Hojicha White Chocolate Lava Cake (Print Version)

Individual molten cakes blending creamy white chocolate with earthy roasted hojicha for a balanced sweet dessert.

# What You'll Need:

→ For the Lava Cakes

01 - 2.8 oz white chocolate, chopped
02 - 4 tbsp unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
03 - 2 large eggs
04 - 1 large egg yolk
05 - 1/3 cup granulated sugar
06 - 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
07 - 2 tbsp hojicha powder, finely ground
08 - Pinch of salt

→ For Serving

09 - Powdered sugar for dusting
10 - Fresh berries or whipped cream

# How to Make:

01 - Preheat oven to 390°F. Grease four 6 to 8 oz ramekins with butter and lightly dust with flour, tapping out any excess.
02 - Combine white chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of barely simmering water using the double boiler method. Stir until smooth and remove from heat to cool slightly.
03 - In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, egg yolk, and sugar until pale and slightly thickened, approximately 2 to 3 minutes.
04 - Sift flour, hojicha powder, and salt into the egg mixture. Gently fold to combine without overmixing.
05 - Pour the cooled white chocolate mixture into the egg mixture and fold until just incorporated. Avoid overmixing to maintain a tender crumb.
06 - Divide batter evenly among the four prepared ramekins.
07 - Place ramekins on a baking tray and bake for 12 minutes until edges are set but centers remain soft and jiggly.
08 - Remove from oven and let rest for 1 to 2 minutes. Carefully run a thin knife around the edges and invert each cake onto serving plates. Dust with powdered sugar and serve immediately.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • Individual cakes mean you're not sharing (unless you want to), and they bake so fast you could make them on a weeknight without stress.
  • Hojicha brings a nutty earthiness that prevents these from tasting one-dimensional or cloying, making them feel sophisticated without pretension.
02 -
  • The extra egg yolk is what creates the molten center—if you skip it or use just whole eggs, you'll get a regular (if delicious) cake instead of the lava effect everyone's expecting.
  • Oven temperature is your best friend or worst enemy here; if yours runs hot, start checking at ten minutes, because even thirty seconds of overbaking collapses the magic.
03 -
  • If your white chocolate keeps seizing when you melt it, add a teaspoon of butter or coconut oil and stir off the heat—this almost always saves it without changing the flavor.
  • Make sure your eggs are room temperature before whisking; cold eggs won't whip up as efficiently and you'll miss out on the airiness that makes these tender.
Go Back