Lava air fryer cake in Ninja Foodi, Cosori or other brand will become your new favorite dessert! Ooey gooey chocolate lava cake made in ramekins for one is easy to bake without an oven.

Lava Chocolate Air Fryer Cake
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Have you tried an air fryer cake yet? Not a normal cake, but individual lava cakes that are pure bites of heaven I tell you. If you love chocolate and want to try a new air fryer recipe this week, this is it! (affiliate links present)

Lava Cake in Air Fryer

These are just heavenly. Good thing they’re made portioned out in ramekins or I might go overboard for sure. Add lots of chocolate chips in the center made with self rising flour and oh my you’re in for a treat.

We first made a Ninja Foodi cake using just a box of cake mix. That turned out well and you can do that as well if you want a quick dessert but homemade from scratch is always best. You can change this up with the type of chips you add. White chocolate are wonderful too.

If you love extra crispy food and quick recipes, here are some resources to start with:

A close-up photo of a hand pulling out the basket of an open air fryer on a light-colored surface. The interior of the air fryer basket is empty and features a mesh design, perfect for cooking your favorite dishes like bang bang shrimp. The edge of the air fryer has a latch mechanism for securing the basket.

Air Fryer Peanut Butter Lava Cake

It’s called this because it’s so ooey gooey when it is done a bit like a volcano that flows out when it erupts. To add a peanut butter element just use those type of chips in the center vs. milk chocolate chipsI you haven’t “baked” in this hot air machine yet you are in for a real treat with this one!

Can you make cake in an air fryer?

I wasn’t so sure how well it would work to be honest. If you follow this cooking method though, it works great! I like how they’re already portioned out and come out super moist too.

Can you use ramekins to bake cake in an air fryer?

It is a convection oven after all so yes! Don’t forget you probably have some in your cabinet already you can use. Tea cups work great too if they are oven safe. The size of your air fryer will determine what size ramekins you get. Here’s a peek of this being made in the kitchen. I know, midway it even looks irresistible, but just keep reading.

air fryer cake recipe

How to Bake a Lava Cake in Ninja Foodi

I suppose you could use boxed cake mix for this but the homemade chocolate cake recipe below is better and super easy. When making a boxed cake in air fryer that way I used the bake function. If your machine doesn’t have that, this method won’t work. With this brand you will use the lid that is attached to air fry.

Is air fryer better than oven?

While a convection oven and an air fryer both use a fan to move hot air around, an air fryer circulates the it more rapidly. This speeds up the cooking process for everything you cook in this thing I swear. Air fryers are healthier than deep frying and there’s no risk of an oily mess.

It’s also nice because if you want to make a small batch of air fryer banana bread or cake you can! It won’t heat the whole house up either.

lava cake recipe

4 ounce ramekins were used to make this chocolate air fryer cake recipe. I like how it was just the right amount for one person so you didn’t have to serve anything other than the dish. If using different sizes the cooking timing will just need to be adjusted more or less

Lava Air fryer Cake Ingredients

  • Non stick cooking spray is very helpful if you remove from the dishes to serve on plates
  • Butter
  • Lots of Chocolate chips of course. Dark or semi sweet are best if you ask me.
  • Eggs
  • Sugar
  • Self rising flour – remember to measure flour properly

You can add more chocolate chips on top if you want them to be really ooey gooey and wet when they’re done. Of course adjust things as you go but for your first batch I’d follow the instructions as written. Experiment from there and make a few other air fryer dessert recipes too!

chocolate chips

Air Fryer Chocolate Lava Cakes

What I do is nuke the initial step by Melting chocolate chips in microwave until nice and smooth. You want there to be no lumps meaning that it is hot enough to really break down and will mix with the other ingredients well, kinda’ like cake batter. Work quickly once it is smooth as at room temperature it will stiffen up again.

How do you heat up a lava cake in an air fryer?

We will show you how to make air fryer lava cake from scratch right here! You can use cake batter as well if you wanted but if you want a really moist tender chocolate cake airfryer style this is the best dessert on the planet!

Can you make lava cake in ramekins?

Yes! We will show you how to make ramekin cakes right here. You don’t even have to turn on your oven for these individual serving cake rounds. Use your countertop appliance to “bake” / air fry it to tender and delicious.

ninja foodi cake

This is the air fryer we used for this batch. Some air fryer baskets are rather small so you may only be able to fit 2 or 3 of them at a time. Just cook in batches until you have as many as you’d like.

How to Make Air Fryer Lava Cake for Two

  1. Melt chocolate chips and butter until smooth. in a microwave for 30 seconds at a time, stirring in between sessions.
  2. Whisk together sugar and eggs in a bowl, then combine the two.
  3. Fold in flour until well combined, then add into greased ramekins. divide between 4 equally.
  4. Preheat air fryer at 370 for 5 minutes.
  5. Put baby cake pans into air fryer basket and cook at 370 degrees for 10 minutes, take out once toothpick comes out somewhat clean when pushed into the middle (you want a bit of gooey)
    • no need to cover with aluminum foil as you want the top to lightly brown.
  6. Allow to sit on cooling rack for 2-4 minutes to solidify if you want to flip on to a plate and stay in tact.

This whole process will take about 15 minutes before your dream dessert is done! Since they are already in small individual containers there is NO messy slicing or additional plates required to enjoy them. 😉

air fryer cake

How to Make Lava cake with Cake Mix in Air Fryer

  • 1 box of Devils Food cake mix, 18.25 oz.
  • 1 1/3 cups water
  • 1.5 cup vegetable oil
  • 3 eggs, large
  • Mix wet ingredients with a mixer, then combine with cake mix to make the batter
  • Fill sprayed ramekins with non stick spray and fill 3/4 of the way full
  • Air fry 10 minutes in preheated machine at 370 degrees F. or until set in the middle, allow to cool in dish for at least 10 min.

How to bake lava cake without an oven

Air fryer cookies are fabulous and you can really use whatever type you love best.

You can bake other things in it as well like air fryer cornbread and homemade or refrigerated cinnamon rolls in air fryer. Use boxed muffin mix to make air fryer muffins now too.

A spoon is cutting into an air fryer chocolate lava cake topped with melting vanilla ice cream on a white plate. Two fresh raspberries sit beside the cake.
4.80 from 5 votes

Air Fryer Cake

By The Typical Mom
Lava air fryer cake in Ninja Foodi or Cosori will become your new favorite treat! Ooey gooey chocolate cake in ramekins dessert for one.
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Servings: 4
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Equipment

  • 1 air fryer
  • 4 4 oz ramekins

Ingredients 

  • 7 tbsp butter
  • 1 c chocolate chips, used dark chocolate
  • 2 eggs
  • 3.5 tbsp sugar
  • 1.5 tbsp self rising flour, not all purpose

Instructions 

  • Melt chocolate chips and butter together in the microwave. Put in for 30 sec., stir, 30 sec. until it is melted and smooth.
  • Whisk together eggs and sugar in separate bowl. Then whisk egg mixture and chocolate together until combined and smooth.
  • Then mix in flour until smooth.
  • Pour batter equally into 4 oven safe ramekins. Fill 3/4 full.
  • Put in air fryer basket for 10 minutes at 370 degrees, then allow to cool for 2 minutes before flipping over on to plates (or eat right out of them but they will be hot).

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 2oz, Calories: 483kcal, Carbohydrates: 43g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 33g, Saturated Fat: 20g, Cholesterol: 141mg, Sodium: 237mg, Potassium: 30mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 39g, Vitamin A: 832IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 70mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Tried this recipe?Mention @thetypical_mom or tag #thetypicalmom!
cake in air fryer
boxed cake in air fryer
air fryer cake

About The Typical Mom

Justine is the creative mind behind The Typical Mom and The Typical Family on YouTube. She began blogging about easy recipes, budget friendly activities for kids, and fun family travel destinations in September 2012.

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4.80 from 5 votes (3 ratings without comment)

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7 Comments

  1. Followed the directions & timing exactly as per the recipe in my 8 quart Ninja Foodi and the cakes were rich and delicious, perfectly cooked while still lava on inside. I preheated the air fryer for about 10 min with the lid closed while mixing the batter. Also made my own self-rising flour (1/3c flour, 1/2 tsp baking powder, pinch salt gave me enough for a few batches). Thank you for the recipe, I’ll make it again for sure!

  2. Not near enough time. I did 370 for 10 min and was totally raw. Just the edges were done. Put in for another 10 and the top was charred. Just scrapped the top off. Was much better. Maybe 5 min instead of 10. Made my own Sr flour.

      1. I cannot see where you say Kathy Soule used the wrong time and temp. Recipe directions read: Put in air fryer basket for 10 minutes at 370 degrees, then let cool for 2 minutes. Exactly how she baked the cakes.

    1. Made them again this time A Success. Used by air fryer this time I used my Ninja Foodi
      I think there is more air flow. The Foodi doesn’t have a 370 it has 365 and a 375. I did 360 for about 12 minutes. Crispy around the and a small puddle at the bottom
      483 Calories