Pumpkin Lava Cake

This pumpkin lava cake with chocolate ganache center tastes like fall and is the perfect dessert for two or more if you want to go crazy!

Happy first day of fall! We've officially entered my favorite time of year. You know it's hard these days to come up with something that's never been posted on the internet. Lauren and I both love molten lava cakes as they're an easy dessert to make for two.

And with fall here I was looking for a fall-inspired lava cake and thought of pumpkin lava cake! When searching, I actually didn't find a ton of options which surprised me. Even more surprising was none of them had a chocolate center, which is what I wanted.

So I went to work on developing a pumpkin lava cake with a chocolate ganache center. I'll admit I was nervous on how it would turn out because dessert isn't my strong suit since it's much more of a science than cooking. But luckily for us and for anyone reading this, it turned out amazing! I was actually inspired by the ganache center from Half Baked Harvest.

Make no mistake this lava cake tastes like pumpkin, but the chocolate ganache is the perfect complement to this dessert. So with fall officially here, if you're looking for something different, this dessert might just be what you're looking for!

When using pumpkin, this lava cake as well as pumpkin chocolate chip pancakes, baked pumpkin donuts, pumpkin oatmeal muffins and pumpkin gnocchi are my go-to recipes.

Jump to:

• Recipe Ingredients
• Step-by-Step Instructions
• How to Make Pumpkin Pie Spice
• What is the Difference Between a Soufflé and Lava Cake?
• How Do I Make Sure My Cake Actually Oozes?
• Can I Prepare Lava Cakes Ahead of Time?
• Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
• Other Dessert Recipes
• Pumpkin Lava Cake

Recipe Ingredients

• White chocolate - use quality white chocolate.
• Unsalted butter - adds flavor and moistness.
• Eggs - creates structure and adds moisture. 
• Light brown sugar - where the sweetness comes from.
• Pumpkin puree - where you get that pumpkin flavor.
• Pumpkin pie spice - can make your own.
• Salt - enhances the flavor.
• Semi-sweet chocolate chips - used for the ganache.
• Heavy cream - thins out the ganache.
• Vanilla extract - enhances the ganache flavor.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. First make the ganache. Place chocolate chips and heavy cream in small bowl and microwave for 1-2 minutes in 30 second intervals until melted, stirring between each interval. Stir in vanilla extract and cover and place in fridge.
2. Place the chopped white chocolate and butter in medium bowl and microwave for 1-2 minutes in 30 second intervals until melted, stirring between each interval. Set aside.
3. In large bowl whisk together the egg, egg yolk, light brown sugar and pumpkin puree until combined. Pour in the white chocolate mixture and whisk until combined.
4. Add flour, pumpkin pie spice and salt to wet ingredients and whisk until there are no lumps left.
5. Generously butter and flour two (6 oz) ramekins. Fill both ramekins with lava cake batter. Spoon 1-2 heaping teaspoons of ganache right into center. Use a spoon to scoop cake mixture over the ganache. Cover and place in fridge for 15 minutes.
6. Preheat oven to 400°F. Bake lava cakes for about 18 minutes or until firm on the edges and jiggly in the center. Let cool for 3 minutes and then loosen the edges of the cake with a butter knife. Turn onto small plates and serve with some vanilla bean ice cream.

How to Make Pumpkin Pie Spice

Most grocery stores carry pumpkin pie spice these days, but you can always make your own. Check out Taste of Home’s recipe.

In a small bowl, whisk together 4 tsp ground cinnamon, 2 tsp ground ginger, 1 tsp ground cloves and 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg.

What is the Difference Between a Soufflé and Lava Cake?

While they are similar, there are differences between soufflé and lava cakes.

• Most of the ingredients are the same, but the main difference lies in the texture and how they are presented. 
• A soufflé is fully cooked, whereas a lava cake has a runny, lava-like center. However a soufflé is moist in the center.
• A soufflé is usually served in the ramekin, while a molten lava cake is popped out of the ramekin and served on a plate, so you can see the lava flow out when you cut into it.

How Do I Make Sure My Cake Actually Oozes?

First you need to make sure that the cake will actually come out of the ramekins. You do this by buttering the ramekins and then adding a little bit of flour so it's coated. Tap against your hand to remove excess flour.

You'll know the lava cake is down when the edges are firm, but it's still slightly jiggly in the center. Luckily with the ganache, even if you over bake it, the ganache will still ooze out.

Can I Prepare Lava Cakes Ahead of Time?

Yes you actually can. If you have guests coming over, you can prepare the batter and place in the ramekins up to one day.

However if you do this, make sure you cut some parchment paper to size of the ramekin and place on the bottom before adding the batter so the cake doesn't stick. Just cover the ramekins with plastic wrap and refrigerate after that.

You can also just keep the lava cake batter in the bowl you mixed in and cover with plastic wrap in the fridge for 2 days before adding to the ramekins.

Once ready to bake, remove the lava cakes from the fridge and allow them to come to room temperature before baking.

Pro Tips/Recipe Notes

• Make sure you let the ganache sit in the fridge for at least 30 minutes so it hardens. You want it to be hard so you can drop a dollop of it in the middle of the cake batter. Don't worry as it will melt when baked.
• Microwave the white chocolate and butter in 30 second intervals until just melted. If you microwave too long, the chocolate will separate.
• Do not skip buttering and flouring the ramekins, otherwise you will not be able to get the lava cake out.
• You know the lava cake is done when the edges are firm, but the center is still slightly jiggly.
• Let the cake cool for 3-5 minutes before flipping over on plate. You can also just eat out of ramekin as well.

Other Dessert Recipes

• Apple Pie Cupcakes
• Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie
• Cookie Dough Ice Cream Cake
• Apple Pie with Crumb Topping
• Vegan Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

If you’ve tried this pumpkin lava cake or any other recipe on Chisel & Fork, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube to see more tasty meals and anything else I'm up to.