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    Recipes » Recipes » Baking & Desserts

    Gluten-Free Vegan Chocolate Lava Cake

    Last updated - August 3, 2021; Published - February 13, 2019 By Rhian Williams 18 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Chocolate lava cake on a plate with chocolate sauce flowing out of it topped with white cream and decorated with raspberries against a grey background

    This Gluten-Free Vegan Chocolate Lava Cake is seriously indulgent, filled with a magical velvety chocolate sauce and is surprisingly easy to make. It's crispy on the outside moist on the inside, and refined sugar free too. It's a great dessert to share for a special occasion, or just for eating by yourself! Perfect for Valentine's Day, Easter, dinner parties and other occasions!

    Gluten-free vegan chocolate lava cake on a plate with chocolate sauce flowing out of it topped with white cream and decorated with raspberries

    How to make this recipe

    Scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe.

    • Mix together all the ingredients for the filling in a small bowl, ensuring everything has been mixed together properly.
    Vegan chocolate sauce in a small bowl
    • Place in the fridge for around 20 minutes until hardened.
    • Mix together all the ingredients for the cake batter in a glass mixing bowl.
    Raw gluten-free vegan chocolate lava cake batter in a bowl
    • Lightly grease a small pudding tin (I used one measuring 8cm/3 ¼ inch on top, 5.5cm/2 ¼ inch on the bottom with a height of 5.5cm/2 ¼ inch).
    • Place about ¼ teaspoon cocoa powder in the tin and move it around so that all the inside of the tin is coated in the cocoa powder - this will make it easier to remove afterwards.
    A small silver pudding tin dusted with cocoa powder
    • Place half of the cake batter in the tin and make a small well in the centre.
    A small silver pudding tin filled with a small amount of raw gluten-free vegan chocolate lava cake batter
    • Remove the filling from the fridge and use your hands to roll it into a slightly flattened ball.
    A ball of vegan chocolate sauce on a plate
    • Place the ball into the well in the centre of the batter in the tin, making sure that the ball isn’t touching the sides of the tin.
    A small silver pudding tin filled with a small amount of raw gluten-free vegan chocolate lava cake batter with a small amount of solid chocolate sauce in the centre
    • Cover with the remaining cake batter, ensuring that the sides of the ball are well covered with cake batter, as well as the top.
    A small pudding tin filled with raw gluten-free vegan chocolate lava cake batter
    • Bake in the oven for around 20 minutes until risen - it's difficult to check whether it's done using an inserted skewer but 20 minutes of baking for a tin of this size is ok (you might have to adjust the cooking time accordingly depending on the size and shape of your pudding tin).
    A small silver pudding tin filled with gluten-free vegan chocolate lava cake
    • To make the cake more stable once turned upside down on a plate, carefully slice off the slightly curved top surface of the cake.
    • Put a place upside down over the top of the pudding tin then quickly flip it over and remove the tin so that the cake is turned upside down on the plate.

    Substitutions you can make

    • You can use any type of oil for the cake batter: coconut oil, olive oil or vegetable oil (coconut oil is essential for the filling).
    • You can use any type of plant-based milk: almond milk, rice milk, soy milk, cashew milk, oat milk etc.
    • You can use any type of liquid sweetener: maple syrup, agave syrup, brown rice syrup etc.
    • You can replace the vinegar with lemon juice.
    • You can replace the ground almonds (almond meal/almond flour) with ground walnuts.
    • For a nut-free version: replace the ground almonds (almond meal/almond flour) with ground sunflower seeds and use a nut-free plant-based milk.
    • You can use plain flour instead of the gluten-free flour if you're not gluten-free.

    Top tips for making this

    • The vinegar is crucial as it's acidic, which means it reacts with the alkali bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) to create a bubbly batter and fluffy sponge. If you don't have vinegar, replace it with lemon juice.
    • Greasing the tin and dusting it with cocoa powder is essential for making the cake easy to extract afterwards.
    • Make sure that the filling has been in the fridge for around 20 minutes before putting it in the centre of the cake batter.
    • Make sure to put the ball of filling in the centre and that the sides are covered properly - otherwise the filling will seep out.
    • Bake in the oven for around 20 minutes until risen - it's difficult to check whether it's done using an inserted skewer, but 20 minutes of baking works for a tin of this size - you can use a tin of a different size, but you will have to adjust the cooking time accordingly depending on the size and shape of your pudding tin.

    More vegan chocolate treats

    • Chocolate Cake
    • Chocolate Truffles
    • Chocolate Mousse
    • Chocolate Baked Donuts
    • Chocolate Bars
    • Yule Log

    If you try out this recipe or anything else from my blog, I’d really love to hear any feedback! Please give it a rating, leave a comment, or tag a photo @rhiansrecipes #rhiansrecipes on Instagram! Thank you.

    Gluten-free vegan chocolate lava cake on a plate with chocolate sauce flowing out of it topped with white cream and decorated with raspberries

    Gluten-Free Vegan Chocolate Lava Cake

    This Gluten-Free Vegan Chocolate Lava Cake is seriously indulgent, filled with a magical chocolate sauce and is surprisingly easy to make. The perfect dessert for a special occasion!
    4.50 from 18 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: French
    Keyword: gluten-free chocolate lava cake, vegan chocolate lava cake, vegan dessert
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes
    Total Time: 35 minutes
    Servings: 2
    Calories: 279kcal
    Author: Rhian Williams

    Ingredients

    For the filling:

    • 1 teaspoon coconut oil
    • 1 teaspoon maple syrup (or sub any other sweetener)
    • 1 teaspoon cocoa powder

    For the cake:

    • 1 tablespoon coconut oil (or sub olive or vegetable oil)
    • 30 ml (⅛ cup) unsweetened almond milk (or any plant-based milk)
    • ½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
    • 2 tablespoons maple syrup (or sub any other sweetener)
    • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
    • Pinch salt
    • 30 g (¼ cup) ground almonds (almond meal) *
    • 30 g (¼ cup) gluten-free flour blend (or sub plain flour if not gluten-free)
    • 1 teaspoon baking powder (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
    • ¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
    • 1 teaspoon cocoa powder

    Instructions

    For the filling:

    • Mix together all the ingredients in a small bowl, ensuring everything has been mixed together properly.
    • Place in the fridge for around 20 minutes until hardened.

    For the cake:

    • Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit).
    • Place the coconut oil in a bowl and melt over a saucepan of boiling water or in the microwave (skip this step if using any other oil).
    • Once melted, add the milk to the same bowl along with the vinegar, maple syrup, vanilla, salt and ground almonds.
    • Sift in the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and cocoa powder.
    • Mix well, adding a tiny splash more milk if it’s looking too dry.
    • Lightly grease a small pudding tin (I used one measuring 8cm/3 ¼ inch on top, 5.5cm/2 ¼ inch on the bottom with a height of 5.5cm/2 ¼ inch).
    • Place about ¼ teaspoon cocoa powder in the tin and move it around so that all the inside of the tin is coated in the cocoa powder - this will make it easier to remove afterwards.
    • Place half of the cake batter in the tin and make a small well in the centre.
    • Remove the filling from the fridge and use your hands to roll it into a slightly flattened ball.
    • Place the ball into the well in the centre of the batter in the tin, making sure that the ball isn’t touching the sides of the tin.
    • Cover with the remaining cake batter, ensuring that the sides of the ball are well covered with cake batter, as well as the top.
    • Bake in the oven for around 20 minutes until risen - it's difficult to check whether it's done using an inserted skewer, but 20 minutes of baking works for a tin of this size - you can use a tin of a different size, but you will have to adjust the cooking time accordingly depending on the size and shape of your pudding tin.
    • To make the cake more stable once turned upside down on a plate, carefully slice off the slightly curved top surface of the cake.
    • Put a place upside down over the top of the pudding tin then quickly flip it over and remove the tin so that the cake is turned upside down on the plate.
    • Best enjoyed immediately!

    Notes

    *You can alternatively use almond flour.
    • The vinegar is crucial as it's acidic, which means it reacts with the alkali bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) to create a bubbly batter and fluffy sponge. If you don't have vinegar, replace it with lemon juice.
    • Greasing the tin and dusting it with cocoa powder is essential for making the cake easy to extract afterwards.
    • Make sure that the filling has been in the fridge for around 20 minutes before putting it in the centre of the cake batter.
    • Make sure to put the ball of filling in the centre and that the sides are covered properly - otherwise the filling will seep out.
    Nutrition Facts
    Gluten-Free Vegan Chocolate Lava Cake
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 279 Calories from Fat 153
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 17g26%
    Saturated Fat 8g40%
    Sodium 160mg7%
    Potassium 247mg7%
    Carbohydrates 30g10%
    Fiber 3g12%
    Sugar 15g17%
    Protein 4g8%
    Calcium 167mg17%
    Iron 1.2mg7%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    Made the recipe?Tag @rhiansrecipes on instagram and use the hashtag #rhiansrecipes!

    Disclosure: This posts contains affiliate links to Amazon. If you purchase any of these products, a small percentage will come to me with no extra cost to you! This income will go towards the running of this blog – thank you.

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      Recipe Rating




    1. jackie

      February 14, 2019 at 12:48 pm

      What substitutions would you make to bake in individual ramekins? How many ramekins for the batter as prepared? What would the baking time be?I don't have a "pudding tin" but would like to try smaller portions/ mini cakes.

      Reply
      • Rhian Williams

        February 14, 2019 at 10:56 pm

        This batter would be suitable for making two individual ramekins - I would bake for 10-15 minutes, depending on how deep/shallow the ramekins are.

    2. Adrienne

      October 24, 2019 at 3:10 pm

      Hi, this looks great! Thanks for the recipe. Anyway, do you think we can keep the remaining lava cake in fridge or freezer and reheat them the next time?Will the filling be melt again? Thanks

      Reply
      • Rhian Williams

        October 24, 2019 at 5:35 pm

        Hi - you can keep remaining cake in the fridge for up to a couple of days. You can reheat in the microwave (texture of the sponge will be better this way than in the oven) and the filling will melt again!

    3. Juliana Dahll

      November 27, 2019 at 12:32 am

      How do you make the white sauce on top of lava cake
      Juliana Dahl
      [email protected]

      Reply
      • Rhian Williams

        November 27, 2019 at 1:45 pm

        That's coconut yogurt!

    4. Yuki

      January 18, 2020 at 3:28 pm

      Can I make this in the microwave, and if so how much time do you think i would have to bake it for ?

      Reply
      • Rhian Williams

        January 18, 2020 at 5:04 pm

        Yes it should work - I would do it in a microwave-safe mug and just do it in 10-second bursts and keep checking as it's very easy to overcook things in the microwave!

    5. Cathy

      May 11, 2020 at 9:28 pm

      Hi! I love your recipes btw! I ran out of flour. Can I sub with rice flour?

      Reply
      • Rhian Williams

        May 12, 2020 at 12:57 pm

        Thank you so much! You can sub rice flour, but add 2 tablespoons tapioca flour or cornflour (cornstarch).

    Newer Comments »

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    Photo of Rhian Williams from Rhian's Recipes

    Hi, I'm Rhian! I make easy, undetectably vegan + gluten-free recipes, including healthy comfort food and naturally sweetened desserts using plant-based ingredients.

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