A 15-Minute Lava Cake for One | Cup of Jo (2024)

My first thought was this looks amazing but it’s not a recipe for one, and despite my major sweet tooth I agree with those who say this is too much for 4 nights in a row!

I made half the recipe last night with the intention of eating both, and could easily have done so. Luckily my husband saved me from myself and stole the second one. I later calculated there are 520 calories in each one, don’t know why but I was so sure it would be lower as there are so few ingredients and no flour!

Anyway verdict is these are delicious, REALLY easy to make and I almost always have all the ingredients on hand. No comparison with a mug cake, these are a proper pudding and I would (and will) serve them at a dinner party.

Final point, I left them in a bit longer than 10 mins as I was waiting for the tops to crack. They never did so I trusted my gut and whipped them out after 12 mins. They were perfect. I would say def don’t leave in longer than 10 mins even if tops not cracked.

Oh also, I left out the clementine!

If you have children, this is no issue :)

That does help! Thanks so much ??

https://cleobuttera.com/cakes/molten-chocolate-mug-cake/
This recipe is for a *large* one serving, which send like a good idea when we are taking chocolate lava cake. I haven’t make it, but sounds like it will turn out yummy.

omg yum yum yummmmm and i think I might have all these ingredients at home hehe

Xoxo <3

Not to be rude, but I feel like COJ has kinda missed the mark with a lot of these recent solo dining posts. It’s super misleading to say you have a recipe for a lava cake for ONE that actually has FOUR servings. What if I don’t want lava cake (super indulgent and rich) four nights in a row? (Or like, when you had the roundup of solo meals and it included things like popcorn and cereal — cool if you just want a break from cooking, but not ideal for single people who honestly sometimes are at a loss for what to cook themselves because every recipe is 4+ servings.)

To be clear, the recipe looks delicious. My issue is just 100% with the misleading serving size.

100% agree. As someone who actually cooks for one, I have found this column to be totally absurd! They have all been standard-sized recipes and some of them (like risotto) don’t even reheat particularly well. This recipe looks great but there’s no way I’d eat it four nights in a row.

Personally I agree, as 2 of the recipes were given as “serves 4” despite the titles it’s not really a column on eating for 1. I would have thought anyone who regularly cooks for 1 has already twigged the concept of dividing a recipe by 4, or of meal/dessert planning and eating leftovers. (but then again, maybe not, given all the previous comments about people just eating cereal haha) Would have been more useful to showcase recipes that are actually innovative single-serving recipes that don’t leave you with half an egg etc. Oh well.
Thanks for the links Joanna will check them out :)

Joanna, thank you so much for the links! I really do love your blog, and I appreciate how nice you are even when criticized.

thank you for the MS link, jess!

They censor comments… that’s how they can seem so “nice.”

thanks for your note! we put through 99% of comments and always welcome debate and feedback. we only delete comments that are attacking, offensive or overly harsh. thank you!

oops, just saw author’s reply: serves 4

Or do a microwave mug brownie.

1/2 Cup flour, 1/2 Cup sugar (don’t you dare judge me), 2T coco, 2 T milk, 2T oil, dash of salt, drop or two of vanilla. Stir (a fork works great for this) and microwave for about 1 minute (1 minute and 10 seconds is perfect for me, but some people like it gooey).

YUM.

I just made the lava cake and it’s so SO much better than any of the mug brownies I’ve ever tried. More dishes but still quick and easy to satisfy a chocolate craving.

not a problem, this recipe serves four.

Thank you for linking to that one! It was lovely!

I read them all – so good!

he’s amazing. here’s his portfolio site if you want to see more writing:
http://erickim.net/

Such beautiful writing!! Thanks for linking to it!

Here, here!

I would try a muffin tin with cupcake liners. Or if you have any Pyrex custard cups or even Pyrex liquid measuring cup. As long as it is oven safe..

I was going to use a little Pyrex dish. It doesn’t have the straight sides, but you eat it out of the dish so you don’t need it to stand up. I think you could also use a coffee mug or tea cup.

i’ve made lava cakes in tea cups. works great!

The ramekin is seriously the most used dish in my house – melting butter, prepping for cooking, small dish of ice cream, kid snacks, etc. – and they’re usually $2. AND: when I make a cake, I put a tiny bit of batter in a ramekin (take out after 15 minutes or so) so I can taste the finished product without anyone noticing :)
So my advice is to buy a few ramekins. But mugs work, too.

hahahaha

Where has this column been all my single life!?!

Lava cake is my fav! Love this easy peasy recipe.

Olive oil?! The Greek olive oil I use has a pretty strong taste…might it be better to use canola/veg oil or is this ok?

This seems SO GOOD. Can’t wait to try

Jen: Holy Moly, that article! I’m totally choked up after reading it. It’s so raw and beautiful and painful and loving….and delicious, lol. I feel for both Eric and his parents (I have immigrant parents too). Thank you for that wonderful read!!

@jeanne: right??!!