We know how excited people get when it's time for dessert. This eagerness is what you're looking for when you're serving a cake you made! Imagine the glee you exhibit when the chocolate cake you have presented oozes more ganache than you ever dreamed it could contain!
That's what this giant chocolate lava cake seeks to evoke and the best news is yet is that this is the way to make an easy lava cake, too.
What Is A Giant Chocolate Lava Cake?
A lava cake is a cake that features a molten center which is why it's also known as a molten cake. This center is the highlight of the dessert wherein diners break into the cake and a seemingly melted chocolate flows out from it. It's a visually stunning dessert.
This particular chocolate cake is inspired by the bundt cake recipe video from Delish which featured a cake box mix with a peanut butter lava center. This was followed a few years later by Tasty's giant chocolate cake with a molten center made with ganache.
Both cakes featured a cake boxed mix and while that's the easy way to make this cake, you can also make the chocolate cake from scratch as we did.
How to Serve Giant Chocolate Lava Cake
This cake is best when served before you pour in the ganache in the center of the cake. The lava flow is the star of the show so don't steal that moment away from your friends! Present the "ordinary chocolate cake" with a hole in the center then watch as your friends' eyes light up with delight when you bring out the pitcher of melted chocolate and realize what you're about to do.
Then pour! Let the chocolate "lava" flow gently from the tops and then cut a slice for that dramatic chocolate eruption from the center. Cut everyone a slice onto a plate and a scoop (or three!) of the chocolate ganache to drizzle on top of every slice you give away.
How to Make Giant Chocolate Lava Cake
The cake starts with a regular chocolate cake recipe but the key here is to use a special cake pan called the Bundt pan.
A bundt pan is a tube pan similar to what is used for angel food cake or sponge cake but has a more decorative shape. Instead of a plain flat surface, the bundt pan has ridges, swirls, and designs embedded in the pan. This embedded design makes the cake unique and impressive with minimal effort. These decorative ridges, etc however mean you have to ensure that the cake won't stick to the pan as it bakes. This means knowing how to properly grease the pan.
Once done, you have your cake baking in the oven, and you can prepare the ganache that will be your lava. This is simply made with cream and chocolate. You can thin this down even more with more cream so it flows really well when sliced.
You may need to warm up the ganache right before serving so that it will be more liquid when the time is right aka when you slice it.
Tips to Make A Delicious Giant Chocolate Lava Cake
1 Choose your cake recipe!
Any chocolate cake recipe will work for this recipe but we chose this recipe because it's not too moist that it will not crumble under the weight of all that ganache. Instead, the cake will absorb some of the chocolate ganache that will eventually drench the cake.
2 Make more ganache!
The fun idea behind this lava cake is really the ganache so if you're a chocolate fan, make more ganache than you think you need so you can really enjoy the chocolate-on-chocolate action that is meant to happen with this cake. Besides, you can always reserve any extra ganache to drizzle over pancakes, waffles, or to make hot chocolate and peppermint mocha drinks the next day!
3 Remember to use a LARGE plate with a rim!
You might forget it but use a plate much bigger than your cake and preferably one with a rim. This will help you not only catch the ganache as it flows out of your cake but stops the overflow of it onto your table.
How to Store Giant Chocolate Lava Cake
This cake is best stored just like most chocolate cakes: on your counter until the next day. If you haven't eaten the entire thing yet, refrigerate it so you can keep it for longer.
Watch: Giant Chocolate Lava Cake Recipe