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This peppermint lava cake recipe gives a fun holiday twist on the classic mini chocolate cake with an ooey gooey center. So decadent and wonderful!

Paleo Peppermint Lava Cake topped with crushed candy canes and the center oozing out
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If you are a chocolate lover, this gluten free lava cake may become your favorite desserts. It’s rich and chocolatey, and just really simple and easy to make! And to put a bit of holiday spin on it, I added peppermint extract and topped it with crushed candy canes. I just love the molten liquid center that oozes out when you dig your spoon into it!

What is a Lava Cake?

A lava cake, for those of you who’ve never had it before, is a chocolate cake dessert that served in individual serving sizes. Also called molten lava cake, the name comes from the melted liquid-y center that you can enjoy when you dig into it. If you love a good fudgy chocolate, you’ll definitely enjoy this gluten free molten lava cake infused with peppermint.

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Peppermint Lava Cake Recipe

This particular version of this decadent dessert is made with almond flour, so the end result is a gluten free and paleo chocolate lava cake that anyone can enjoy! It makes two ultra-rich cakes, so you might want to share one cake among 2 people. The ingredients come together quickly and you only have to bake for around 10 minutes!

Frothing egg mixture with a hand mixer
Pouring melted chocolate into whisked eggs to make paleo molten lava cakes
Pouring chocolate cake batter into a ramekin

Ingredients in Peppermint Gluten Free Chocolate Lava Cake

  • chocolate chips: For dairy free and paleo chocolate chips, I recommend this brand.
  • ghee: Coconut oil will also work for this recipe. If using ghee, you can make your own or this is my favorite brand to purchase.
  • egg + egg yolk
  • coconut sugar
  • peppermint extract
  • sea salt
  • almond flour: Make sure to use blanched almond flour, and not almond meal.

An optional ingredient is crushed candy canes, for garnish. While I couldn’t find 100% paleo candy canes, these are the cleanest version I could find free of top 8 allergens and no artificial dyes.

Baked chocolate lava cakes, fresh out of the oven

How to Make Paleo Chocolate Lava Cake with Peppermint

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
  2. The final texture gluten free molten lava cake is sticky and rich. To remove the cakes easily, line 2 ramekin bottoms with parchment paper. Coat the inside with cooking spray, then lightly dust with cocoa powder using a fine mesh strainer. Place the ramekins on a baking sheet.
  3. Melt together chocolate chips and ghee in a microwave or a double boiler until smooth. Set aside.
  4. Combine egg, egg yolk, coconut sugar, peppermint extract, and sea salt in a separate bowl. Use a whisk or a hand mixer to beat until frothy and light in color, and the coconut sugar is dissolved.
  5. Add in almond flour and melted chocolate mixture into the whipped eggs and fold until fully combined.
  6. Pour the batter into the prepared ramekins, then bake for 8-10 minutes until the edges are set and the center is still jiggly.
  7. Cool for 1-2 minutes, then run a sharp knife along the edges of each cake. Gently flip the cakes to a plate.
  8. Optional: Garnish by sprinkling with cocoa powder and crushed candy canes. Enjoy while still warm!
paleo gluten free chocolate lava cake served on a plate with candy canes and cocoa powder

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best toppings for this paleo lava cake recipe?

In the recipe, I use cocoa powder and crushed candy canes to top the cake. However, you can also top with coconut whipped cream, berries, dairy free ice cream, or my 4-ingredient salted caramel sauce!

Can you make regular lava cakes with this recipe?

It’s actually really easy to make a classic paleo molten lava cake without peppermint with recipe. Just swap out the peppermint extract with vanilla extract!

How do you reheat this peppermint lava cake?

Lava cakes taste best fresh out of the oven when they are still warm. The center will firm up as it cools. If you do have leftovers and want to reheat it, you can microwave for 30-60 seconds until the center is gooey again. If you don’t have a microwave, you can heat in the oven for 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees.

Digging into peppermint lava cake with a spoon

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peppermint lava cakes
Servings: 2 lava cakes

Gluten Free & Paleo Peppermint Lava Cake

This peppermint lava cake recipe gives a fun holiday twist on the classic mini chocolate cake with an ooey gooey center. So decadent and wonderful!
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 20 minutes
Save this recipe!
Get this sent to your inbox, plus get new recipes from us every week!
Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

Video

Ingredients 

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
  • This paleo lava cake can be sticky. To remove the cakes easily at the end, line the bottoms of 2 ramekins with parchment paper circles. Coat the inside with cooking spray, then lightly dust with cocoa powder using a fine mesh strainer. Place the ramekins on a baking sheet.
  • Combine chocolate chips and ghee in a bowl and use a microwave or a double boiler to melt into a smooth mixture. Set aside.
  • Add egg, egg yolk, coconut sugar, peppermint extract, and sea salt in a separate bowl. Use a whisk or a hand mixer to beat until frothy and light in color, and the coconut sugar is dissolved.
  • Fold in almond flour and melted chocolate mixture into the whipped eggs until fully combined.
  • Divide the batter into the prepared ramekins, then bake for 8-10 minutes until the edges are set and the center is still jiggly.
  • Cool for 1-2 minutes, then loose the edges of the cake with sharp knife. Gently flip the cakes to a plate and remove the parchment paper.
  • Optional: Garnish by sprinkling with cocoa powder and crushed candy canes. Enjoy while still warm!

Nutrition

Serving: 1lava cake – makes 2, Calories: 551kcal, Carbohydrates: 40g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 44g, Saturated Fat: 25g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 8g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 237mg, Sodium: 61mg, Potassium: 42mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 9g, Vitamin A: 249IU, Calcium: 39mg, Iron: 3mg

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

Tried this recipe?Leave a comment below or tag @whatgreatgrandmaate!
What Great Grandma Ate / Jean Choi is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Regarding other affiliate links and affiliate relationships: In order for me to support my blogging activities, I may receive monetary compensation or other types of remuneration for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial and/or link to any products or services from this blog. Thank you for your support and understanding.

Jean Choi

Iโ€™m a food lover and recipe developer living in Southern California. I love to share simple and approachable gluten-free recipes that are healthy but never sacrifice on flavor.

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