Almond Flour Chocolate Cherry Lava Cakes, Paleo, Gluten-free

These Almond Flour Chocolate Cherry Lava Cakes are decadent gooey molten chocolate cakes filled with cherries. They are inspired by a dessert that we had in France and are so good, you’d never guess they were naturally dairy-free, gluten-free, grain-free, and Paleo.

These chocolate cherry lava cakes are one of our all time favorite desserts! Not only are they melt-in-your-mouth satisfying, but they are made with healthier ingredients like almond flour, maple syrup, and coconut oil.

They are basically pots of gooey melted chocolate lava cakes filled with juicy cherries. Satisfying! We make them every year for Valentine’s day. We also make them if we are trying to impress family and friends. Everyone always raves about them and can not believe that they are gluten-free and dairy-free.

We eat these lava cakes straight from the ramekin. We add ice-cream on top and eat them. However, if you want a classic molten lava cake, that gets flipped out of the ramekin, try our chocolate and espresso lava cakes.

Why this recipe works

• Chocolate and cherry flavors were meant to be together! If you love the combo, check out our gluten-free cherry chocolate chip cookie bars.
• These gluten-free chocolate cherry cakes fit a variety of diets. They are Paleo, Gluten-free, dairy-free, and grain-free.
• They are made with healthier ingredients than your average lava cake. Almond flour is used instead of white flour. Maple syrup is used instead of sugar. Coconut oil is used instead of butter.
• They are incredibly decadent and satisfying. Everyone loves them!

Recipe ingredients

• coconut oil– use refined coconut oil if you do not want any coconut flavor.
• chocolate chips– any kind that works for you. Whether that is semi-sweet, dairy-free, or milk chocolate.
• egg– this binds the cakes together.
• maple syrup– make sure to use pure maple syrup! Nothing with any corn syrup in them.
• almond flour– blanched almond flour works best in baking.
• cherries– fresh or frozen work interchangeably well!

See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.

Additions/ Substitutions

• Instead of coconut oil, you can use olive oil or avocado oil.
• Instead of maple syrup, you can use honey.
• Instead of cherries, you can use raspberries or strawberries.
• You can omit the cherries and just have these be plain chocolate.

Step by step instructions

Step 1

Step 1: Melt the chocolate chips and coconut oil together in the microwave.

Step 2

Step 2: Whisk the egg and maple syrup together.

Step 3

Step 3: Mix the melted chocolate into the egg mixture.

Step 4

Step 4: Add the vanilla, salt, and almond flour to the chocolate mixture and whisk. Pour into ramekins.

Step 4:

Step 5: If using fresh cherries, pit them.

Step 5

Step 6: Add the cherries to eat ramekin.

Step 7

Step 7: Bake!

Expert tips

• Measure coconut oil in its melted state.
• Use chocolate chips that fit your dietary needs. If you need a dairy-free chocolate, you can use Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips. If you need Paleo chocolate, use HU chocolate chips.
• Let the ramekins cool for a few minutes after baking, but if you want to eat them hot don’t wait too long. That way the ice-cream still melts on top.