches a cooking class! She’s a nut!
That’s great. Sounds like she’s a talented baker. I love my trip to Osaka last year but it was way too short. Will have to visit soon!
hi Chieko, thanks for checking out the recipe. The ikura chirashi don sounds fantastic. I think ikua has to be one of my favorite Japanese ingredients. The fermented ginger sounds delicious. Do you have a recipe? I do make make fermented veggies such as daikon and Thai chili (I like it spicy)! Have you made natto from scratch? I am tempted to do that because getting the little packs every week does add up after all 🙂
For lacto-fermented ginger…Slice peeled ginger thinly with a mandoline. For others reading this, make sure the ginger is fresh and there’s no mold. A teeny bit of mold will taint the entire batch. I often smell and taste the peeled ginger since visually you can’t be sure you’ve gotten all the mold. Basically, sliced ginger, salt and water. Some say don’t use tap water due to chlorine preventing fermentation. That’s bull-twinky. I use it for all my ferments. The type of salt is up to you.
Ok, back to you, Yi. I use citric acid regularly in my ferments. Do you use it? Here’s a link http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/food-and-wine/food-trends/citric-acid-is-a-chefs-new-weapon/article17884043/ I’ve been using it forever since I do canning and regular pickling. Handy ingredient to have on hand. Citric acid is naturally occurring in fruits/vegs. I find that a bit of it helps the fermentation. For a pink color, add some shiso which will add some flavor, or some pieces of skin from a red plum. I have also used 100% pure cranberry juice for a hint of pink. It won’t affect the flavor.
Thanks for sharing your wonderful recipe. I love Japanese fermented ginger and always ask for extra when I go to a Japanese restaurant. I think the shiso flavor is what makes it unique and I’d personally not substitute it unless I can’t find it. I think the main challenge for me is sourcing the young ginger since it’s seasonal and usually pretty expensive.
I’d love to hear other readers experience!
What a fun looking cake! And I’ll bet the flavor is amazing. I’m not much of a baker either (Mrs KR is, though), so this is perfect for me — a nice, easy recipe. Thanks!
Thanks John. I am still learning a lot every time I bake.