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    Home » Recipes » Sweet Recipes

    Little Lemon Lava Cakes

    Mar 30, 2015 | by Jennifer | Last Updated: Apr 1, 2022

    Jump to Recipe

    These lovely Little Lemon Lava Cakes are a lemon lovers dream, with warm lemon curd spilling from a light cake. Made with an easy homemade lemon curd.

    lemon lava cakes on white plate

    I never tire of lemon desserts and when I spied this recipe for lemon lava cakes, I couldn't wait to try them. They were everything I imagined and more. The warm lemon curd spilling out of the light cake shell was the perfect after-dinner dessert.

    Unlike some other lava cakes, that magically create their molten centres, these require a more direct approach to achieving the lava affect. Although not magical, it is not difficult to achieve. A piping bag and a plain tip makes short work of it. if you don't have a piping bag, I've included an alternate method of getting the curd in the middle.

    When using the piping bag, be sure not to squeeze until the tip is in to the batter and then squeeze very gently to avoid the curd bubbling up through the top or sides. The goal is to keep the curd encased in the middle of the batter to enjoy the full lava effect.

    Cook's Notes

    I used round-bottomed ramekins, but regular ramekins will work just as well.

    Do be sure to remove the cakes from the ramekins shortly after baking. The sugar that is used to dust the ramekins bakes up to a crispy finish, but only if they are taken out of the ramekins quickly. Otherwise, the crispy bits will be lost.

    lemon lava cakes on white plate

    lemon lava cakes on white plate

    Little Lemon Lava Cakes

    These lovely Little Lemon Lava Cakes are a lemon lovers dream, with warm lemon curd spilling from a light cake. Made with an easy homemade lemon curd.
    5 stars from 1 rating
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    Prep Time 20 mins
    Cook Time 20 mins
    Total Time 40 mins
    Course Dessert
    Servings 6 puddings

    Ingredients
     

    For the lemon curd:

    • 1/2 cup freshly squeeze lemon juice, from about 3 lemons
    • 1 cup white sugar
    • 2 large eggs
    • A pinch of sea salt
    • 3 1/2 Tbsp unsalted butte, cold, cubed

    For the cakes:

    • 7 Tbsp unsalted butter, soft
    • 5 Tbsp white sugar , plus 1 tbsp for dusting
    • 2 large eggs
    • 2 Tbsp whole milk
    • 1 tsp lemon zest
    • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, (3/4 cup + 1 Tbsp.)
    Prevent screen from going dark

    Instructions
     

    • Make the lemon curd: Place all the ingredients for the lemon curd except the butter in a medium saucepan on a medium-low heat. Heat, whisking continuously for 5-8 minutes, or until the mixture thickens. You don't want the mixture to boil.
    • Once the mixture has thickened, reduce heat to low and whisk in the butter, cube by cube. Take off the heat once all the butter has completely melted. Pour into a bowl, cover and refrigerate for at least a couple of hours.
    • Make the cakes: Preheat the oven to 400° Butter six ramekins and dust them generously with some white sugar. Set on a baking sheet and set aside.
    • In a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until fluffy. Lightly beat the eggs, then gradually add them to the bowl, beating all the time. Add the milk and lemon zest. Add the flour into the mix and incorporate well.
    • (*Alternate filling method if you don't have a piping bag - fill each ramekin about 1/3 full. Using a spoon, make a well in the middle by pushing the batter away from the middle to the sides. Place 1 Tbsp. or so of the chilled lemon curd in the well that you made, then gently cover the curd with more batter, until ramekin is 3/4 full.)
    • Divide the cake batter between the ramekins until each is just over half full.
    • Take your refrigerated lemon curd and place in to a piping bag, fitted with a plain tip. Insert the tip into the centre of each batter-filled ramekin. Gently pipe the curd into each one until the ramekins are two-thirds full. (*Make sure you don't leave a hole in the batter after removing the piping tip. If so, use a spoon to gently cover it in.) Place filled ramekins on a baking tray.
    • Bake in pre-heated oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the tops are golden and the cakes spring back when touched.
    • Immediately run a knife around the edges of the cakes before turning out from the ramekins on to plates. Serve straight away.

    Notes

    Be sure to read the "Cook's Notes" in the original post, for more tips, options, substitutions and variations for this recipe!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 349kcal

    Nutritional information provided for general guidance only and should not be relied upon to make personal health decisions.

    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American, Canadian
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    Recipe adapted from Rachel Khoo’s Kitchen Notebook
     

    More Sweet Recipes

    • Dried Blueberry and Lemon Hot Cross Buns
    • Whole Orange Tea Cake
    • Mini Blueberry Beignets
    • Dutch Baby with Blood Orange Syrup
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    Meet the Author:
    Hi! I'm Jennifer, a home-cook of many years and a lifelong seeker of delicious food! I'm an equal opportunity eater. I enjoy eating all the foods!

    I love to share the classic recipes that I have enjoyed for years, as well as newer discoveries, that have become fast favourites.
    More about me here ...


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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Cindy Rodriguez says

      March 29, 2017 at 10:49 am

      Looking at this makes me say to myself - why don't I bake with lemon more?!? Plus it's a lava cake?!? Soooo perfect for spring.

      Reply
      • Jennifer says

        March 29, 2017 at 3:54 pm

        Thanks so much, Cindy :) Lemon is one of my favourite flavours, all year round!

        Reply
    2. Jenny | The Baking Skillet says

      March 15, 2017 at 12:59 pm

      Jennifer, these look so amazing! Just tagged it in my latest blog post.

      Reply
      • Jennifer says

        March 16, 2017 at 7:35 am

        Thanks so much, Jenny! :)

        Reply
    3. Karen says

      May 11, 2015 at 9:46 pm

      5 stars
      I will definitely make these again. First time making these, need to work on the curd. The egg white curdled a bit, but still came out thick. Love the taste.

      Reply
      • Jennifer says

        May 12, 2015 at 6:35 am

        Glad you enjoyed them, Karen. You can always strain the curd if you need to, as well.

        Reply
    4. Tess Pappas says

      April 09, 2015 at 8:03 am

      Do you think you could freeze these??

      Reply
      • Jennifer says

        April 09, 2015 at 9:51 am

        Hi Tess, I've never frozen them, so I can't say for sure. I'd be a little worried about how the curd would hold up.

        Reply
    5. Thao @ In Good Flavor says

      April 04, 2015 at 12:35 am

      I never seen lava cake like this before! I love the color: the lemon curd is such a vibrant shade of yellow.

      Reply
      • Jennifer says

        April 04, 2015 at 8:24 am

        Thanks Thao. The lemon version of lava cakes was a nice change!

        Reply
    6. Laura (Tutti Dolci) says

      March 30, 2015 at 7:31 pm

      Oh I wish I could trade you sandwich cookies for one of these darling cakes! :)

      Reply
      • Jennifer says

        March 31, 2015 at 7:44 am

        Thanks Laura. Wouldn't that be great! :)

        Reply
    7. Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar says

      March 30, 2015 at 5:27 pm

      This is the best thing I've seen all day. I love the flowing lemon! Perfect for Spring.

      Reply
      • Jennifer says

        March 30, 2015 at 6:32 pm

        Thanks Katrina. At least the food around here is Spring-like :)

        Reply
    8. sue|theviewfromgreatisland says

      March 30, 2015 at 3:44 pm

      I can't think of a better spring dessert than these little cakes, just the thought of lemon lava gets me excited :)

      Reply
      • Jennifer says

        March 30, 2015 at 4:27 pm

        Thanks Sue. There is maybe nothing better than warm lemon curd :)

        Reply
    9. Amy | Club Narwhal says

      March 30, 2015 at 12:31 pm

      Oh my, these little beauties are making me weak in the knees! Lava cakes do that to me and I love that you used lemon here. Because I could eat lemon curd with a spoon :) What a beautiful combination!

      Reply
      • Jennifer says

        March 30, 2015 at 1:06 pm

        Thanks so much, Amy :)

        Reply
    10. Jessie @ Straight to the Hips, Baby says

      March 30, 2015 at 11:15 am

      I love almost any lemon dessert and these look amazing! I would never had thought of doing a lemon lava cake before... genius! The colors are gorgeous too.

      Reply
      • Jennifer says

        March 30, 2015 at 12:13 pm

        Thanks Jessie. I'm a lemon addict myself!

        Reply
    11. Jessica | A Happy Food Dance says

      March 30, 2015 at 10:48 am

      This is so beautiful Jennifer! My favorite desserts are lemon ones. I could eat lemon curd with a spoon (and have!). I have never seen a lemon lava cake before, so unique!

      Reply
      • Jennifer says

        March 30, 2015 at 12:13 pm

        Thanks Jessica and I have definitely eaten lemon curd with a spoon before, too :)

        Reply
    12. Kate says

      March 30, 2015 at 9:36 am

      Oh wow, I love the idea of a lemon lava cake. It's normally all about chocolate but these look SO GOOD.

      Reply
      • Jennifer says

        March 30, 2015 at 9:40 am

        Thanks. I thought the same thing, Kate! Loved these :)

        Reply

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