Food Fun: Growing and Making Your Own Food
Learn how to grow your own fruits and vegetables, and to make your own butter, cheese, and bread.
Chocolate Strawberry Lava Cake
Learn how to bake a mouth-watering lava cake using a few simple baking ingredients and a microwave.
About the Activity
There's no better way to use fresh strawberries than by incorporating them into a chocolate strawberry lava cake! With its rich, chocolate base and bursts of strawberry flavor, this gluten-free dessert boasts an oozing chocolate center that melts in your mouth, and pairs perfectly with chocolate-covered strawberries.
You can make this cake for yourself, or double the recipe and serve one to a friend! This delicious dessert has love written all over it.
Grades: 6-12
Topic: Food Science, Cooking
Preparation Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 2 Minutes
Servings: 1
Created by Kristin Osika, 4-H Youth-in-Action Winner
Supplies and Ingredients
Gather the following ingredients and supplies for this activity.
- Microwave-safe ramekin
- Measuring spoons
- Stirring spoon
- Microwave (900 watts)
- 3 tablespoons chocolate chips
- ½ teaspoon oil
- 1 tablespoon non dairy milk
- 2 tablespoons gluten-free flour
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- 2 chopped strawberries
- ½ ounce semisweet baking chocolate, chopped
- 1 teaspoon water
- Chocolate-covered strawberries (optional)
Activity Steps
Baking a single-serving lava cake doesn’t have to be complicated! Using a microwave makes it easier for anyone looking to learn the basics of baking. Top your cake with homemade chocolate-covered strawberries for an extra touch!
- Combine chocolate chips and oil in a ramekin. Microwave it for 45-seconds at 900-watts so the chocolate chips begin to melt.
- Stir nondairy milk into the melted chocolate chips and oil, and microwave the ramekin for an additional 15-seconds at 900-watts. Stir the mixture until it is smooth with no lumps.
- Next, add gluten-free flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt to the ramekin. Stir the ingredients together until they form a smooth batter.
- Add chopped strawberries into the mix, and fold them into the batter.
- Place the chopped pieces of baking chocolate into the center of the batter, and press it down slightly so that they are partially submerged.
- Pour water on top of the batter, but don’t mix it in. The small layer of water should remain on top of the batter.
- Now, you are ready to bake your cake! Put the ramekin back in the microwave, and cook for 45 seconds. The ingredients will bake and the cake will rise in the ramekin.
- Let the cake cool for two minutes, and then enjoy! If you want to top your lava cake with chocolate-covered strawberries, follow the steps in the bonus activity.
Bonus Activity (Optional)
Make your own chocolate-covered strawberries as a delectable topping! To do this, melt ½ cup of chocolate chips with a bit of coconut oil in the microwave, stirring every 15-seconds to rotate the chips. When melted, you can dip in the strawberries, add some sprinkles to the dipped surface, and let them cool to form the perfect chocolate shell. It’s as simple as that.
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