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Beautiful sponge cake topped with milk tea-infused custard, and boba pearls. Slice of cake has been removed to show dripping boba lava.

Boba Lava Cake

Spongy, airy, creamy, chewy — this boba lava cake features a beautiful sponge cake topped with milk tea-infused custard, and boba pearls. Watch the filling goosh out when you lift the acetate holding it together.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Course Baking, Coffee Break, Dessert
Cuisine Japanese
Servings 8 slices
Calories 311 kcal

Equipment

  • 1 Electric hand mixer
  • 2 Mixing bowls one large, one medium
  • 1 spatula
  • 1 whisk
  • 1 PushPan 9 inch, circular
  • 1 Sauce pan
  • 1 Offset spatula
  • 1 Rack for cooling cake
  • 1 clear acetate sheet 4 inch wide

Ingredients
  

Milk Tea

  • 1.125 cups whole milk 250mL, or 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons
  • 6 tbsp 20g loose-leaf black tea

Cake

  • 3 eggs room temperature -- yolks and whites separated
  • 2 ½ ounces milk tea 50mL
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil 20g
  • ½ cup cake flour 70g
  • ½ tsp black tea powder
  • ¼ tsp lemon juice fresh
  • .375 cup granulated sugar 65g, or a quarter cup plus 2 tablespoons

Lava Cream

  • 1 egg yolk
  • 3 ½ ounces milk tea 120mL
  • ¼ cup muscovado sugar 40g
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch 5g
  • 1 cup whipping cream 200g

Boba

  • 1/3 cup 5-minute boba 50g I used WuFuYuan brand 5-minute Boba
  • 2 tbsp muscovado sugar 20g

Instructions
 

Milk Tea

  • Add the milk and tea to a saucepan and bring to a boil.
  • Remove from the heat, cover, and let the milk tea steep for 20 minutes.
  • Strain the milk tea to remove the solids and set the milk tea aside.

Cake

  • Preheat oven to 320°F (160°C).
  • Add the egg whites to one mixing bowl and the yolks to another.
  • To the egg whites, add the measured milk tea, oil, cake flour, and black tea powder (I used the powder from a black tea bag).
  • Whisk until well combined.
  • Add lemon juice to the bowl with the egg whites. Beat with an electric mixer until frothy.
  • Sprinkle half the sugar into the egg whites. Beat until white and frothy.
  • Add the remaining sugar and continue to beat until you have firm peaks.
  • Whisk some of the meringue into the bowl with the egg yolk mixture. Doing so lightens it up, which makes it easier to fold into the meringue.
  • Pour the egg yolk mixture into the meringue and gently fold until well combined. Work slowly to avoid losing any of the volume.
  • Pour the batter into a non-greased push pan, then give the pan a few swift taps on the counter. It is important not to grease the pan, as doing so will prevent the cake from rising.
  • Transfer to the oven to bake for 50 minutes.

Lava Cream

  • While the cake is baking, make the milk tea custard cream. (Start on this sooner rather than later because it requires some refrigeration.)
  • To start, add an egg yolk to a small saucepan.
  • Pour in the milk tea, then follow with the brown sugar and cornstarch.
  • Over medium heat, whisk the mixture until a thick paste forms.
  • Transfer the paste to a bowl, cover it, and refrigerate it for 30 minutes.
  • In a clean mixing bowl, pour heavy cream. Whisk until slightly thickened.
  • Loosen up the paste, and then add it to the cream.
  • Vigorously whisk until you have a thick, rich custard cream.

Boba

  • Bring a pot of water to a boil.
  • Add the boba and simmer for 5 minutes.
  • Strain and add the boba to a bowl with the sugar. Stir to both coat the boba in sugar and create an instant syrup.

Assembly

  • Run an offset spatula around the cake's edge and remove it from the pan. Transfer the cake to a cooling rack.
  • Once cooled, place the cake onto a cake stand, then position a 4-inch-wide piece of acetate around the cake. Secure it with tape. Make sure the fit is pretty tight.
  • Add the lava cream to the top of the cake, and then plop the boba on top.
  • Lift the acetate so the cream and boba cascade over the sides like lava. (If you're like me and overbeat the cream a bit, you may need to use a spoon or spatula to coax it over the edge.)
    Fluffy cake with lava cream and tapioca pearls cascading down the sides.
  • Slice & serve!
    Beautiful sponge cake topped with milk tea-infused custard, and boba pearls. Slice of cake has been removed to show dripping boba lava.

Notes

I used WuFuYuan 5-minute Boba for this recipe (Amazon affiliate link): https://amzn.to/35z0nLj
If you want to make your own boba, I have a YouTube tutorial here: https://youtu.be/nYSZo80NBfs
 

Nutrition

Calories: 311kcalCarbohydrates: 34gProtein: 5gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0.03gCholesterol: 123mgSodium: 49mgPotassium: 134mgFiber: 0.3gSugar: 22gVitamin A: 615IUVitamin C: 0.2mgCalcium: 85mgIron: 1mg
Keyword boba, cake, lava cake
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