Skull Lava Cakes #HalloweenTreatsWeek

Why have regular round molten lava cakes when you can have skull lava cakes? Normally the inside is what counts but I think the outside does too in this scenario.

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More skulls! I seem to go through phases of Halloween inspiration and skulls are predominating in recent times. It helps that I finally got my hands on my favorite Skull cakelet pan that I found last year at HomeGoods (or Marshalls/TJ Maxx, who knows).

Last year I used to make skull sloppy Joe bombs which where amazing and turned out even better than I had hoped. The same goes for this years creation with the same pan – skull lava cakes! I think you should just have an entire skull-themed meal from start to finish.

Just like my skull gnocchi the recipe itself is just a classic molten lava cake but it’s the shape in which you form it that sets it apart and with all those little nooks in the pan you need to make sure those skull lava cakes comes out whole. With precious cargo like these you don’t want the outside layer of cooked cake to get stuck and cause an eruption of chocolate lava before you’ve even had a chance to plate it.

Tip for successful skull lava cakes:

• I swear by Bak-klene ZT for shaped pans like these skulls, it’s freaking magical. PAM for baking would be my second choice if you cannot find Bak-klene ZT (try Williams Sonoma, Gordon Food Service, or Amazon).
• Don’t use chocolate chips! Besides the fact that chocolate chips are designed to hold their shape better, this is a dessert where the chocolate is the main component so please use a good bakers chocolate.
• Room temperature eggs are a step even I often skip but when mixing into the warm chocolate-butter mixture you don’t want the chocolate to seize up with the addition of cold eggs.
• Underbaking is the whole point. Once you see that the batter is no longer shiny on top it’s probably time for them to come out of the oven or you risk these small cakes cooking all the way through and lacking the molten effect.

Once you have successfully released the skull lava cakes are ready to be devoured! These are an eat right away kind of dessert and don’t keep that well. Technically you can save the leftovers but they won’t be as molten once they cool and you don’t want to reheat and thus cook the centers. So find 3 companions and enjoy them while they are hot, literally.

I served mine on plates splattered with melted red candy coating but some warmed up seedless fruit jelly or strawberry sundae syrup would also work well. I almost made them with a red cream cheese center similar to my slime lava cakes or a skull red velvet version but decided to stick to the classic and instead incorporate the “blood” into the presentation. A dusting of powdered sugar on top would look nice, too.

Technically one cake serves 2 people but I won’t tell anyone if you don’t share. Heck I put peanut butter cup ice cream on top of mine once I finished taking photos, who am I to judge?

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Welcome to 2025’s #HalloweenTreatsWeek event!

This is our 8th year doing #HalloweenTreatsWeek … has it really been 8 years? Wow!

#HalloweenTreatsWeek is a Halloween blogging event that is hosted by Angie from Big Bear’s Wife every October. This event is an online, week-long event that is filled with some amazingly wicked Halloween treats and recipes from some fantastic Halloween-loving bloggers!

Make Sure to check out all of the fun Halloween recipes that we’re sharing this week!

Make sure to check out all of the fun recipes that we’re sharing this week!

• Witches Brew Risotto by Big Bear’s Wife
• Magic Wands by Semi Homemade Recipes
• Melted Witch Fudge by Southern Halloween Queen
• Chocolate Haystack Werewolf Paws by Savory Moments
• Graveyard Brownies by Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Cookies and Scream Cupcakes by Jolene’s Recipe Journal
• Pumpkin Shaped Cheeseball by Art of Natural Living
• Monster Meat Pie by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Harry Potter Pumpkin Pasties by For the Love of Food

SKULL LAVA CAKES

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Yield: 4 cakes (8 servings) Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cooking Time: 11 Minutes 11 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 4 oz. (4 squares) Baker's semi-sweet chocolate
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 eggs plus 2 egg yolks, room temperature
• 6 Tbsp all-purpose flour*

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Generously grease** four cavities of a skull cakelet pan***.
2. In a large microwaveable bowl, microwave chocolate and butter on high for 1 minute, stirring every 20 seconds, or until melted and completely smooth.
3. Whisk in sugar, eggs, and egg yolks followed by the flour until just incorporated. Divide batter between the four prepared skull cavities.
4. Bake 8-10 minutes or until sides are firm but centers are still soft and jiggle when disturbed. Remove from oven and let stand 1 minute. Carefully run small spatula or knife around the edges to loosen then invert onto a platter or dessert plates**** (Lightly tap the bottom of the pan while inverted to help loosen further, if needed). Serve immediately.

Notes

*You can easily sub your favorite GF flour for a GF option. I prefer Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 baking flour here. **I swear by Bak-klene ZT for all my shaped bakeware, but it's sometimes hard to find so PAM for baking would be the next best option. ***I used a pan with a little over 3/4 cup capacity in each cavity. ****I splattered some red chocolate candy melts on the plates to look like blood. Red fruit dessert topping would also work.

Source: Adapted slightly from Kraft.