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This Crockpot Cake is a perfect warm chocolate cake that you can make in a slow cooker. It even makes it’s own pudding frosting and it’s pure heaven!

chocolate cake on a white plate with white ice cream on top.


Chocolate Cake Recipe in the Crock Pot

This crockpot cake is similar to dump cake, hot fudge cake, or a lava cake, but it is made in the crockpot or slow cooker. It truly is a warm and delicious treat that I love to make because it’s SO good. If you’re a chocolate cake lover you’re going to want to be making this recipe on repeat. It’s a from scratch fluffy cake that makes a chocolate pudding sauce or frosting – serve it warm with ice cream and you’ll love it.

ingredients in crockpot cake laid out on a white counter.

Ingredients Needed

  • Sugar: The only sugar you need for this recipe is granulated sugar.
  • Cocoa Powder: Unsweetened cocoa powder – you can use dutch process too.
  • All-Purpose Flour
  • Milk: Use any kind of milk that you like best (nondairy works too)
  • Water: This water will need to be boiling and creates the pudding.
process shot of crockpot cake being made.
process shot of crockpot cake being made.
process shot of crockpot cake being made.
process shot of crockpot cake being made.

How to make Crockpot Chocolate Lava Cake

  1. Whisk dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cocoa). Stir in oil, vanilla, and milk.
  2. Whisk sugar, cocoa, and salt into boiling water.
  3. Add cake to the liner of a crock pot. Top with chocolate water.
  4. Add a paper towel to the top of the insert and cover with the lid. Set to 2 hours, but check at 1 hour and again at 1.5 hours.

Can you substitute cake mix?

If you want to turn this into a semi-homemade cake, make cake batter from cake mix according to package directions and add to crockpot. Make the sauce as directed in the recipe and cook the same – be sure and check after an hour, etc. You can use a chocolate or yellow cake mix.

chocolate cake in a crockpot.

Expert Tips

  • There are no eggs in this cake, making it the perfect cake for people with allergies!
  • This chocolate cake tastes good alone, but I always add a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
  • Not all slow cookers cook the same – be sure to check the cake at 1 hour and again at 1.5 hours because your crockpot might cook faster than mine.

Storing and Freezing

Store cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a few days. You can also freeze leftover cake for several months (although it tastes best fresh).

FAQ

What size crockpot is best?

This recipe was written for a 6-7 quart slow cooker. I don’t recommend using anything smaller.

Do you need a cake pan for crockpot cake?

For this version you do not need a pan – the cake Cookes right in the insert.

Can I cook it on low instead of high?

Yes but it will take longer – just be sure and check it after about 1.5 hours if cooking on low.

chocolate cake on a white plate with white ice cream on top.

Crockpot Cake Recipe

5 from 8 votes
This cake is like a chocolate lava cake but made in a slow cooker – a fluffy homemade chocolate cake that makes it's own chocolate pudding frosting!

Recipe Video

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 20 minutes
Yield 8 servings
Serving Size 1 serving
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Ingredients
 

For the Cake:

  • 1 cup (124g) all-purpose flour
  • ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 3 tablespoons (27g) unsweetened cocoa powder
  • ⅓ cup (79ml) vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup (237ml) milk

For the Sauce:

  • 1 cup (237ml) boiling water
  • ¼ cup (20g) unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
  • Pinch salt
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Instructions

  • Make the Cake: Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder in a large bowl. Add oil, vanilla, and milk and whisk until smooth.
  • Spray the insert of a 7-Qt slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. Pour cake batter into insert.
  • Make the topping: add the cocoa, salt, and sugar to the boiling water and whisk to combine. Slowly pour over the cake batter in the crockpot insert.
  • Cover the insert with paper towels, place in crockpot and place lid on top of paper towels.
  • Set time for HIGH for 2 hours. Check cake after 1 hour and then again at 1.5 hours. Cake will look wet in center but the edges will look done and a toothpick will come out clean near the edge when done. All slow cookers cook differently, mine took 1.5 hours.
  • Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream.

Recipe Notes

  • For easy clean up, use a slow cooker liner.
  • You can use regular or dutch process cocoa powder.
  • You can use any kind of milk.

    • Recipe Nutrition

    Serving: 1serving | Calories: 336kcal | Carbohydrates: 60g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 4mg | Sodium: 86mg | Potassium: 184mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 45g | Vitamin A: 49IU | Calcium: 68mg | Iron: 1mg
    Nutritional information not guaranteed to be accurate
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Author Dorothy Kern

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    Dorothy Kern

    Welcome to Crazy for Crust, where I share recipes that are sometimes crazy, often with a crust, and always served with a slice of life.

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    5 from 8 votes (6 ratings without comment)

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    90 Comments

    1. Help! I went home last night and made this cake because I had to have it now! Peanut butter hates me, so I thought I’d try Biscoff spread (the cookie spread). I was debating on cashew butter but wasn’t sure if it would go well with chocolate. The cake itself had very little flavor. Would the peanut butter (or other nut butter) have given off a stronger flavor? I also used milky ways (since I had them already). They melted into the cake making a chocolately gooey goodness. 🙂
      Also, the hot fudge seemed to end up in the bottom of the crock pot around the edges. Is that normal?

      Reply

      1. I’m not sure how the other spreads would affect the flavor of the cake, but I know mine was pretty peanut buttery. (In my first test of the recipe, there was much less peanut butter so I really upped it to 3/4 cup.) I did notice the hot fudge around the edges, but mine had some throughout as well. And milky ways – great choice!! They must melt more than Rolos, those stayed pretty “together”.

        Reply

        1. My husband liked it, so maybe it’s just me. LOL It was only the cake part (with no chocolate) that I thought should have had more flavor. I really think it was the cookie butter that got lost in the cake. Maybe cookie butter is meant to be eaten out of the jar with a spoon only! 😀

        2. Sometimes I think that cookie butter is better on a spoon than in treats! I think it can get lost sometimes, depending on the recipe.

    2. I love cooking with my slow cooker but have never made anything sweet in it before.. so this recipe is a great excuse for me to pull out my slow cooker! Thanks for the inspiration Dorothy!

      Reply

    4. Dorothy, this cake is a masterpiece of oozy, peanut buttery goodness!!! I don’t make anything in my slow cooker because it hates me but I think even it couldn’t ruin a delicious cake like this! Pinned!!! 

      Reply